The Time is Now

It's been said that "timing is everything" because we know invitations, requests or offers don't last forever.  When a friend invites you over for dinner, the timing of your response matters.  When you receive a job offer, the offer doesn't stay open forever.  When we ask our kids to get in the car because we're late for church (not that that ever happens), the timing of their response matters.  We wouldn't say they were obedient if it took them twenty minutes to respond (not that that ever happens ☺).  These situations are all intuitive but sometimes I don't think we think about our obedience to God in the same way.  

When Jesus invited the disciples to follow Him, they immediately dropped everything and followed Him.  If they hadn't, who knows if they would ever have gotten a second chance?  When Jesus asked the rich, young ruler to follow Him, the Bible said he turned and went away from Jesus sad.  Often invitations from God come with a limited opportunity to respond.  Hebrews 11 commends Abraham for his faith and obedience because he responded when God's call came.  Heb. 11:8 says "By faith, Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went; even though he did not know where he was going."  I believe the moment would have been gone if he didn't respond when he did.   

God is a gracious God.  He regularly communicates with us about the things He wants us to do.  This may come through His Word, through a prompting or through a request from another believer.  Maybe it's an opportunity to serve, to speak or to intercede for someone.  These are opportunities that may be lost if we do not respond immediately.  Timing is important in our obedience to God.  When an invitation from God comes or His will is revealed to you, the time to respond is now.

God bless,

Pastor Darren