The Excuses We Make (And Why They Don't Hold Up)

Be honest: when you think about someone far from God — or maybe when you think about your own relationship with him — does a quiet voice whisper, "But you don't know what I've done" or "There's no way they'd ever change"?

Today's Scripture: "For I tell you that Christ became a servant... in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy." — Romans 15:8–9

Reflection: Yesterday we established the foundation: your inheritance is secured by your Redeemer. But foundations are easy to believe on a Monday morning. They get harder to hold onto when real life shows up.

Here's the honest truth: we all carry excuses. Some are about ourselves — I've gone too far, done too much, waited too long. Some are about others — They'll never be interested. They're too far gone. That's just who they are.

And here's what's striking: Ruth was a Moabite. In the ancient world, that wasn't just a different zip code — it was a different world entirely. She had zero claim to the covenant of Israel by birth, by culture, or by religion. Every conventional barrier said she was out.

And yet. God grafted her in anyway.

The same Christ who welcomed a Moabite widow into the lineage of King David — and ultimately into the family tree of the Messiah himself — is the same Christ who nullifies every excuse you're carrying today. He went to the cross 2,000 years before you thought of your reason for staying away.

The barriers feel real. But in Christ, they're already dismantled.

Today's Application: Name the excuse — yours or someone else's — that feels most immovable right now. Then hold it up next to the cross and ask: Is this actually bigger than what Jesus already did?

A Closing Thought: Whatever wall you're staring at, Christ has already knocked it down. You just have to walk through.