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One of the most worthless behaviors that we can engage in is making excuses. What is an excuse? It a reason or explanation we give to justify a fault or an offense. Jesus understood this human behavior when He called His followers and He was ready for their excuses, just like He is ready for ours. (Luke 9: 57 – 62) “As they were walking along the road, …Jesus to the man, …“Follow me” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

The disciples were not the only ones with excuses. When Jesus asked the lame man who laid by the Pool of Bethesda if he wanted to be healed, He was ready for an excuse. (Jn 5: 1-15). When Jesus asked the woman at the well for a drink of water, He was not only ready for her excuse for not giving Him water, but her excuses about her life issues. (Jn 4: 1-25) When God told Moses to tell pharaoh to let the Israelites go, Moses had a host of excuses. (Exodus Chapters 3 & 4) Some of us take excuses a step further, like Adam and Eve did, and place blame on someone or something. Adam blamed Eve for his sin, and Eve blamed the serpent for her sin. Excuses! Excuses! Excuses!

What is the Lord speaking to your heart about? Is He asking you to recommit your time and service to Him? Is He tugging at your heart to start
an outreach or Bible Study in your community? Is He telling you to step out on faith and walk in your calling? Do you have the perfect excuse? Are you questioning God’s wisdom, judgement or order for your life? In the coming weeks, we will dig deeper into some of the famous excuses that people in the Bible used and the lessons we can learn from them.

Faithfully,

Pastor R. Mario Howell

Today, churches around the world are celebrating Pentecost, the 50th day after Resurrection Sunday. It commemorates the decent of the Gift of the Holy Spirit on the disciples and others believers who had gathered in the Upper Room as instructed by Christ (Acts 2: 1-2). Before His ascent into heaven, Jesus promised his followers a very special gift (Acts 1: 1-5).

Since Jesus, was God’s greatest gift to the world (John 3: 16), they must have wondered, what could possibly follow? But God wasn’t through giving! On the last night that Jesus was with His disciples, he revealed to them that God was planning to give them another gift…a very special gift of the Holy Spirit (John 14: 26-27 ). This unique gift would be one of the greatest gifts and most blessed salvation promises God would bestow on believers (Acts 2: 38-39). What is God’s purpose for this great gift? The Holy Spirit came to serve several purposes in the life of the Christian. To name just a few: Counselor, strength, comfort, knowledge, power, and the list goes on. Even the Bible is a gift of the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 1: 20 – 21).

One very special role of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to serve as Counselor (or “paraclete”). Jesus tells the disciples that the Holy Spirit will be “another” counselor (John 14:16b, 26). That is because Jesus also served as a counselor or Paraclete (1 John 2:1). A counselor is someone who stands beside another to help or aide him or her. It is someone who stands beside another in court and represents him or her. Jesus promised His disciples that when He leaves this earth, He will ask the Father to send another counselor to carry on with them…to stand beside them and help them, and if need be, defend them.

What a wonderful Counselor to have by your side!

Faithfully,

Pastor R. Mario Howell