Don’t Delay

   Time is a wonderful thing.  When used wisely it gives the opportunity for success in many things.  When wasted, time takes those opportunities away.  They may come again but we can never be sure.

   We think time is ours to use and in many ways it is.  But time is a limited resource.  When young we think we have many years ahead of us.  We believe we have a lifetime to correct our mistakes.  This may be true, but we have no way of knowing the length of our lifetime.  It may be many years or only a few seconds.  Accidents, misfortunes and illnesses do not consider the age of those affected; they simply happen.

   One of the greatest tragedies of not using time wisely is the loss of one’s soul.  Each day the opportunity is there to turn to God and yet many put it off.  St. Augustine once said, “O Lord, help me to be pure, but not yet.”  This is the attitude many take in their relationship with God.  They want salvation and want to go to heaven, but they don’t want it to interfere with the earthly joys and experiences of this world.  They believe they will have enough time to seek God when they are too old to do anything else.

   It’s easy to see why the average age in many churches is much older than the population at large.  Growing older reminds us of our mortality; something youth tries to ignore.  Sadly, many of those who are planning to find God and seek His forgiveness later in life will never have that opportunity; only God knows the number of our days.

   There are many things that we can safely put off for a few days or even years.  Seeking God is not one of them.  God is eternally loving and forgiving; He wants us to come to Him.  But we must reach out and take His hand.  Tomorrow may not come; this moment may be all we have.  Don’t waste it.

Father, You want us to come to You.

Your love and mercy is always before us.

Give us the wisdom to accept them today.

That we may not lose all by delay.

Amen