I once worked with a head football coach who had a large sign behind his desk that simply read, “No Excuses.” What this meant to his staff and players was that he would not accept any explanations when something went wrong. He wanted them to be personally responsible and not put the blame on any other people or circumstances.

There seems to be a lack of responsibility today on the part of athletes whenever their coaches call them to be accountable. The players tell their coach that they didn’t hear the play, or they blame someone else for making a mistake. Nothing upsets a coach more than a player refusing to be accountable for his or her actions. And nothing is a worse role model to players than when a coach will not accept responsibility for his or her mistakes.

We can’t make any excuses for our sin either. If we are believers and followers of Jesus, then we must hate sin as much as He did. To allow ourselves to do what we know is wrong and then justify our actions is to give way to sin. Instead, we can live in the freedom of God’s forgiveness by confessing our sins to Him and allowing His righteousness to shine through us so that others may see His love!