"WHY NOT NOW?"

"Procrastination is still the thief of time!" Procrastination--putting off what needs to be done now--is also the thief of souls. People tend to play a type of spiritual Russian Roulette with their souls. They spin the gun-barrel of time and pull the trigger. They anticipate to draw a blank or an empty chamber. They foolishly convince themselves that nothing will happen. They believe that they will have myriads of opportunities to obey Jesus. They believe that at some future date or time it would be appropriate to meet the Master on His terms. But, the clock is running.

Time marches on. Time is silently slipping away. In fact, it is racing, though we may be oblivious to it. A couple of years ago, a colleague of mine was waiting for wife at a doctor's office. His attention was captured by a lady's impatient blowing of her car's horn. A small car was blocking the exit to the parking lot but the driver showed no inclination to react or respond. A very irritating situation when one is in a hurry! The fact is that driver was not about to act. You see the rather hefty driver behind that steering wheel had died! Don't you just wonder--when he left home that morning, did he have any idea that he would die at the exit of a parking lot near a doctor's rooms? If he had had a premonition of that would he have acted differently? You see, time slipped away unobtrusively and his preparation time ran out. He gambled and lost, it seems to me. The old hymn cautions, "There's danger and death in delay!"

The Bible is replete with examples that call our attention to the dangers of procrastination. Hebrews 3:13 states "But exhort one another day by day, so long as it is called Today; lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." In verse 15, the book adds, "Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts as in the provocation." Procrastination is like an unobtrusive cancer--it works its evil while appearing to be so innocent and so harmless. But one day is the last day for everything. Life comes to a screeching halt. The time for choices is over and we are undone! Oh, woe is us!

When I received the sorrowful news of my oldest brother's death, I pondered on all the things that I still wanted to do with him. I ran my mind over our early life together. I remembered his "looking out" for his two little brothers. I remembered his politeness and his kind consideration for others. I thought about his climb up the ladder of success. He held the rank of Lt. Colonel in the South African medical corps and was the chief administrator of the Wynberg Military Hospital for many years. I despised the geographic distances between us that rendered intimate association impossible. I was always hoping that there would come a day for special moments and the sharing of hearts. But it was not to be. Time. . . no, procrastination had robbed us of those moments that might have been. The garden of memories had shut the gate for it was now past closing time! I wish it could have been different. I long for another opportunity, another chance--but, it won't happen, not on this side of eternity.

When our Ken Willis went to Benoni after Dianne's passing, he taught the brethren a song of praise written and put to music by Ken Young, son of our Betty Baldridge. The title? "Why Not Now?" The second verse has these words, "One day all nations will humbly bow down as they enter His marvelous presence. Ev'ry tongue will confess, ev'ry heart will agree that Jesus Messiah is Lord. Some are still blinded but one day will see through the shadows that try to surround them, all the glory and love shining bright from above, they'll shout out His wonderful name. Why not now? Why not now? Why not lift up your voice . . .why not throw off the burden that weighs down your soul? Why not now?"  Why not indeed? Don't wait to become a Christian. Don't procrastinate to serve the Lord faithfully to some distant tomorrow that never comes! One day will be the last day! Why not now? 

Love you all dearly,

Al-- /The Horne of Africa/ 

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