No More Procrastination!

This past week I finally got something done I’ve been saying I was going to do for two years! In our family room we have a brick wall built around a woodburning stove. On top of it is a wood mantle that badly needed to be repainted or stained. After four plus years of looking at it, and two years of saying I was really going to get it done, I finally got it painted. And, it didn’t even take me that long! Why did I put it off for so long? I’m not quite sure. 

I think to some degree, all of us tend to be procrastinators. We tend to put things off, especially those tasks that might seem unpleasant or require too much effort or energy—especially when there’s something else more exciting or rewarding that’s vying for our attention. I mean, think how many times you’ve put off washing those dishes or raking the lawn or taking out the garbage. Then there are those projects that you never seem to be able to start or that one project that you can’t seem to get back to.  It seems, we all have a little bit of procrastination built into us—and, that includes me! Sometimes I just have to say to myself, “No more procrastination!”

Our church, Shrewsbury First Assembly, has begun a 40 day Bible reading plan to take us up to Easter Sunday entitled, “40 Days with Jesus.” We are reading through the Gospels chronologically, following the life and ministry of Jesus. Today’s reading is in Mark 1, wherein we read of Jesus calling his first disciples, Simon (Peter), Andrew, James, and John. Jesus finds them down by the sea with their boats and nets and puts out a simple call, “Come, follow me.” Mark writes, “And immediately they left their nets and followed him.” (Mark 1:18 – ESV) The implication is, there was no delay, no hesitation, and no procrastination. Somehow and for some reason, these guys just dropped what they were doing, got up, and began to follow Jesus.

To me, it’s amazing! After all, I think most of us would have said, “Give a little time to think about it or to get some things in order.” In fact, the gospels tell us of some people who did just that; they wanted to follow Jesus but not right away. Thus, they made their excuses—e.g. “I’ve got to go bury my father, sell a plot of land, say goodbye to my family.” These were people who were putting off what Jesus was asking them to do right away.  (See Luke 9:57-62)

So, how about us? The call to follow Jesus is still going out loud and clear. It’s a call to do as those first disciples did: immediately follow him. It’s a call to learn from him, grow with him, and work alongside of him. It’s a call to live our lives as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Let’s not procrastinate any longer. Let’s commit ourselves today to following Jesus—and to do so, immediately!

Have a great day!

Pastor Tim Harris