The Psalms are replete with references to the evidence of god’s mighty hand in creation.  David, in particular, was one to speak in glowing terms of the handiwork of God in nature.  In Psa. 19:1 he said, “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.”  In Psa. 8:3, 4 he said, “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained; what is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him?”

The people of old looked at the world around them and at the skies above them, and they saw the unmistakable evidence of God.  For them there was no question that God existed, because they could see it with their own eyes every day of their lives.  Even in later generations people were certain of God’s presence and power just by looking at the world He created.

In more recent times, some have denied that God exists, and that He created the universe, in spite of this evidence.  Their choice to do so reminds us of the solemn words of David in Psa. 14:1, where he said, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’  They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; there is no one who does good.”  How said it will be for those who deny God’s existence when they stand before Him in judgment and try to answer why they ignored the evidence He left behind to show them He was there.

On the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in central California, there are several groves of trees growing at the 6,000 to 7,000 foot level that add to the unmistakable evidence of God.  These trees are the Giant Sequoia, and they grow only in a very few places in the world.  The largest of these, by volume, is the General Sherman tree, the largest living thing in the world.  It stands 274 feet tall and is more than 36 feet wide at the base, with a 102 foot circumference.  There are taller trees in the world, and wider trees, but none with greater volume than this monarch of the forest.  Two other trees, located within a few miles of this one, are the second and third largest living things, by volume, on the the earth.  They are the President tree and the General Grant tree.

These trees, and their smaller relatives, show evidence of God in several ways.  First, they grow from tiny seeds that look like the wings of flies.  It takes 90,000 of them to make a pound, yet all the genetic material to make a Giant Sequoia is found within each of these small seeds.  Second, Sequoias have a fibrous bark that insulates them from the fires that naturally occur on the forest floor.  These fires are essential to the growth and development of young Sequoias, but the big trees are rarely harmed by them.  Third, their bark contains a chemical that naturally repels insects and disease.  Thus, Sequoias naturally live for vast periods of time.  This enables them to reach such massive sizes.

All these qualities are necessary for the Giant Sequoias to become giants, but all of them are necessary at the same time for them to become giants.  These qualities could not have evolved over eons to produce these giants.  They had to have been present in the Sequoias from their beginning in order for them to develop to their giant size.  The fact is that all these qualities were present from their beginning because God put them there when He created them.

The 2,000 year old Giant Sequoias of the western Sierra Nevada have stood their vigil since the time of our Lord’s birth.  They are silent testimony to the power and majesty of God, who created them in the beginning.  One cannot stand in the shadow of these majestic giants and not see the unmistakable evidence of God in them.  There is no other reasonable explanation for their existence.  Only a fool would believe otherwise.

An old adage says, “Home is where the heart is.”  We use this saying to convey a number of ideas.  One of the dearest uses of this statement is when a family has to move to a new locale because of work or some other circumstance.  It may be a wife and mother who says this to her husband to reassure him of her love, and who says it to her children to encourage them to accept the change that has taken place.  It is a statement which affirms that the family itself is the source of love and joy, not some particular location.

We also use this statement when we’re homesick.  A student away at school may pine for his family home, his friends who were left behind, or for the familiar places of his childhood.  His heart is still there, even though his body might be far away.  In this usage it is a statement of the love one holds for family and friends that physical separation cannot diminish.

In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord spoke of one’s heart in a similar way, but with an entirely different point in mind.  In Mt. 6:19-21 He said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves break in or steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

The Lord knew that where one’s heart is will dictate how he lives his life.  If it is focused only on worldly things, even things that are not inherently evil, that person will never become a disciple of Christ.  This is why the Lord urged His audience to store their treasures in heaven.  If they focused on spiritual things, they would become His disciples, and they would receive the reward of eternal life.

The Lord spoke of this reward in Jn. 14:1-3.  There He said, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.  If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”  Here the Lord was talking about our eternal home.  Those whose hearts are focused on spiritual things have a place prepared for them in the Father’s house in heaven.  They have a home waiting for them.

