Procrastination is one of the Christians open door for Satan to continue his work here on earth in their lives. Putting off what we can do today isn't wise when tomorrow never comes. That opportunity missed is an opportunity lost. Sometimes we are able to come back or revisit someone and speak life to them. That's grace for both of us. My life in 1971 was on a crash and burn course. By 1972 I was in a critical mass state. I was living on a military base in Germany. My best friend was killed in a vehicle accident. I had taken to isolating, drinking and drugging. My life had no meaning whatsoever. Ever been there? No matter what I did I could not find any more reason to live. I was up in a guard tower watching over our ammunitions dump with a loaded .45 caliber pistol. As I sat there more despondent than I had ever been I contemplated taking my life. I was about to kill myself when I decided to check out if God was real. I prayed, "God, if you are out there...." and that's all I got out. I felt a warmth fill the guard tower, a hand on my left shoulder and there was no physical body there with me. I knew at that moment that God was real and relinquished my life to Him and his will. A "first love" relationship was embarked upon and my life was changed. Better late than never? NO, better right then than never. If I had pulled the trigger then the story would have ended. That was 43 years ago.
Driving down a freeway in San Francisco, California one day I was aware of a car on the side of the road with an elderly man looking at his right rear tire. The Holy Spirit told me to stop. I was in a hurry and didn't give in to that voice. I was plagued with the need to stop so much that I turned around and went back. I got out of my car and was thanked for stopping. Could I please help. Yes, of course. The gentleman told me that he was returning from the hospital after open heart surgery. Better late than never? NO! Better right then than never. As a police officer I went to a call of a missing person. When I arrived I found the distraught parents and a pastor in the home. Their 15 year old daughter had run away. I explained the 24 hour missing before reporting policy and was about to leave when I felt the need to pray. I asked them to pray with me. There was shocked silence but I prayed that she would return. About an hour later I received notification that the daughter had returned home. Better late than never? NO! Better now than no response.
For such a time as this we are called to be "right now" Christians. Not thinking about yesterday as it's already gone and there is nothing we can do to change anything yesterday held. Not thinking about tomorrow for which we are faced with a day full of unknowns. But to be thinking, feeling, listening for that right now moment. The day is filled with them but there is only one present moment. In that moment will we delay doing the urging of the Holy Spirit? Everyone can do something. People can pray, bake a pie for a person in need, hold a hand at a hospital or play chess with a senior citizen living next door. It's not about waiting though. It's about doing right now what we know is right to do. We are without excuse. You and I have the moment and nothing more. Just this moment. One time event that determines the fate of living and breathing human beings around us. It's our chance to make the difference in someone's life. If you are living in the past, that won't happen. If you are living in the future, that will not happen. It only happens in THIS surrendered moment. It's a choice. It's your choice whether you will do what your first love wants or whether you will do nothing. Nothing is better late than never. It's worthless. So, what are we to do? Throw up our hands and say, "Whatever!"? No, we can raise our hands and say, "Whatever you want Lord. Here I am. Use me." It's always been and will always be your choice.
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