Vol. 6, No. 45 – November 7, 2021
Buy an Alibi
Proverbs 20:17
Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward, his mouth will be full of gravel. –Proverbs 20:17
You are probably thinking, even now, what you need to buy for Christmas giving. It is just that time of year. However, remember that we are in the midst of encouraging words that stem from the Word of God, in fact, or in principle. Proverbs is once again providing our encouragement and challenge. There is a thought that invades our buying—is there a worst buy for us? Yes.
Excuses (alibis) are the nails we use to fasten our coffins. They build a living place for failure. An alibi seems to be worse and has more negative outcomes than a flat-out lie. If I were a statistician, I would guess (remember statisticians do polls) that 99% of failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses—alibis.
Practice makes perfect, so say countless coaches and advisers. Those who practice excusing themselves, not only become “good” at what they are doing, they become entrenched in their habit. Remember that you do not have habits, habits have you. Thus, excusing yourself will become such a habit, you will not be managing your other parts of life well at all. If one stops the excuses, one can then focus on moving forward and upward. Excuses replace progress. We may fail at several junctures of life; however, that is not a failure until we blame it on somebody or something else.
There are reasons for failure, but no reason for an excuse/alibi. A challenge should not become an alibi. There is always a choice: We can let the obstacle be an alibi or an opportunity. Alibis never serve our purpose before holy God.
Look at the excuses lobbed by the media and Hollywood (and our politicians); hardly believable. An alibi is egotism wrong-side-out. Those who are unfaithful and dishonest will always have an alibi. The person who really wants to do something rightly finds a way; others look for an excuse. Even the Scriptures give us examples of people making excuses for their behavior.
Re-read Proverbs 20:17. I ask you; how would you react to a mouth full of gravel?
Life Application
Excuses/alibis always precipitate failure. There is a thin skin of falsehood stretched tight over a bald-faced lie. For every sin, Satan is ready to provide an excuse. Do not get caught in this no-win approach in life.
Success in life is a result of following God first. One who fails can give testimony of their error in choosing who to listen to; knowing that there are many excuses available if you are weak enough to use them. Do not ever buy an alibi.
Exchange your alibis for God’s opportunities!