Paul the apostle understood this truth perhaps better than any other person, and was driven by it.  He told the church in Philippi that he was hard-pressed from both directions.  He desired to depart and be with Christ, but he knew that for him to continue in life was necessary for the good of the church (Phil. 1:23, 24).  Nevertheless, he stated his preference in 2 Cor. 5:6-8.  He said, “Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord — for we walk by faith, not by sight — we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”

Paul’s heart, as were his treasures, was stored up in heaven.  For this reason, he could not wait to get there.  He lived every moment of his life with that goal in mind.  He faithfully took care of all of his daily responsibilities, but in the words of the old song, he knew, “This world is not my home; I’m just a-passing through. My treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue.”  This is the attitude that each of us should have.  Paul’s heart was in heaven, so he was confident of his reward.  Where is your heart?

We are told that we live in a postmodern world.  The prevailing philosophy of postmodernism is the rejection of objective truth.  Truth is said to be culturally derived and thus may be different from one culture to another, and even from one person to another.  In this philosophy no single truth is superior to any other truth, and all truths must be tolerated, if not accepted.

While the world is trying to redefine the concept of truth, the scriptures take a very different view.  Nowhere in the scriptures can we find even the slightest hint that truth is relative, or that it may differ from person to person, or from culture to culture.  On the contrary, the scriptures are consistent in declaring that there is a single standard of truth to which all people of all time are accountable.

When the Lord stood before Pontius Pilate, He said that He had come to testify to the truth, and that whoever is of the truth hears His voice.  To this Pilate famously responded, “What is truth?” (Jn. 18:38).  If Pilate had known Jesus, he would have known the answer to his own question.  On the night of the Lord’s betrayal, as He prayed to His Father, asking Him to bless His disciples, Jesus said, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth” (Jn. 17:17).

This simple statement sets the bounds of any discussion of truth.  Jesus did not say that God’s word is “a” truth, or one of many truths.  He said that God’s word is truth.  Some postmodernists might reply that Jesus didn’t say God’s word is the only truth, but this is not all that the Lord said about truth.  In Jn. 8:31, 32 as the Lord spoke to some believing Jews, He said, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

Here the Lord connected His word with truth and said it is the truth.  If those believing Jews continued in the Lord’s word they would know the truth, the one and only truth, which could make them free.  This is a powerful statement that is valid because the Lord only spoke the things His Father in heaven gave Him to speak.  In Jn. 12:49, 50 Jesus said, “For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak.  I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.”  Thus, when Jesus spoke, He spoke the word of God, which is the truth.

The Lord underscored the importance of continuing in God’s word near the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount.  In Mt. 7:21 Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”  In spite of what postmodernism teaches, it does matter what truth one believes.  Only those who obey the truth; that is, who do the will of the Father in heaven, will enter heaven.  All others will be denied (Mt. 7:22, 23).

God’s word, the Bible, is not one truth out of many from which we may choose.  It is the truth.  It is the one and only truth which makes us free from the consequences of our sins.  In Jas. 1:21 James said, “Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted which is able to save your souls.”  There is a single standard of truth, and it is God’s word.  When we continue in God’s word, we will know the truth.  When we know the truth and obey the truth, we will be saved.

Some people have come to the conclusion that the God of the Old Testament is a God of wrath and nothing more.  Consequently they aren’t particularly interested in Him.  They much prefer the “kinder, gentler” God of the New Testament, in the person of Jesus Christ.  Most people do not want a God whom they must fear, and to suggest that we must fear God turns them off.  It may, in fact, be more appealing to think of God as a kindly, old, grandfather type, who doesn’t care what we do because He loves us so much, but is this what the scriptures teach?

When we look at the scriptures, we discover that from Old Testament to New Testament we are taught to have a healthy respect for God.  The word that is most often used to convey this idea is fear.  In Prov. 1:7 the wise man said, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”  He repeated this theme in Prov. 9:10, and at the end of Ecclesiastes said, “The conclusion, when all has been heard is:  fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.”

Part of the reason for our discomfort with the word “fear” as it applies to God is that we fail to recognize that it is used in scripture primarily in the sense of awe, reverence, and respect.  When we “fear” God in this way, we give Him the honor and the regard that are due to Him because He is God.  Inherent in such reverence and respect is obedience.  We show our regard for God, our fear of Him, by doing what He commands us to do in every circumstance of life.

