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Tuesday morning I went to get the oil changed in my car because it was long past due. So I finally woke up early one morning and drove to Wal-Mart to have them take care of it. As I sat and watched the men prepare to work I noticed one of them shaking their head from left to right. I began to wonder if he was shaking his head because I had waited so long to get my oil changed. To me, it was not that big of a deal, I was just a thousand miles over the suggested mileage for a change. But to him, I’m sure it was a big deal. My last guilty thought was, “I wonder if I have waited too long and done damage to my car.”
Isn’t that how some of us are tempted to be with the Lord? We have only gone a little over the limit with this sin or that. We have only missed a couple of worship services this month. We have only skipped two or three opportunities to help someone who was hurting. And you know, those things may not seem that bad to us in the moment. You may be saying to yourself, there is no need to make any drastic changes right now, I’m getting by. I have to ask the question, do you just want to “get by” as a Christian?
I can’t help but think of Paul and what he said to the Thessalonian Christians in 1 Thessalonians 5:2. He said, “For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (ESV, emphasis added). The Christians were fully aware that Jesus could return at any moment to judge the world. I want to believe they were people who made changes as soon as they noticed a need.
Look at your life. Are you simply getting by? Have you put off making changes that you know are needed? In view of eternity, put your obedient trust in God and he will love, forgive, and save you in the end. Do not live in fear of the question, “Have I waited too long?”
Austin Johnson
Calvert City church of Christ
Calvert City, KY