Each of us fight against a common enemy. We knew about it when we were young, and we still may not know how to spell it, but each of us are experts at it – PROCRASTINATION – putting off until tomorrow what we should do today.
Each of us have our own unique way of displaying this character flaw: It may be our tall grass or leaves not raked up, our unwashed car, our unkept hair, the closet, the basement, the back seat of the car, the corner desk…. and the list could go on forever.
Mark Twain once said, “Never put off till tomorrow, what you can do the day after tomorrow.” I like that. Another person said, “Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.”
In his effort to help with our time management, Stephen Covey wrote a book, “& Habits of Highly Effective People.” In this book he listed 4 types of activities: Important, Not Important, Urgent, Not Urgent. Urgent requires immediate attention – NOW! Important has to do with results.
We may have many things in our life that we feel is important. But one that is of the utmost importance and very urgent is evangelism & missions. Because it is so important, it cannot be put off until another day. It must be done quickly! It must be done today.
There are three illustrations in the Bible that show the importance of doing the right thing quickly. We can apply them to sharing our faith or giving to missions.
Urgency is required when you’re on a schedule.
So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. (Luke 14:21)
This is part of a parable Jesus told about a man who had a banquet. Several people accepted his invitation, but when it came time for the banquet they all had an excuse why the could not attend. So the man told his servant to go out quickly and invite anybody and everybody to attend. It was important to go quickly because the dinner was ready now.
Salvation is ready now. Jesus has died on the cross and there is nothing left to do. He is ready to save. We have no idea how long that invitation will be open, so we’d better share our faith now, while the time is right.
Urgency is required when the message is life-changing.
And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. (Matthew 28:7)
Some messages are not too important. Others are very negative. But there are some messages that change the course of history.
Some may not know the history of the U.S. involvement in the War of 1812. England and France were having their own war. The U.S. was neutral. But the British & French were messing with the shipping of the U.S. Napolean (French) announced that U.S. vessels could trade wherever and with whomever they wanted. But England kept interfering. Finally, President James Madison petitioned Congress to help stop the harrassment. On June 18 the U.S. declared war against Great Britain. But on June 16, two days prior to the declaration of war on Britain, a motion was entered and passed in Britain to cease interference with U.S. commerce. Yet the message took too long in those days to arrive in the U.S. It was good news that arrived too late.
Urgency is required when people are dying.
And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the Lord; the plague is begun. And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people. And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed. (Numbers 16:46-48)
The people of Israel were complaining against Moses (again). God decided to send a plague as a judgment. Many were dying, but Aaron ran quickly to make an atonement for them so the plague would stop. People are dying everywhere because of sin. The Bible has the only message of hope to a dying world and the only cure to sin. It is Jesus. People need to be told before their last breath. We must go quickly.
One night in 1962 in a hotel in Seattle, Billy Graham was sound asleep. Suddenly he awoke with what he later described s a ‘burden to pray for Marilyn Monroe,’ the movie actress. When the feeling continued the next day, one of Graham’s associates tried to reach the actress. Her agent offered no hope for a meeting immediately. “Not now. Maybe two weeks from now.” TWo weeks later Marilyn Monroe’s suicide shocked the world. Two weeks was too late.
It is important to share your faith with someone today.
Tomorrow may be too late.
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