This “fear” has nothing to do with His wrath, or the potential for punishment at the time of judgment.  It is all about treating Him as holy in everything we do, because He is God and this is the appropriate manner for us to to respond to Him.  We typically show this kind of regard for anyone in authority, so how much more so should we do so for the creator God?

There is more to the story, however.  The scriptures also use “fear” in its more common usage with reference to God.  This is the aspect of God’s unchangeable nature that so many people want to ignore or reject, but any honest survey of the scriptures shows us that we cannot afford to do so.  What may be surprising to many is that this aspect of God’s character is clearly taught in the New Testament as well as in the Old Testament.

In Mt. 10:28, as our Lord Jesus was speaking about discipleship, He said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”  This statement makes it clear that we have good reason to be fearful of God.  At judgment, God will consign those whose names are not in the book of life to the lake of fire, which is the second death (Rev. 20:11-15).

In Heb. 10:31, the writer of Hebrews warned Christians who continue to willfully sin that it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.  Those Christians who do so have a terrifying expectation of judgment (Heb. 10:26, 27) that is due to being separated from God by sin.  Anyone in his right mind can see that we have every reason to fear God in this most basic sense, because God Himself has said He will not allow the guilty to go unpunished (Ex. 34:7).

The wise person will fear God with reverent obedience in life.  All who do so will not have to fear Him when they stand before God’s throne in judgment.

Bread has been called “the staff of life.”  This is because it has been one of the most basic foods in nearly every culture in the world’s history.  Bread was so important in ancient times that it came to represent all food in everyday conversation.  Thus one would speak of “breaking bread” in reference to having a meal, no matter what else the meal might include.  We see this usage in the New Testament in three examples.

When the Lord taught His disciples how to pray in Mt. 6:9-13, He included this statement in v. 12 of the model prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread”.  The Lord’s intent was that His disciples should depend on the Father in heaven each day for their sustenance.  Every day they were to ask God to supply their needs for that day.

The second example is found in Acts 2:46.  Here Luke described the activities of the first Christians.  He said, “Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart.”  In this instance we see that they were sharing common meals together each day in the early days of the Lord’s church.

The third example appears in Acts 20:7.  In Luke’s account of the close of Paul’s third missionary journey he said, “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight.”  In this case the phrase “break bread” refers to partaking of the Lord’s Supper, which is the commemoration of the Lord’s death on the cross (Mt. 26:26-30; 1 Cor. 11:23-26).

Two of these examples refer solely to physical food.  We recognize the importance of daily food to sustain our bodies, and the scriptures support this need.  The only restraints in this regard are that we must not allow food to master us (cf. Rom. 14:13-17; 1 Cor. 6:12, 13), and we must ask our Father in heaven to bless us each day with what we need (Mt. 6:12).

While the third example is certainly physical food (the bread and the cup), it is nevertheless a spiritual feast.  Our weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper is part of the spiritual sustenance that our souls needs in order to grow and mature in the faith.  We cannot survive as children of God if we ignore this spiritual food, but our spiritual food is more than the weekly communion.

Our Lord said we are to pray for our “daily bread.”  This is a spiritual necessity as much as it is a physical necessity because we need spiritual sustenance daily, just as we need physical food.  Our spiritual food is the word of God.  In Heb. 5:12-14 the writer said, “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.  For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness for he is an infant.  But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.”  The writer of Hebrews challenged his readers to exercise their minds with God’s word so they would mature in the faith.  If they did not, they would remain spiritual babies, which is unacceptable.

The Bible is meant to be bread for daily use, not cake for special occasions.  Let’s make sure we use it as God intended so we will always have our “daily bread”.

In 1 Kgs. 19 the record tells us about Elijah’s flight from Jezebel after he had defeated the 400 prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel (1 Kgs. 18:20-40).  Elijah fled to Horeb, the mountain of God, in Sinai.  There he hid in a cave waiting to see what might happen.  In vs. 9-12 the scripture tells us that God told Elijah to stand on the mountain before Him, and God passed by.  In v. 11 a strong wind tore the mountain, but God was not in the strong wind.  Then, an earthquake shook the mountain, but God was not in the earthquake.  In v. 12 a fire swept over the mountain, but again God was not in the fire.

