PROCRASTINATION

Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone. -Pablo Picasso

Are you a procrastinator? Do you put things off? I am, and I do. Especially at work. There are just some tasks which I despise doing, so they usually get done last. Same thing at home at times; I just wait until the last minute to do them. Unfortunately, many, many times some things just never get done.

We all learned about eagerness we obtained by gaining Godly sorrow (2^nd Corinthians, chapter 7); yet I wonder sometimes just how much of that we have retained. Many of you I have challenged in many ways, trying to inspire eagerness in reading and thinking about God’s Word. Some of you have eagerly accepted those challenges and did not procrastinate. Many, I am sad to say, have put off those challenges for a variety of reasons and excuses.

Picasso’s quote at the beginning of this lesson is somewhat fearful, and is reminiscent to the idea of not being eager to be baptized. I recall numerous times I ‘warned’ those with whom I studied the Bible about being eager to accept Jesus and be baptized lest, as I would say, a Mack truck might run over that person that very night…and THEN where would they be? Yes, Picasso is right. Even Paul said in 1^st Thessalonians chapter 5, that the Lord will come like a thief in the night. For those who have already been baptized, but have plenty of unconfessed sin, both Paul and Pablo send an ominous warning.

On a lesser scale of warning, procrastination can be very detrimental to our walks with God. When we put off studying, praying, preaching and teaching, we endanger the spiritual lives of ourselves, our friends and our children. You see, by not doing things, you can hurt others. James talks about procrastination—he says that deeds are important to your salvation (James 2:14). If we put off doing those deeds, we endanger our spiritual journey.

I hope this short lesson has urged you to procrastinate less, and as the Hebrew author says: “… let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” I try to do that with challenges. My latest is to advocate your participation in a Treasure Hunt. I believe we can all learn something from this exercise that may encourage you even more to procrastinate even less.

“Tarditas et procrastinatio odiosa est.” Cisero (106-43BC) wrote this statement, and is translated as “Delay and procrastination is hateful.” Please don’t be full of hate, but practice love. Join the challenge.

Mac