New Year, New Hope, Same God
I really don’t even know where to begin this essay. The author wrote in the forty-fifth Psalm that his “tongue was the pen of a ready writer.” Well, I am not too confident that I am ready, nor have ink in my pen, but I have given myself a deadline to turn this paper into Brother Clayton to publish.
With that said, I assume I should get to my subject, PROCRASTINATION. Yes, that word we seldom verbalize but often use. Procrastination is merely putting off things we could do today until a more convenient time. Tomorrow, we think will not be as busy as today. Less stressful and better weather. It’s like we have a better hope of tomorrow than we do for today. The Lord Jesus made it clear that we should, “take no thought for tomorrow,” but we like to use that in the sense of not worrying about tomorrow; what it will bring; what we will eat; what we will do to see that our needs are met. This is an accurate interpretation of the scripture, but an incomplete one. While we shouldn’t worry about what could go wrong tomorrow, neither should we assume or hope that we would have time to do tomorrow the things in which we don’t want to do today. We should live every day like it is our last day on this earth. Putting off nothing for tomorrow that needs to be done today.
As we enter into this new year many of us have made New Year’s resolutions, or set some goals for what we would desire to accomplish in 2024. I have for years had an on going resolution to lose weight and gain a stronger and healthier body, but alas all that ever happens is I get older and better looking. This year I have decided that maybe I should take a different approach and resolve to maintain my weight, or perhaps add a few pounds. At least maybe I can accomplish that goal! Now, before you reach out to me and tell me how ridiculous that idea sounds, let’s look at our lives and examine ourselves. How many of us have noticed things in our life that we know we should change, or eliminate, and instead of focusing on doing something about it today we put it off? It’s as if we have the idea that if I ignore it; it will go away. We are like Felix in Acts 24; looking for a “convenient season” to begin. We are not guaranteed tomorrow. We may never see the end of 2024, but I am guaranteed today!! Or at least part of it!! That’s why we must make haste and be about the Father’s business!! Like Mary, choosing “that better part.” I’m sure Mary would not have left the dishes until morning, but she didn’t want to miss the opportunity of being in Jesus’ presence!!
This year my only resolution is to keep the one I made to Him when I bowed my knee at the altar and surrendered my life to Him!! He delivered me from psychedelic drugs and gave me my right mind!! Ok, well maybe that’s pushing it, but I can tell you that I am not the same person I was then!! Praise the Lord!! I guess I said all that to say this, make that New Year’s resolution a daily resolution and don’t put anything off until tomorrow that really needs to be done today!!
Rick Morris
With that said, I assume I should get to my subject, PROCRASTINATION. Yes, that word we seldom verbalize but often use. Procrastination is merely putting off things we could do today until a more convenient time. Tomorrow, we think will not be as busy as today. Less stressful and better weather. It’s like we have a better hope of tomorrow than we do for today. The Lord Jesus made it clear that we should, “take no thought for tomorrow,” but we like to use that in the sense of not worrying about tomorrow; what it will bring; what we will eat; what we will do to see that our needs are met. This is an accurate interpretation of the scripture, but an incomplete one. While we shouldn’t worry about what could go wrong tomorrow, neither should we assume or hope that we would have time to do tomorrow the things in which we don’t want to do today. We should live every day like it is our last day on this earth. Putting off nothing for tomorrow that needs to be done today.
As we enter into this new year many of us have made New Year’s resolutions, or set some goals for what we would desire to accomplish in 2024. I have for years had an on going resolution to lose weight and gain a stronger and healthier body, but alas all that ever happens is I get older and better looking. This year I have decided that maybe I should take a different approach and resolve to maintain my weight, or perhaps add a few pounds. At least maybe I can accomplish that goal! Now, before you reach out to me and tell me how ridiculous that idea sounds, let’s look at our lives and examine ourselves. How many of us have noticed things in our life that we know we should change, or eliminate, and instead of focusing on doing something about it today we put it off? It’s as if we have the idea that if I ignore it; it will go away. We are like Felix in Acts 24; looking for a “convenient season” to begin. We are not guaranteed tomorrow. We may never see the end of 2024, but I am guaranteed today!! Or at least part of it!! That’s why we must make haste and be about the Father’s business!! Like Mary, choosing “that better part.” I’m sure Mary would not have left the dishes until morning, but she didn’t want to miss the opportunity of being in Jesus’ presence!!
This year my only resolution is to keep the one I made to Him when I bowed my knee at the altar and surrendered my life to Him!! He delivered me from psychedelic drugs and gave me my right mind!! Ok, well maybe that’s pushing it, but I can tell you that I am not the same person I was then!! Praise the Lord!! I guess I said all that to say this, make that New Year’s resolution a daily resolution and don’t put anything off until tomorrow that really needs to be done today!!
Rick Morris
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