After these three dramatic events, the scripture says, “and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing”  (NASB).  The English Standard Version (ESV) says, ” a low whisper.”  The KJV says, “a still small voice.”  When Elijah heard this, he wrapped his face in his mantle and stood in the entrance of the cave and God spoke to him.  God commanded Elijah to anoint Hazael king over Aram, Jehu king over Israel, and Elisha as prophet in his place (1 Kgs. 19:15, 16).

This incident illustrates an interesting aspect of God’s character that defies the human expectations about Him.  Humans are awed by magnificent and powerful displays.  We expect people of wealth or influence or authority to always appear with the trappings of their wealth or power on display.  This visible manifestation of their power adds credibility to whatever they may say.  So it is also with God.  We expect Him to reveal His will to us in a way that moves us like a scene in an epic film.  If He doesn’t, we’re a little disappointed.

Our fascination with the dramatic often causes us to miss God’s message for us.  We’re so busy looking for an earth-shattering, soul-stirring experience that we don’t hear Him when He speaks to us calmly and quietly through His word.  Like Elijah, we’re expecting to see God in the wind, earthquake, and fire, and all the while He is whispering in our ear by means of the scriptures.

The essentials of what we must do to inherit eternal life, and how we are to worship and work in the church are revealed to us in a low whisper, to borrow the phrase from the ESV version of 1 Kgs. 19:12.  God speaks calmly and quietly, telling us to believe in His Son and to be immersed for the forgiveness of our sins (Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16).  God softly tells us to worship Him in spirit and truth (Jn. 4:24), singing and making melody with our hearts (Eph. 5:19).  He tells us to treat others the way we would have them treat us (Mt. 7:12), and He tells us that if we love Him we will keep His commandments (Jn. 14:15).

These “whispers” don’t shake the earth beneath our feet.  Consequently some people don’t give them any notice.  Instead they substitute the cacophony of man-made doctrines and practices that characterize the modern denominational world.  In all the noise and emotion-stirring demonstrations of modern worship, we forget Psa. 46:10, which says, “Cease striving (or, be still), and know that I am God.”  In 1 Tim. 2:2 Paul said we are to pray for kings and all in authority, “so we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.”  At least part of the reason for this exhortation is so we may hear the low whisper of God in His word.

Let’s stop trying to make God in the image we think He should have.  Let’s turn off all the noise and racket of man-made devices and doctrines that drown out the low whisper of God.  Let’s create some quiet time with God’s word so we may know His will and do what He has commanded us.

On the night in which the Lord was betrayed, He met with His disciples to observe the Passover.  At some point after the meal, and before He led them to Gethsemane, the Lord spoke in some detail on many topics of importance.  Of all the gospel writers, only John recorded the Lord’s words during this conversation with them.  At the end of this discussion the Lord made a statement that foretold the challenges that these men would face once He had returned to His Father in heaven.

In Jn. 16:32, 33 the Lord said, “Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.  These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world.”

The Lord had on previous occasions predicted that His disciples would be persecuted for proclaiming the gospel, but this statement is particularly poignant for at least two reasons.  First, that very night the twelve, minus Judas, would indeed be scattered from the Lord as He was taken into custody in the garden.  Second, the Lord’s words suggest the ongoing presence of tribulation so long as the world stands.  He said, “In the world you have tribulation.”  In other words, as long as they were in the world the disciples would have challenges to their faith.  The record of the book of Acts suggests that these men finally came to understand the Lord’s meaning as they went about the business of preaching the gospel.  They knew they would experience tribulation and they were prepared for it whenever it came.

The attitude of the apostles and the early Christians about the challenges they faced because of their faith stands in contrast to the expectations of some professed believers in more modern times.  At some point in the last 300 years or so, with the rise of Premillennialism, some believers have come to expect a time of peace and tranquility on the earth.  They believe this will occur when the Lord comes to establish His kingdom in Jerusalem, from which they say He will reign on earth for 1,000 years.

As wonderful as this expectation may be, it is not consistent with what the Bible teaches.  Foremost in this regard is the fact that the Lord is already reigning in His kingdom, and has been since the church was established on the first Pentecost after His resurrection from the dead (Acts 2:38-41; Col. 1:13, 14; 1 Cor. 15:20-28).  Since the Lord is already reigning in His kingdom, the expectation that he will establish a kingdom on earth at some point in the future is a false expectation.

