If Not Now, When?
I spotted it as I was deplaning from a three-hour flight from California. It was a businessman’s laptop homepage. Just three words, but I stared at them for a few seconds. They weren’t new, but they triggered my thinking: three little words, “Do It Now.”
If it sounds like the charge of a motivational speaker, it often is.
If you think it is the theme of a successful businessperson, you’re right; it often is.
But it is also the substance of several scriptural admonitions.
When it comes to a consideration of salvation, “do it now” is very much in order.
“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.”—II Cor. 6:2.
Furthermore, “do it now” is good advice when good things, right things and eternal things are at issue.
“Do it now” should also be accompanied by “do it well.” Ho-hum attitudes and a slipshod work ethic are not the trademarks of God’s faithful servants.
And furthermore, we should “do it right.”
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”—Phil. 4:8.
As soon as we know what right is, we should set out to do it.
So, whether we are talking about living the Christian life, using our influence for good, telling others about the Saviour, being faithful in church, preaching, teaching, working a bus route, giving or whatever else, let’s get on with it. Do it now, do it right and do it well. Amen!
What Time Is It?
“It is time for thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void thy law.”—Ps. 119:126.
In a world where a lot is going wrong and most people can’t understand why, we can say with assurance that we have the answer.
“They have made void thy law” is an indictment of the actions of a Christ-rejecting society. When a person, a family or a nation turns up their nose and gives a thumbs down to God, there are always consequences.
In a recent analysis of the world’s one hundred most dangerous cities, eleven of them were here in the United States. A lot could be written to explain this, but the bottom line is: God has been left out.
If a person or a nation of people listen to the Lord, they will not be robbing, looting, burning and killing. But the reality is that sinful activity at the criminal level is skyrocketing. The hurt, the harm, the headaches and the heartaches are piling up all across the land. Unless we get real solutions to the problem areas, the nation cannot long survive. I’m serious when I say, these are dangerous times and unless we have a genuine spiritual awakening, America will wind up on the scrapheap of history.
The politicians, the educators and the media will take note when the churches stand tall again.
Instead of caving in to the homosexual lobby and the “contemporary” craze, our churches need to stay true to their biblical moorings.
If we follow the philosophy that we have to be more like the world to reach the world, we are gravely mistaken. Unless we maintain the scriptural integrity of being distinctively Christian, we have nothing to offer the unsaved.
So, yes, as the psalmist says, “It is time for thee, Lord, to work.”
We need revival in our churches. We need to re-establish a scriptural and Christian worldview. We need to prioritize the local church. We need to get a first-things-first plan for our families. We need to take an unapologetic stand against the wiles of the Devil and the ways of the world.
We need to put forth a Christian persona and a godly lifestyle. We need to train soul winners. We need to start new bus routes. We need to flood our neighborhoods with good, sound literature. All the while we need to keep an eye on the sky and our ear attuned for the trumpet.
Yes, “it is time” for the Lord to work and for us to work for the Lord. Indeed, “it is time”! How about it, dear friend? Let’s go for it.
