Procrastination is a flaw shared by many in the world today, and perhaps we are all guilty of it at times. Some people plan to obey the gospel and serve God someday, just not today. It reminds me of the time that Paul preached to Felix, reasoning of righteousness, temperance, and judgment. Felix was moved by the preaching of Paul to the point where it caused him to tremble (Acts 24:25). Sadly, Felix did not obey the gospel on that occasion. Instead, he spoke these words to Paul: “Go thy way for this time; when I have a CONVENIENT season, I will call for thee.” The indication of the text is that the convenient season never came for Felix. Too many people procrastinate, waiting for a convenient season to obey the gospel. The fact is, there is never a better time to begin serving God than right now. To procrastinate is to show a lack of real faith in God, and too much faith in the future. One may not have a future in which to begin serving God. James understood this when he wrote, “…For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away” (James 4:14). Time is certainly something that one should take seriously. It runs out very quickly. This is why Paul said, “…behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). God’s grace appears to all men now (Titus 2:11), but the time for that grace being extended comes closer to an end every day. If one dies before he obeys the gospel, or if Christ returns first, it will be too late to take advantage of God’s grace. Surely the time to obey the gospel is now.

It is not just those who have not obeyed the gospel who procrastinate. At times Christians are guilty of this too. We would all probably admit that we have delayed too long at times in serving the Lord. We need to watch this in our own lives. Jesus once said, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work” (John 9:4). This should be our attitude. There is much work to be done in the vineyard of our Lord. There are souls to save. When should we start sowing the incorruptible seed (the word of God) into the hearts of men? NOW! Every day precious souls are being lost. When should we start trying to restore the souls of those who have been overtaken by a fault? (Galatians 6:1). NOW! The longer we wait the deeper into the grasp of Satan those souls get. When should we start using our talents in the kingdom of God to further the cause of Christ? NOW! It is never too early to be of service in the Lord’s church. Serving God should be a delight and honor for each of us. We should look forward to times when we are blessed with the opportunity to do it. If we have such an attitude, we will begin serving God sooner rather than later, and in doing so we will gain favor in the sight of our Creator.