Hello friends, I'd like to share some notes from a message delivered on Sunday, August 27, concerning that terrible time thief called Procrastination! The central scripture passage was from James 4.13-17. I've included it here, along with several other scripture passages as well. 

James 4:13-17

¹³ Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:

¹⁴ Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

Notes on verse 14 -  Life's shortness is one of the repeated themes of Scripture. To us, life seems long, and we measure it in years. In comparison to eternity, however, life is like a "vapor" or "fog." James borrowed that analogy from the book of Job, where we find many pictures of the briefness of life (it is a "shadow" or a "breath"). Since life passes so quickly, we cannot afford just to spend our lives, and we sure don't want to waste our lives. We should invest our lives in eternal things.

¹⁵ For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

¹⁶ But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.

¹⁷ Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. 

(We often intend to do the good but keep putting it off.)

A scholar once looked through the Bible to find what he considered the most important words. He wanted to find the word that made him feel the most sad, happy, intense, and so on. He discovered the word that scared him the most; he said it was "tomorrow."

He said that the word "tomorrow" is a thief because it robs people of their goals and their best accomplishments. It keeps people from coming to Jesus Christ and finding the kind of life that God wants for them.

Charles Spurgeon said, "Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow!" "Alas, tomorrow never comes! It is in no calendar except the almanac of fools."

Time is stolen from us when we put things off. We all have to deal with this thief called procrastination repeatedly, in one way or another.

 Dictionary.com defines procrastination as putting off till another day or time, deferring action, or delaying.

Some synonyms for procrastinate are dawdle, hesitate, dally, drag, lag, postpone, prolong, stall, drag your feet, let slide.

What would a person's life be worth if they never put off doing what they need to do? Their life would be amazingly productive and extremely valuable to the Lord and the world.  

Today, Let's talk about ways we can move toward that level of stewardship. Our life doesn't belong to us; remember, we've been bought with a price and are only stewards of our days!

1 Corinthians 4:2

² Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

Charles Bugg defines stewardship in the Holman Bible Dictionary as "Utilizing and managing all resources God provides for the glory of God and the betterment of His creation."  

The following Scripture in Luke has always been puzzling to me, but I recently had some new insight I'd like to share. 

Luke 9:59-62

⁵⁹ And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.

⁶⁰ Jesus said unto him, Let the dead (spiritually) bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.

⁶¹ And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.

⁶² And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

I don't think Jesus was forbidding this young man to attend his father's funeral. Instead, the son might be saying that he would have to stay with his father until he died. He might've even been concerned about his inheritance. After his father was gone, he would then be free to follow Jesus. The mission would likely be passed by then.

When it comes to discipleship, human affection takes second place to His will. He claims the first place when a conflict arises between human affection and Christ. However, His will and human affection may not always conflict. I've learned following Jesus that His love in our hearts causes our human relationships to be enhanced. But He still must be #1. 

The other man's mention of his family left the door open for them to persuade him to rethink his decision.

The urgency, the importance of the mission, did not compel him. Remember that the Lord Jesus Christ was even then on His way to the Cross. 

Be careful because talking with your family and friends about your goals, callings, or God-given visions might get you talked out of all of them! Be loyal to His call.

Jesus is also making the point that if you choose to follow Him, you will have to radically change your priorities and get to work on them without hesitating or delay.

I remember Jesus' words: The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. As Christians, we all want to serve God the right way, but our humanity keeps getting in the way! That's why we're supposed to walk in the spirit so that we won't fulfill the desires or lust of the flesh. 

Jesus's point is that we need to watch out for our tendency to put the big things aside for the little ones.

It's what Charles Hummel called the 'tyranny of the urgent" – putting the more important thing behind the more immediate thing. 

We need to recognize the best way to spend even our moments. Too quickly, a whole lifetime has gone by, and we haven't done much or anything of lasting value.

If you take your eyes off Jesus and His plans for you, you'll find a hundred other things to do. And another hundred reasons not to do what the Lord directs you to. 

Ecclesiastes 11:4

⁴ He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.

Proverbs 20:4

⁴ The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.

There's never a perfect time with a perfect set-up; you have to plow through all the obstacles and do it anyway.  

What if a farmer had a field that he needed to plow and plant? He knew that if he didn't do it soon, he would miss the planting season, and his crops would not grow. But he kept putting it off day after day because of various excuses, telling himself that he would do it tomorrow. Finally, the planting season had passed, and it was too late to plant anything. The farmer had missed his opportunity and would have no crops that year.

Procrastination can cause us to miss out on opportunities in life. We may have good intentions and want to do something, but we may miss our chance if we keep putting it off. It's important to act when we have the opportunity so that we and others don't miss the blessings that come from us being diligent and hardworking.

2 Corinthians 5:10

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

There will come a time when we will have to stand up and explain what we did and didn't do with every second of our lives. Jesus talked about it a lot. Your time is short, so be careful how you use it.

What can you do for the Lord at this point in your life?

We should always consider what we can do with this day, even this hour.

Sometimes, God tells us very clear things to do in the moment. Sometimes, in the middle of all our work and distractions, a still, small voice says, "Why don't you call this friend? Why don't you go there?" I've been known not to pay attention to the moment and the voice and tell God, "Let me go bury the dead first." And I know in my heart that I've missed a divine appointment. When you realize later that you missed something important that God wanted you to do, it's a bummer. 

