Don't Put It Off

        Even as old as I am, I still have a couple of projects going which could take a lot of time. I am currently trying to speed up an old computer by getting a lot of the unused data and programs removed. It takes time to do it. I usually say that I will work on it tomorrow. Tomorrow has now turned into next week and if I am not careful it will turn into next month which is about ten days away. It always seems easy to put something off no matter how big or small of a task it is. I can at least be thankful that nothing in my box of things to do has a deadline. If you are a church choir director planning the next cantata, you need to be listening to Easter music now, have it picked out by Thanksgiving and ordered by Christmas to have it in hand on the first rehearsal probably on the second week of the new year. Some things, you just can't put off until tomorrow. They need to be done today. This is especially true in the area of eternal life. Second Corinthians 6:2 says, “ (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.)”

       If my time runs out and should God call me home, the computer downstairs on the workbench will not be cleaned up unless someone else decided to do it. It won't be my worry anymore. If I am not prepared for eternal matters today and should God call me home at that time, it would be a spiritual disaster for me. That is why the passage for today is so important. It simply says that there is one important issue that needs to be taken care of today and the final six words makes it very clear. “...now is the day of salvation.” A lot of people are very good at putting this off especially based upon their age. It is assumed that all of the AARP members would have this taken care of and that those in junior college have plenty of time to think about it. That certainly is not the case as we are well aware when we read the obituaries in the daily newspaper. This passage in Second Corinthians reminds us that salvation is something that can't put off because you do not get a second chance after death to make up your mind about the things concerning eternal life. The matter of eternal life can be concluded quickly by reviewing one statement made by the Lord Jesus Christ in John 14:6. He simply said that He is the way, the truth and the life and that no one can come to the Father except through Him. You could spend countless hours reviewing the claims of all the religions in the world and trying to figure out which one will get you to eternal peace with God or you could take the words of the Only One Who was eternally resurrected from the dead. That eliminates all other religions. We know about the Lord Jesus Christ simply because He was raised from the dead and therefore His statement is true in John 14. He is the only way of salvation. Therefore, Paul's statement to the church at Corinth is fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ, If you want to have life; If you want to have salvation, then it has to come from The Lord Jesus Christ. Procrastination may be possible with some things, but with your eternal destiny the decision is not something to be put off until tomorrow. You know how good it feels when you have completed a project or when a deadline is met or when the last dish is put in the cupboard. Likewise, you can have the best peace in life by knowing that the matter of eternal destiny has been taken care of. Praise God today for His plan of salvation. Now is the day of salvation.