Don’t Put It Off Another Day (Hebrews 3:7-9)
Hebrews 3:7-9, Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. On Sunday night, October 8, 1871, D. L. Moody was preaching the gospel in downtown Chicago. He challenged the listening crowd to go home and “think about what I’ve said about the gospel and come back tomorrow and tell me what you’ve decided about following the Lord.” Sounds OK, right? “It’s a big decision. Don’t rush into it. Weigh your options.” About the same hour that meeting was breaking up, a few blocks west of downtown, a blaze had begun in Patrick O’Leary’s cow barn. By midnight the fire had jumped the Chicago River’s south branch and by 1:30 a.m., the entire business district (where Moody had been preaching) was in flames. By 3:00 a.m., the inferno had raced northward, jumped the main river, and devoured over 100,000 homes. Not until after midnight the following day was the fire extinguished as a steady rain left Chicago smoldering and in rubbles—with hundreds dead. Many of the people who had heard the gospel on Sunday night perished in the flames. By not deciding to follow Jesus the moment they heard the invitation, they had missed their opportunity to respond to God’s good news. D.L. Moody’s ministry was changed forever. He said, “From now on, every chance I get I will urge upon people a decision today, today. Today, sir, make a decision today. Although you can choose your actions; you cannot choose the consequences.” We see Jesus’ encounter with Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10. In Luke 19:5, Our Lord said to Zacchaeus,” …Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house”. Every word is important; but notice these two words ‘haste’ and ‘today’. God’s call is urgent. It demands an immediate response. As it was in Paul’s day with Felix, Festus, and Agrippa (Acts 24, 25, 26). It is with us today, again and again, people hear the message of the Gospel proclaimed faithfully and sincerely admonishing them to repent and believe on Christ, but they reply, “Tomorrow!” God’s call is not for tomorrow. It is written, ‘…To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation…’ God’s grace always comes with urgent dispatch. Tomorrow is in Satan’s calendar, but nowhere else. II Corinthians 6:2, “For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” When you hear what God’s Word says, do something about it. If you want to go further with God than you have in years gone by, decide today that every time God shows you something, you’re going to get after it. If He lays it out for you, don’t put it off. If the Lord is calling, you need to respond immediately, without hesitation. PRAYER: Father, too often I have ignored Your prompting when You have called me to speak to others. This life will end sooner than I think. Help me to remain faithful until the end of this life’s journey. In Jesus name, AMEN. If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com
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AuthorDr. Blackman is passionate about helping others grow in the grace of the Lord. His devotions are centered on how to grow closer to the Lord through a personal relationship with Christ. Archives
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