Remember school? You have a
big home-work assignment or test coming up. “Oh,
I’ve got plenty of time!” Then
comes the night before, and panic sets in. “Maybe the world will end before
dawn,” you think. What happens? You cram all night, just in case the world is
still here, hoping it will be enough for tomorrow. If you’re a child, you must
endure a continuous lecture from your parents for putting things off. Then
there’s the good news. Overnight, you become a prayer warrior. Okay, you people
on the front row can quit gloating now! The rest of us are suffering here! Wow!
Who among us hasn’t been there?
I suppose it’s human nature,
for most of us anyway, to put things off. I think it goes something like, “Why
do today, what I can put off ‘til tomorrow.” I’ll have to say, I’m nowhere
nearly as bad as I was when I was a young whippersnapper. I’ve learned over the
years to just get it done as soon as possible (ASAP for you acronym lovers),
and then I can relax. I’ve discovered, especially in the business world, to do
first the things I dread the most, then the other items are much easier to get
done. What a relief it is! (Haven’t I heard that on a commercial?)
Don’t you love it when you
finally get a little extra money and you think, “I’ll save this,” or “Honey,
let’s eat out tonight,” then the car breaks down, along with the washer and
refrigerator. Your money just sprouted wings and is flying away into someone
else’s pocket. “If I had just taken care of that earlier,” you’re thinking.
Procrastinator!
Speaking of the car, have you
ever had the auto mechanic tell you, “Pay me now, or pay me later?” I’ll have
to say I haven’t. That’s one thing I address on the spot, but I’ll bet some of
you have heard those words.
We are now in the month of
January, mid-way through actually. We have three whole months to prepare our
tax (UGH!) returns, but how many will wait until 10:00 P.M. on April 14th
to start? Oh come on now, big brother knows who you are and he’s watching. At
11:45 P.M. you’re rushing to the Post Office with each page soaked with stains
of sweat. Back home, two dozen broken pencils lie on your kitchen table and
wads of paper are strewn everywhere. The wife and kids disappeared hours ago,
from that crazed fellow with the red glowing eyes. Ever been there?
Oh, here’s a good one! The
Mrs. and I most always get our Christmas shopping done early, believe it or
not. Last year, a day or two before Christmas, we said, “Hey, let’s go to the
mall and watch the last minute shoppers sweat!” My wife was quick to pick up
that the last minute shoppers were nearly all men. Sorry guys, but she nailed
it. Don’t tell her, but I’ve been there myself. Talk about nerve wrecking! I
never cared much for Christmas during those times. Anyway, talk about the deer
in the headlights look! Those poor saps were in the twilight zone! It was fun.
We really had a good time, at their expense of course. Yeah, yeah I know. That
was cruel, but it was still fun.
Now let’s get serious.
Doctors tell us that a lot of
people die because they put off a check-up or going to the doctor when
something seems to be wrong with their bodies. Why do we do that? I think it’s
probably out of fear. We think, “I don’t want to hear bad news,” but if you’ll
think about it, it usually isn’t that bad. Also, it could be even worse news by
delaying the inevitable.
I’ve known tons of people who
will delay going to the dentist because, well, who enjoys going to the dentist?
Unfortunately, we usually suffer more in the long run, than if we had just gone
when the problem started. Maybe it was a tooth ache. Would you rather wait for
it to become abscessed? Yeah right!
Is there anything we humans
haven’t put off to do later? We’re really good at that you know. I really can’t
think of anything. If it doesn’t apply to me, it probably applies to you, and
vice versa.
The most crucial thing that
comes to mind is the welfare of our soul. Millions of people have put it on
hold to deal with “tomorrow,” and then tomorrow never comes. Another soul goes
out into eternity separated from God forever, while burning in the lake of fire.
There is nothing more tragic than that.
“And fear not them which kill
the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able
to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28
We may be the very one to
kill our own body by not seeking medical services. If that body dies, guess
what, we’re in it. We die. And if we die without Jesus, we’ll have to face our
Creator and stand before Him to be judged. That judgment has already been
determined. All who die without Jesus Christ as their Savior will spend
eternity in the lake of fire with Satan, et al.
When it comes to our soul,
procrastination is not a good idea.
“And he said, This will I do:
I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my
fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid
up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto
him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall
those things be, which thou hast provided?” Luke 12:18-20
We all get caught up with
those “things” in our daily lives, perhaps never giving much thought to dying.
The truth is none of us are guaranteed our next breath.
One of two things, concerning
our souls, will happen in your and my lives. Either Jesus will come for His
Church in an event known as the Rapture, or we will die beforehand.
Either way, if we are not a
child of God, there is only judgment waiting for us.
If we are a child of God, we
will either leave this earth at the Rapture and be with Jesus, or we will die
before the Rapture and be with Jesus. Either way, we win.
Are you a procrastinator? If
so, procrastinate with anything you wish, but don’t procrastinate having your
eternal destiny secured by Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He died for us and
rose from the grave that we might be saved. If we put our faith in Him, His
Spirit will seal us as a guarantee that our eternity is with Him. Do it now.
“For he saith, I have heard
thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee:
behold, now is the accepted time; behold,
now is the day of salvation. (Emphasis mine)” 2 Corinthians 6:2
Grant Phillips
Email: grantphillips@windstream.net
Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
