Why Delay Receiving Eternal Life?

Choosing to delay making critical decisions seems to be built into the nature of sinful mankind. Following is an example of delay and its tragic results: “An incident from the American Revolution illustrates what tragedy can result from procrastination. It is reported that Colonel Rahl, commander of the British troops in Trenton, New Jersey, was playing cards when a courier brought an urgent message stating that General George Washington was crossing the Delaware River. Rahl put the letter in his pocket and didn’t bother to read it until the game was finished. Then, realizing the seriousness of the situation, he hurriedly tried to rally his men to meet the coming attack, but his procrastination was his undoing. He and many of his men were killed and the rest of the regiment were captured.”

Nolbert Quayle said, “Only a few minutes’ delay cost him his life, his honor, and the liberty of his soldiers. Earth’s history is strewn with the wrecks of half-finished plans and unexecuted resolutions. ‘Tomorrow’ is the excuse of the lazy and refuge of the incompetent.”

Proverbs 27:1 reads: Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.”  The apostle Paul agrees when he writes in  2 Corinthians 6:2 – 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.

Let us suppose that you have fallen off a ship and are drowning in the ocean; a deck-hand throws you a lifeline and encourages you to cling to it.  Would you obey his urgings?  Of course, you would.

Likewise, as mortal human beings, we are in an ocean of sin and about to drown.  Christ throws us a lifeline.  Do we immediately accept it?  We may not. Why?  Perhaps we have forgotten that we are mortal and subject to death.  Perhaps we are too taken up with things of this world to even consider our true condition.  Perhaps our minds are too fogged by alcohol and other drugs for us to think clearly.  We may think that we will make the decision tomorrow.  However, as Solomon writes, there may be no tomorrow.

Today is the day of salvation!  Today is the only day we have. Yesterday is history, and tomorrow is not here yet. Friend, today is the day to accept Christ and cling to the lifeline by which He will save you. Please consider the following Biblical passages which encourage us to choose life over death:

Jeremiah 1:5 – Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, [and] I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 – I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, [that] I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.

When your eternal future is at stake, you must not be presumptuous and assume that you will have tomorrow.  Today, now, is the time to accept Christ as your Savior, to invite Him into your life, to ask Him for forgiveness of your sins, and to pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to give you victory over temptations.

Until next week, may God richly bless you and yours!

Contact: fhevener@oilart.com; (434) 392-6255; www.guthriememorial.org.

©2017 by Fillmer Hevener