I was sitting here recalling the events of this past week, and realized that everyone has what they would call an outstanding excuse to put God off. When you actually stop and think about it, it’s not worth the risk is it?

I have talked to people that I know were saved, and I know they attempt to walk in the ways of the Lord. They are human, and they fall short of the mark just as you and I do. This don’t make them bad, it just shows that there sinners just like I am. However, when you ask them why they forsake the assembling of themselves together with the rest of the body, they have every reason in the book.

“It’s my only day off and there are things to do around the house before I have to go back to work.”
“The church that I really like and want to go to is to far from my house, and takes to long to get there.”
“We just can’t seem to get up that early on a day off, I think that they should just make church later in the day.”
“We would love to but I have to work on Sundays now since this and that happened at work.”
“I would love to go out witnessing to the community but I just don’t have time to spare since we started football, cheerleading, and the Wednesday night PTO meetings. The little time I have I spend doing laundry, or mowing the yard”
“Well you know so and so, did thus and such, and I just cant believe it, I just cant go down and sit there knowing this and that happened”

To me they really are good reasons to stay at home and do what you want to do but, are they good enough for God? If you have a good enough excuse you can go out any night of the week, rape someone, give the authorities a good enough excuse to get off the hook, and be back on the streets within a week. There has been some events travel across the air ways here in America that shows that with a good enough excuse you can commit murder and get off with out paying the price.

The fact of the matter is that we are to be our reaching people, and pointing them in the Lords direction. We are to be meeting with other believers of like faith and growing in the word. If we can’t make time for God 3 times a week when the doors are open, and the message is being brought out of the pulpit, how are we going to find time to spend with God on a daily basis? The deal is that it is up to each individual to decide to receive or reject God. It is up to us to get out and pound the pavement down, and locate them that are lost and headed straight for a devils hell. We are not held accountable for the decision that they make, but we are held accountable for them that we could have pointed towards the savior, but we was to caught up in our self to notice the individual was lost in the first place.

I have heard many say that is what we have a Preacher for. The preacher is supposed to go out and reach the lost and invite them into our church. Well, the preacher does have the calling to reach the lost no doubt. However, I was taught at a very young age that the Sheppard leads the flock and keeps them close together. The Sheppard watches over the flock makes certain that the sheep don’t wander off and get hurt in the process. I could be wrong, but how does the Sheppard keep watch over the flock if he has his eyes upon one sheep in the fold?

When we are saved we are so excited and on fire for the Lord that we are willing and ready to yell and tell everyone that we meet the great and wonderful news of what this one called Jesus has done for us. The fact is that many of us loose our “salt” and “fire” because we are not seeing results as fast as “WE” would like to. We don’t keep in mind that God is in control of everything that happens in our life. Just because we don’t see the Harvest being brought up, does not mean that it is not growing does it? Just because we talked to this person for 2 hours and they still don’t know if they want to follow Jesus, does not give us a reason to give up. Some of us will be about planting the seed, while others will come along behind and harvest that which has been planted some time back. Just because we are not able to harvest the field each time we go out into it, does not mean that there is no fruit coming from the field.

The whole idea is to just continue that which the Lord has commanded you. You very well could be planting a seed every time you speak to the lost, you just don’t get to see the number of seeds harvested. I would like to encourage each of you to get back right with the Lord and do that which he has commanded you. If you are still following the path, keep up the good work. Don’t look back to see what it is that you have been able to do for the Lord. Don’t even attempt to count the numbers or the cost. Just keep pressing forward unto the mark.