“Jesus
said, ‘No procrastination. No backward looks. You can’t put God's kingdom off
till tomorrow. Seize the day.’” (Luke 9:62 MSG)
In Mark 10, a huge crowd
was following Jesus as he left Jericho. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus was
sitting beside the road as Jesus was going by. When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus
was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
When Bartimaeus got up
that morning, he had no idea that Jesus Christ was going to be passing by him
that day. He thought it was just another ordinary day: same place, same cry for
help, same miserable, lonely, pitiful lifestyle. He had no time to prepare for
Jesus; it was just an opportunity that was dropped in his lap. He had to seize
the moment.
He said, “I’m not going
to miss this one. I’m going to take advantage. Jesus is coming by my place
right now. I’m not going to delay. I’m not going to procrastinate. I’m going to
do this now.” That’s the first key to a fresh start in your life: Whatever you’re
going to do, do it now. Don’t say, “Next year I’m going to make a fresh start.
Next month I’m going to make a fresh start. Tomorrow I’m going to make a fresh
start.” It’s now or never. Seize the moment!
Every day, there are
opportunities all around you for a fresh start, but you don’t take advantage of
them. Why? One word: procrastination.
Procrastination is a
strange phenomenon. We think it will make our lives easier; we think it will
make our lives more present when actually it just creates more stress. The
truth is, you already know the right things to do and the benefits of doing the
right things in life. So why don’t you do them?
The Bible warns us over
and over about presuming upon tomorrow. I’m not guaranteed a tomorrow and
neither are you. Jesus said, “No procrastination. No backward looks. You can’t
put God's kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day” (Luke 9:62 MSG).
You have no guarantee
that you will live tomorrow. Whatever you’re going to do, you better do it now.
This devotional ©2012 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission
This devotional ©2012 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission
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