(The following is the August 6 devotional from my Next Step Devotions book. Before reading it, I suggest you read 2 Corinthians 6 and pay close attention to verses 1-2.)
Procrastination can be dangerous. If we delay critical tasks, we may never do them. The student who waits until the night before a term paper is due to begin writing jeopardizes the successful completion of the paper and the course. If we do the fun things on our to-do list at the expense of those less enjoyable, our fun may be short-lived as we suffer the consequences of our decision. Short-term perspectives can result in short-sighted decisions with costly long-term results.
Nowhere is this truer than in responding to God’s offer of salvation. Some people delay turning to Christ, thinking they have years to decide. They foolishly assume an earthly future guaranteed to no one. Others procrastinate in matters of faith for myriad reasons. Whatever the excuse, delaying may be a costly, eternal mistake.
Paul implored, “See, now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation!” (v. 2). Where one spends eternity isn’t something to take lightly. Temporary concerns in this life and the pleasures of sin don’t outweigh the importance of whether we spend eternity in Heaven or Hell. We must understand the urgency for ourselves and others.
If we have experienced Christ’s great salvation and are his children, we must believe in and impress upon others the urgency of faith. Like Paul, we should plead with them to turn from sin and place their trust in Christ now – not at some indefinite, possible future occasion. “Now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation!”
Today may be the day the person meets God face-to-face. We should want everyone to meet him as the Father who saved them, not as the Judge who must condemn them for eternity for their sins.
Next Step:
Who do you know who needs to surrender to Christ today? Pray earnestly for them. What additional action can you take to express the urgency of salvation to the person?
Comments