Procrastination


  1. Message: Reading through Luke 9 what stood out to me today was starting in verse 59 when he was calling people to follow him and each one said they wanted to, but they all had something they wanted to do first. When you read it superficially the reasons sound logical, and Jesus’ response to them seems a bit harsh. One wanted to bury his father first. That sounds reasonable until you realize that what he actually wanted to do was go home and wait for his dad to die first.
  2. Command: Don’t wait for my life to feel “in order” to be ready to follow Jesus into whatever he’s calling me to do.
  3. Promise:
  4. Warning: Waiting gives me more time to procrastinate and eventually choose not to follow through.
  5. Application: When I read this I initially glossed over it because I’ve always known this passage to be about salvation. The more I grow in Christ the more I have come to understand that salvation is not just a one-time event where we pray to receive Jesus. It is a lifetime commitment to FOLLOW Jesus. Putting that into perspective I started thinking about what Jesus was and is still asking of us. He gave all of himself and he wants all of us in surrender. The excuses people gave him sounded logical at first until I thought more about it. When my kids got out of high school I remember them all talking about taking a year off before starting college. Everything inside me screamed NO because I knew that if they didn’t start immediately, they would get caught up with in living life, working a job and the priority to go to college would eventually get buried. As I look at my life I see that my life was marked with distractions. I remember thinking as a young teenager that it would be easier to serve God when I was a grown-up. I put it off for later and although I have served God my entire adult life I see where for long periods of time I prioritized other things. Raising kids, being a wife and eventually going back into the work force. This isn’t to say I didn’t have a relationship with God this whole time. I just didn’t run with full intensity. I put off the commitment to do things I felt called to do because I was busy raising a family. This stung a bit but I see even lately where some of the vision and goals God gave me sat on hold for a while. I kept trying to “get my priorities in order” and only recently did I seriously begin to tackle them. While I’m thankful that I’m forward moving I feel convicted to press forward with more fervency to do what God is asking me to do. We also read about Moses today in Exodus and it caused me to wonder what would have happened if Moses blew off God when he was called to go to Egypt to set the Israeli people free. What if he procrastinated? What if he chose to stay in his comfort zone by staying with his wife and caring for the flocks? My challenge to myself is to really press in on these visions. For my own sake but because God is calling me to it.

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