July 4th
The Element of Waiting
I was raised (among many other statements) with the phrase, "Don't put off tomorrow, what you can do today." I don't really think of it daily, but I know I am affected by the attitude of "just doing it" now. Don't put it off.
It may be that right now there are some things that you are putting off doing. Not that they are earth shaking in themselves, but they are there.
Another aspect for me is not to put off to the last minute something that has to be done. I discovered that early in my ministry. If I waited to the end of the week to do my messages, I often got in trouble. I learned that that Friday or Saturday could produce an emergency that would take my time. Solution? I always made it a practice to be through with all my study by 12:00 noon Friday. So, now I say, let those emergencies come. I have TIME for them.
Sometimes if we wait we will find that we can't even do what we wanted to. It is really illustrated by this story of a loaded down coal barge in a river.
A sailor reported to the captain that the water was gaining in the vessel. He was laughed at. Three times the captain drove the guy away with scoffs not heeding the warning. At last the barge began to give evidences of sinking. The captain ordered the men to the life boats. They took their place. The captain said, "I told you we had plenty of time." Then he took out his knife to cut the cable which bound the boat to the barge. (Surprise, surprise!!) The cable was an iron chain!
The eleventh hour can be termed an hour of danger and disappointment. The time for you, my friend, is now. The thread becomes a cord, the cord a cable, the cable a chain. The time to act is now. Now, I don't know the area that you need to make decisions and move, but I know that there is no better time than now. To turn from sin, to forsake wrong-doing to cut every cable of evil habits and passion is today.
Not just in these negative things I have mentioned, but in the positive things as well. Just do it
!"Now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation."
Those words in 2 Cor 6:2 are the ones that shape my today - in getting ready for my tomorrow.
My prayer for you
Lord I ask that your Holy Spirit guide this one in doing now what they can do. Give them the motivation, the strength and courage to do now what they know in their heart they should do. In the name of Jesus.
Amen