If Not Now, When?

Procrastination! That sounds like a big word and it is. It is filled with meaning and the results thereof are of great magnitude. Procrastination means to put off till a future time.

There are many people who have learned to discipline their lives well. They are always on time, they are neat, clean, and well respected in every way. They do not put off the work that is theirs today. They face today's responsibilities today; except the one major decision - the decision to surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Nearly everyone wants to make heaven their eternal home. But heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people. You must choose to submit to the authority of God and ask the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive you and cleanse you from all sin. Oh yes, you intend to do this some day, but it is so easy to procrastinate, to neglect that surrender to God for another week or month.

The Bible always calls one to surrender to God in the present tense. It is always, "now, today". There is no promise that God will give you an opportunity to repent tomorrow. The Scriptures warn us in Proverbs 27:1, "Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." You cannot predict the certainty of tomorrow; that prerogative belongs to God alone. Tomorrow you could be in eternity. The time to turn to God in faith and commitment is now.

A number of years ago a wave of revival swept over the student body in Princeton University. A young man, Aaron Burr, came to the President and asked, "I feel that I should accept Christ, what would you advise?" The president answered, "Mr Burr, if I were you, I would wait until the excitement of the revival has subsided, then I would think it out carefully." The young man thought for a moment and then said, "That is exactly what I will do." Never again did Aaron Burr desire to seek the Lord, and he died without the Saviour. The Bible says, "Seek ye the Lord while He may be found; call ye upon Him while He is near."

God is not a man whom you can shove aside and neglect, and then call upon Him at your own will. The Bible clearly states, "My Spirit shall not always strive with man." The time to turn to God is when you sense in your heart that you ought to turn to God, for every conviction inside is placed within you by the Spirit of God.

If you would have eternal life, turn to God now, at your first opportunity.

I well remember the day when I was in my late teens. A gentleman who was a few years older was having family problems. I talked to him about Jesus and his need of turning to God in faith and surrender. He listened intently for a while, and then he said, "Gilbert, I wish I was in your shoes." "You can be," I replied, "if you will only turn to Christ." I urged him to surrender to God right then but he said, "Not now, some other time." About 15 years have passed by and that man is still away from God; his home is broken, his heart has been broken, and sin has ruined him thus far. Will he ever turn to God? I do not know, but he neglected to respond to God's call once too often and sin has wrecked his life.

If not now, when? When is there a better time to yield your life to the Saviour than now? By neglecting this important decision you are allowing Satan to get a more firm grip on your life; you are saying by sheer neglect that you want to run your own life.

If someone knocks at your door, you immediately respond and usually you invite the guest inside. But consider today that Jesus Christ stands at the door of your heart and knocks, seeking entrance. Will you turn Him away or will you let Him in? The decision is yours and the results of that choice will be yours also.