A second, and equally powerful point is that the earth is not the place where God’s people will experience the peace and tranquility that we all desire.  In Rev. 21:3, 4 the scripture says, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

The time of peace and tranquility for God’s people will only come at the end of time when He has taken them home to the place prepared for them in heaven.  In the meantime, while we are in the world, we have tribulation, but we may take courage because in Christ we overwhelmingly conquer! (Rom. 8:39).

In February 2013 a husband and wife were walking their dog on a hillside section of their rural property in Northern California.  As they walked along they came upon a rusty can partially buried in the hillside.  When they dug it up they discovered it contained what looked like a batch of discs covered with dirt.  They took the can home and began cleaning the discs.  This is when they discovered that the can contained nearly perfectly preserved gold coins.  They returned to the site where the can had been unearthed and found more cans.  When all was said and done, they had more than 1400 gold coins with a face value of $27,980.00.  The coins are extremely rare, dating from 1847 through 1894, and have been appraised at about $10 million.

The discovery of such a treasure would be a dream come true for most people, and has been in this instance for the couple who found it.  However, the treasure has also created some issues for them.  Once the discovery was announced, opportunists surfaced claiming that the treasure was buried by long-lost ancestors.  In addition to this, government taxing agencies suggested that the couple may owe as much as half the value of the coins in taxes.  For over a year the couple has worked through these issues, and apparently is now beyond most of them.  Some of the coins have been put up for auction, and one coin recently fetched $15,000.00.

The discovery of this treasure, and the resultant issues surrounding it, reminds us of something the Lord said about treasure during His earthly ministry.  In the Sermon on the Mount the Lord said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  (Mt. 6:19-21).

If our focus is only on earthly things we’re going to be disappointed, no matter how much wealth we may amass.  The reasons why are summed up in the Lord’s statement.  Treasure on earth is subject to decay and will always be the target of thieves.  Not only this, but when we die our earthly treasure is left behind.  The Lord told a parable in Lk. 12:15-21 about a rich man who hoarded his wealth.  In vs. 20, 21 Jesus said, “But God said to him, ‘You fool!  This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’  So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”  This fact of life is summarized by the statement, “You don’t see any Ryder trucks behind hearses.”

In contrast to this, if our focus is on spiritual things, we will never be disappointed.  Paul spoke of this truth in 1 Tim. 4:8, where he said, “For bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”  One who puts God first is promised that all his physical needs will be provided (Mt. 6:33).  He may not be wealthy by the world’s standards, but he will be rich toward God.  His life will be better because he pursues godliness, and at the end of time, he will be better off because he will enter the place prepared for him in heaven (Jn. 14:1-3).

The possession of earthly wealth is not condemned in scripture.  Making earthly treasure one’s sole focus in life, however, is condemned.  The Lord’s command is for us to store up treasures in heaven.  We do this by putting Him first in our lives, and by living obedient, godly lives in preparation for eternity.  Those who store up treasures in heaven will receive the everlasting treasure of eternal life.  Where is your treasure?

July 20, 2014 marks the 45th anniversary of the first manned lunar landing, which occurred on this date in 1969.  Those who were alive at that time will remember that our nation had been challenged by President John Kennedy to land a man on the moon and return him safely to the earth before the end of the decade of the 1960s.  This was primarily a response to the space efforts then underway by the Soviet Union.  The competition between the two super powers was dubbed “The Space Race,” and it was taken very seriously by both nations.

Early on the Soviets held the advantage, launching the first successful man-made satellite, putting the first man into space, and into earth orbit.  President Kennedy’s challenge shifted our space program into high gear, and it wasn’t long before the United States caught up to the Soviets and began to edge ahead.  The Apollo 11 mission was the first attempt to completely fulfill President Kennedy’s goal, and on Sunday, July 20, 1969 the world watched on live television as the Lunar Module, Eagle, safely landed on the moon.  A few hours later, Astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the lunar surface.  As he stepped onto the moon he said, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

this statement tried to put this successful effort into perspective.  As a technological achievement, the entire space program, including the moon landing, was small compared to the much larger need for mankind to learn how to live together in peace.  Even though the moon landing was the result of competition between diametrically opposed political systems, there were signs that going into space might actually bring us all closer together.  Whether this hope was founded or not does not take away from its significance at that time.

