All of us at one time have put things off until the last minute, such as the writing of a research paper for school or studying for exams. We put off important decisions at our place of work, or filing tax returns, buying your family Christmas presents on or near Christmas Eve, or asking that girl or guy to marry you before he/she gets tired of waiting and then complains to you about lacking any commitment. These are examples of procrastination, which is defined as "a putting off to a future; delay". There are, unfortunately, too many people who think that they have plenty of time to accomplish their objectives or make decisions when they do not, and neither do you. Putting off anything involving your well-being is nothing more than a fool's wager. Tomorrow is never a guarantee for anyone, especially when it comes to the matter of where you stand before God and the reality of eternity.
If you are a serious follower of the Lord Jesus Christ and have tried to share your faith with anyone, how many times have you been told that they would "think about it", or "check with them later", or "not now" or go away and quit bothering them? One of Satan's favorite tactics is to have somebody believe they have plenty of time to make their peace with God if they even bother to give Him any attention at all. The horrible shock will come when they close their eyes in death and find themselves in a place where they didn't expect to go and never be able to leave (Luke 16:19-31; Hebrews 9:27). During my time in the field of healthcare chaplaincy, I responded to calls from the ER/Trauma Center, Intensive Care Unit, Critical Care, and regular rooms to visit with patients and their relations to offer prayer and counsel as the time for death arrived. There were also calls where death had already stopped by and the family and/or friends were either at peace or experiencing a time of unspeakable grief, especially if the deceased had not made their peace with God, or whatever deity they chose to believe. Every time this happened, I silently asked to myself, "Where are they now?" I shuddered at the thought of a patient or anyone else undergoing a state of extreme crisis or impending death and had not settled the issue of their eternal destination. I wondered if those people who had been alive one minute and dead the next had been prepared or had placed their bets on settling the issue "later".
The Lord Jesus taught about dealing with tomorrow and its anticipated problems. In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), He emphasized that all we are given is now (Matthew 6:33-34) and to devote our time seeking and being within the kingdom of God. His apostles followed this advice during their time of ministry with Him. Read for yourself and see that nowhere in the Gospels are there any instances of wasted time or words. However, there were times where Jesus told them to depart from the crowds and take the time to rest for a while (Mark 6:31). We all need "down time" to refresh our minds and bodies, but then resume our responsibilities for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). Jesus had a specific mission He had to accomplish and was not about to waste HIs precious time arguing with nitpicky and hypocritical Pharisees or indifferent rulers like Herod Antipas. Souls were at stake and the Gospel needed to be preached to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24; Luke 19;10). The apostles were sent out to proclaim the message of redemption through Christ (Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 9:1-6, 10:1-12, 17-20; Acts 1:8). His words were never trivial or random. As God Incarnate, He accomplished everything needed to redeem us from sin (John 19:30; Acts 4:12). All He needed to say is found within the pages of Scripture, although, according to John's Gospel, He did far more than could be written down (John 21:25).
Scripture emphasizes the need to get right with God NOW (2 Corinthians 6:2). To wait is to do nothing at all and end up suffering the eternal, horrific consequences. Scripture presents tragic portraits of people who thought that they could "borrow time" from a tomorrow that never arrived for them, such as the rich fool and the rich man in hell (Luke 12:13-21, 16:19-31). The Roman governor Felix decided to put off hearing more from Paul concerning Jesus, salvation, and the future. He never called for Paul again and ended up paying the price for his choice (Acts 24:25). His request for a " more convenient season" never came. As a pastor and healthcare chaplain, I witnessed men and women brought into the ER who were D.O.A. (Dead on Arrival), and sent to the morgue who, while still alive, more than likely had not given any thought to spiritual issues or where they would be after death, that is, if they even believed in it. Then, all of a sudden came the unexpected heart attack, aneurysm, stroke, accident, or other fatality. Their appointed time had arrived (Ecclesiastes 3:2; Hebrews 9:27). The question of "where are they now?' comes to mind again.
There have been people who repented of their sins and called on the LORD in the final moments of their life such as the thief who was crucified next to Jesus (Luke 23:39-43). These precious souls will be rewarded for their brief act of faith along with those who have served the LORD for many years (2 Corinthians 5:10). The point is that we who have been redeemed by Jesus Christ did not put it off or give excuses but heeded the call to come to Him at that moment. He alone gives us access to eternal life and a place with God the Father (Matthew 11:28-30; John 3:16, 14:1-6; Acts 4:12, 16:31; Romans 5:6-11, 6:23, 10:9-10). The status of your age, health, net worth, or personal belief that nothing is going to happen to you makes no difference to death, who plays no favorites with anybody.
Either you are prepared, or you are not. There is no place for indecision or indifference to this issue. You cannot invest in a future that may not come to pass (James 4:13-15). You cannot borrow time from tomorrow, nor even a few moments from what is left of this day. The unexpected is always around the corner and will not consider your schedule or list of priorities. In December of 1975, I gave my life to Jesus Christ without any delays or excuses. I will be with Him forever, free from the curse of sin and death and will possess a new life that cannot be described by our small words (1 Corinthians 2:8-9; 2 Corinthians 5:1-8). If the Bible is true, then neither you nor I are without excuse to neglect what it says. Tomorrow may not come for you, but death could. If you ignore this warning, then you are doing nothing more than withdrawing counterfeit funds from the bank of wishful thinking. Come to Christ today.
donaldwhitchard@outlook.com
www.realitycityreverend.com
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