We need to learn to hear and obey His voice, especially when it comes to how to spend our time right now. We too often stick to our agenda and confuse what's urgent with what's important.

Poem by Charles Hanson Towne

Around the corner, I have a friend,

In this great city that has no end;

Yet days go by, and weeks rush on,

And before I know it, a year is gone,

And I never see my old friend's face,

For Life is a swift and terrible race.

He knows I like him just as well

As in the days when I rang his bell

And he rang mine. 

We were younger then,

And now we are busy and tired men:

Tired with playing a foolish game,

Tired with trying to make a name.

"Tomorrow," I say, "I will call on Jim,"

Just to show that I'm thinking of him,

But tomorrow comes – and tomorrow goes,

And the distance between us grows and grows.

Around the corner, yet miles away…

"Here's a telegram, sir, "Jim died today.

And that's what we get and deserve in the end;

Around the corner, a vanished friend. 

When the thief of time, called procrastination, "breaks into the house," a lot of time with precious people, chances, and maybe even miracles are lost. We miss out on the joys of simple friendships. We lose out on opportunities to enrich one another's lives.

Dr. David Jeremiah says, "No successful person is a procrastinator. If you describe yourself as a chronic procrastinator, that's another way of saying, "I'm planning on avoiding a successful life. "

I don't care if I'm successful in the world's eyes, but I do want to make my life count for the Lord.

If you read or hear the stories of people who have found success, you'll discover they were people who didn't waste time.  

A management consultant years ago named Ivy Lee advised Charles Schwab and his company on being more productive.

His advice was very simple. Start today.

He said, "Each evening, write down the six most important things you should do the following day. List them in order of importance. The following morning, come to work and do whatever tops the list. When you finish that one, move to the next one down. 

Schwab asked Lee how much he was going to charge for such advice. Lee replied, "Use the plan strictly for several months. Then you decide on the value of my plan and send me a check. "Eventually, Lee received a check for $25,000 from Schwab for that simple piece of advice!

We're not promised tomorrow, so we should do all we can with today. 

Start today to make the best use of tomorrow if it comes. 

Proverbs 27:1

27 Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

This verse doesn't mean you can't prepare for tomorrow, but you can't assume tomorrow will come.

James 4:13-17

¹³ Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:

¹⁴ Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

Tomorrow you'll start that diet, tomorrow you'll call grandma, tomorrow you'll spend more time in prayer…

Have you ever wished you could go back in time just a little way to talk with someone who has died? Are there things you wish you had said, like a thank you, an explanation, or a question? I think that's a wish we all have.

Maybe we should do those things now with the people we love who are still with us and not make the same mistakes again. 

Waiting until tomorrow is sometimes just a sign of laziness or mismanagement, and both are risky.

Hebrews 3:13

¹³ But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

From the Greek translation, exhort means to call near, invite, invoke, comfort, admonish, and encourage.

Back to the thought of hearing and obeying God's voice promptly.

Maybe there will be a tomorrow here on earth for each of us. Every yesterday has been followed by a tomorrow so far. 

Even so, you may never hear the Lord's voice as clearly as you do today, and you may never feel as strongly compelled to follow Him as you do now. You may never pass this way again, and chances are you won't. 

When God speaks, the time is now. His plans and schedule are perfect, and they aren't made with our convenience in mind. 

God is persistent, but your life is not predictable. Tomorrow or another day, our minds may be filled with other thoughts. You may not be sensitive tomorrow. The ministry needs may have passed by that time, and your window of opportunity closed.

If God is speaking today, act today. 

Psalm 119:60

⁶⁰ I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.

Has the Lord put something in your heart? What are you waiting for?

• Is it time to let Jesus, who loves you and died for you, take over your life? Is it time to stop living in sin, which can only lead to trouble and death?
• Is it time to say yes to something the Spirit has been tugging at your heart to do? Is it time to say yes to a mission, a ministry, or a call God has made just for you? How much longer will He keep prompting? How long will it be before the fire in your heart for the cause is gone?
• Is it time to get your house in order? Time to make things right with your husband, wife, kids, and friends? It's time to lead your family toward where God wants you all to be.
• Is it time to focus on pleasing the Lord and honoring Him more with how you live?

The life and ministry of Jonathan Edwards had an incredible impact on America and the world. 

His covenant with himself surely had much to do with his extraordinary life and ministry; here's that covenant. 

"I resolve to live with all my might while I do live. I resolve never to lose one moment of time and to improve my use of time in the most profitable way I possibly can. I resolve never to do anything I wouldn't do if it were the last hour of my life." 

Proverbs 13:4

⁴ The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.

This verse says that lazy people may want things but will not get them because they are not willing to work for them. On the other hand, people who work hard and are diligent will be rewarded with good.

Jesus is our example in all things. He recognized His window of opportunity and declared so. 

John 9:4

⁴ I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

The night cometh when no man can work, perhaps meaning the night of death and suggesting his death, that he had little time to be in this world and, therefore, must make the best use of it to do the will and work of his Father who sent him.

We need to have that same realization and live our lives accordingly.