Interestingly, Armstrong’s declaration has application in a manner he likely never envisioned.  As we go about our lives here on earth, there is a competition between two diametrically opposed forces, each seeking dominion over us.  Unlike the competition between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R., however, there is no way for these competing forces to ever be reconciled.  God and Satan can never be reconciled, nor can their realms, because they are of completely opposite and incompatible natures.

As we live our lives we are drawn to one side or the other in this great struggle.  God the Father sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins so we may have the hope of eternal life.  Satan, a murderer from the beginning and the father of lies (Jn. 8:44), seeks to deceive us as he deceived Eve in the garden so we will turn away from God and follow him instead.  The competition is for our souls, and it is fiercer than any struggle mankind has ever experienced.

It only takes one small step for us to make our choice.  That small step is to bow in obedience to God’s revealed will by being immersed into Christ for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16).  This is how we enter the small gate that opens onto the narrow way that leads to life (Mt. 7:13, 14).  One small step starts us on the journey that ultimately brings us to a home in heaven at the end of time.

This one small step results in a giant leap when we finally stand before God in judgment.  We may call it a giant leap because of how much higher heaven is than anything we can imagine, or have experienced in life.  The idea that mankind, as small as it is, can live forever in the presence of Almighty God is a giant leap.  But it is a giant leap that is made possible by the blood of Jesus Christ and by the one small step of obedience.

One of the most common attributes shared by humans is procrastination, which is defined as the action of delaying or postponing something.  We see this in virtually every aspect of life.  Students wait until the last minute to study for an exam, or to write a term paper.  Taxpayers put off filing their income tax returns as long as possible.  Husbands delay working on their “honey do” lists until it cannot be avoided any longer.  There are no good reasons for our procrastination, but still we do it time after time.

When we procrastinate we typically end up paying some kind of unpleasant price for having done so.  A student who puts off preparing for an exam until the last minute will often get a poorer grade than if he had prepared ahead of time.  Taxpayers who put off filing their tax returns may make mistakes that can cost them large amounts of money, or they may incur a penalty because their return arrived late.  A husband who delays working on his “honey do” list, may incur the displeasure of his wife.  In addition to these unpleasant consequences, a habitual procrastinator often gets a reputation that marks him as undependable.

The consequences of procrastination in our secular affairs can be damaging to us, but when we procrastinate in spiritual matters, the consequences can be catastrophic.  There are two important reasons why this is so.  First, there is the fragile nature of life.  Most of us go about our lives as though we will live forever.  We know this is not the case, but we act as if not thinking about our mortality will postpone it.  The scriptures teach us otherwise, however.  In Jas. 4:14 James said, “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.  You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.”  We must not put off obedience to the gospel, because our lives may end at any moment.

Second, we must not put off obedience to the gospel because we do not know when the Lord will return for judgment.  The fact that the Lord is coming back to judge the world is plainly taught in the scriptures.  The parable of the ten virgins and the parable of the talents each teach the reality of judgment, and the Lord followed these parables with a specific reference to judgment in Mt. 25:31-46.  However, the Lord does not want us to procrastinate in our preparation for judgment.  In Mt. 24:36, speaking of His return for judgment, the Lord said, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.”  Because we do not know when the Lord will return, we must not put off obeying the gospel.

The scriptures are clear that men and women in the first century did not put off their obedience to the gospel once they understood what they must do in order to be saved.  In Acts 2:41, three thousand who believed the message of the apostles that day were immediately baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of their sins.  In Acts 16, a jailer in Philippi was baptized by Paul and Silas just as soon as he understood what he must do to be saved, even though it was well after midnight.  These, and other examples, show us that there must be no procrastination when it comes to being saved.  We must act immediately in obedience to the teaching of God’s word.

We may procrastinate in every other area of life, but we must not procrastinate in response to the call of God to be saved.  God desires that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4).  Therefore, as Ananias told Saul of Tarsus, “Now why do you delay?  Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.”