A reason for living with a sense of urgency …

This morning I received word from one of my sister’s that her husband will begin hospice care today — he’s dying of cancer.

There’s nothing that motivates us to a sense of urgency more than coming to grips with our own mortality, or that of someone we love dearly. When we know our time is running out, everything — especially our relationship with God — suddenly becomes an urgent matter.

One of the most effective tools employed by Satan and his minions for destroying lives is convincing people they have plenty of time, that there’s nothing about life that is so urgent. This diabolical plot is portrayed in a story told by Christopher Ash in “The Priority of Preaching”:

The story is told of three apprentice devils being trained by Satan.

“What are you going to try today?” asks the leader.

The first apprentice replies, “I’m going to tell them there is no God.”

“Well,” says Satan, “you can try. A few fools will believe you. But the universe shouts the existence of God. There is evidence all around and you’ll not do very well. Indeed, even in the secular twenty-first century you may find your self witnessing the slow death of atheism. Any other ideas?”

The second apprentice tries this: “I’m going to tell them there’s no judgment.”

“That’s a better idea,” says Satan. “You will persuade more people of that, especially some of the clergy. But human beings have a gut sense of accountability, that actions have consequences. They know what it is to feel guilty even when their therapists tell them not to. So I think you’ll find it an uphill struggle. Anyone else have an idea?”

The third apprentice pipes up, “I’m going to tell them there’s no hurry.”

“Brilliant!” says Satan. “That is just what you want to say. You will have great success. Let them listen to the word of God and whisper in their ears, ‘This is good stuff. One day you ought to do something about this. But tomorrow will do.’”

But tomorrow won’t do!

At least, not according to the Apostle Paul, who stirs us to live with a sense of urgency with these words …

“This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires,” Romans 13:11-14.

Whether we’re young or old, whether our lives are short or long, Paul points out with each passing day that “… our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed …” And so he writes, “This is all the more urgent …”!

Is removing “… your dark deeds like dirty clothes …” and putting on “… the shining armor of right living …” and living “… decent lives for all to see …” an urgent matter for YOU? Paul tells us it needs to be! Making Christ the central reality of our lives, according to Paul, is the most urgent need we have:

“But let me say this, dear brothers and sisters: The time that remains is very short. So from now on, those with wives should not focus only on their marriage. Those who weep or who rejoice or who buy things should not be absorbed by their weeping or their joy or their possessions. Those who use the things of the world should not become attached to them. For this world as we know it will soon pass away. I want you to be free from the concerns of this life …” 1 Corinthians 7:29-32a.

Being prepared to be with Christ, and helping as many others as possible be prepared through entering a New Covenant relationship with Jesus, is the greatest daily need of our lives — so great a need that it should be an urgent matter to us every day.

What does great urgency look like? Here’s one description from a story shared in Today in the Word:

Thanks to the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, everyone has heard of the “Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.” But few have heard of Israel Bissel, a humble post rider on the Boston-New York route. After the Battle of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, Bissel was ordered to raise the alarm in New Haven, Connecticut. He reached Worchester, Massachusetts, normally a day’s ride, in two hours. There, according to tradition, his horse promptly dropped dead. Pausing only to get another mount, Bissel pressed on and by April 22 was in New Haven, but he didn’t stop there! He rode on to New York, arriving April 24, and then stayed in the saddle until he reached Philadelphia the next day. Bissel’s 126 hour, 345 mile ride signaled American militia units throughout the Northeast to mobilize for war.

More important than being prepared for war with the enemy is being ready to meet our Savior face-to-face. That’s an urgent matter!

Is it an urgent matter for you?

Do you share the Gospel with others with a sense of urgency?

Scotty