“Last night,” Stan began, “I was talking with one of my neighbors about my faith, being a Christian, salvation, what it means, and all of those things.”
“How did that go?” I asked.
“Same as always,” Stan replied. “I have talked with him about this many times, and he always has pretty much the same response.”
“What’s that?”
“He usually says something like he’s really busy, too busy to think about it, but he will think about it tomorrow when he has more time.”
“However,” Stan added, “last night he actually said something different.”
“What?”
“He said tomorrow was going to be a very busy day and he probably wouldn’t have time to think about it then. But he might have some time the day after.”
“Is that kind of frustrating for you?” I asked.
“Yes and no,” Stan replied. “No, in the sense that I was there once so I can relate exactly to what he’s talking about. I didn’t want to take the time to think about it, and neither does he. On the other hand, however, I know the clock is ticking and, yes, it is frustrating to think he may run out of time before he gets around to thinking about what really matters.”
“Yeah,” I commented, “it’s hard to get people to give serious thought about stepping into eternity. Very few people see it as anything urgent.”
“Hard to imagine,” Stan replied, “anything more urgent than having the assurance of knowing I’m going to spend eternity in God’s presence when it’s time.”
“That’s the big one,” he continued, “and I have that settled, but I have to admit that I have the tendency to put off to tomorrow or the next day what God has for me to do right now.”
“In what way?” I asked.
“Should be plural,” Stan said with a smile, “’ways’, not ‘way’. God is constantly presenting me with opportunities to be involved with what He’s doing in lives and circumstances, but I fail to step forward to join Him in what He’s doing. I tend to think there will be plenty of time to do that tomorrow, but the fact is there may not be a tomorrow.”
____________________________________
Bible verses to consider:
This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24.
Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth. Proverbs 27:1.
Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. James 4:14.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, for the people you brought into my life to show me the urgency of not putting off until tomorrow the decision to accept your free and gracious gift of life eternally with you when it’s time. Thank you, too, for each new day you give me that is filled with the opportunity to pursue the eternal life of knowing you and Jesus more deeply. Please forgive all of the times I have focused on tomorrow and what may happen, rather than on what you have for me in each new day. Please help me to follow your lead so that each day is filled with you and what you have for me. Thank you I can and do bring these prayers before you in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.
Think on this: Do you have the assurance of spending eternity with God when it’s time? If no, why? Are you putting off until “tomorrow” what you can and should decide now? If so, why is that? What are you waiting for? If you do have the assurance of salvation, how are you doing with what God has for you each day? Do you tend to put off what God may have for you to do? If so, why do you think that may be? Are there people in your life who do not have the assurance of life eternally with God when it’s time? If so, do you sense any urgency about them and their eternal destination, or are you waiting until “tomorrow”? Don’t.
Waiting for the Train 