Stewardship - Time

Growing up I was what you may call a procrastinator.  I’m not the “late to a meeting” type of guy, but a “wait until the night before” kind of guy.  One such incident happened while attending seminary, the night before a six-page book report was due for one of my classes.  I had read the book (well, skimmed it mostly) but had yet to put any words on paper.  I spent four to five hours that night writing my report, stressing about finishing it on time, and praying I received a decent grade.  In the end, all the stress, legs falling asleep for sitting at the computer so long, and going to bed late could have easily been avoided if I had begun writing the paper days before.  Needless to say, I did not use my time wisely.

Perhaps you too are a procrastinator or have experienced the pain of waiting for a procrastinator, but when it comes to life as a disciple of Christ the temptation to procrastinate is present for everyone.  This week at ElmCreek Community Church we will begin a three-week series in Matthew 25 on the stewardship of our time, talents, and treasures.  Join us at ElmCreek and may we all be prayerfully prepared to submit ourselves to the call and commands of our God.

Striving to know Christ and make Him known,

Pastor Mark

The Procrastinator

When I was younger I had very bad habit of procrastination when it came to school work.  There were many Christmas vacations I would wait until the day before I was to return to the classroom to finish the homework I was assigned.  Needless to say, it was a very stressful and exhausting day.  There were many times that I did not finish all the work and paid the consequences on my report card.

When we think of procrastination we consider the work that could be done today but is put off until tomorrow.  How often do we think of the connection between faith in Christ and procrastination?  There are some around us who have heard and even understand the gospel message but are unwilling to take the step of faith essential for salvation.  The sacrifice required will mean rejecting what they hold dear today and so they put faith off until tomorrow.  Unfortunately, tomorrow never comes.

In Acts 24 we read about Paul’s defense before the governor Felix.  The contrast between Paul’s faith and Felix’s procrastination is astounding.  Never put off for tomorrow what is urgent today.  What is more urgent than your eternal destination?  Felix procrastinated and faced the consequences.  May we be prayerfully prepared for God’s prodding of our hearts toward faithfulness as we study His Word this week.