From The Pastor's Desk
Can Procrastination Become Sin and When am I Moving to Slow?
Do you have trouble with procrastination? I know I have a problem with procrastination and starting tomorrow, I'm going to do something about it. This sounds humorous and yet it is something that most of us can relate to in our personal life at some point and time. Unfortunately for some, this approach has become so much of the norm that it has become harmful for some and it is causing a negative impact on their family and professional life.
Of course, it is so easy to quote and "live by" Isaiah 40:28-31,
especially verse 31. "But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." In essence, we're not procrastinating, we're simply "waiting on the Lord," some would proclaim.
Certainly, the Lord has much to say about the importance of trusting and waiting for God's timing but perhaps, there's an equal number of commands and warnings about being slothful or simply being disobedient to God when His timing is "now." We can benefit in wonderful ways by applying James 4:17.
"If anyone, the, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them."
yes, we wait on God's directions and timing but when God's will and his timing is clear and we choose to willfully ignore this, then our procrastination graduates to sin. As stated earlier, our procrastination certainly has a negative impact on one's family. Not only does the habitual procrastinator set a poor example for family members and the others to follow, it can cause unnecessary financial stress. Here's a reminder from Proverbs10:4
"Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth."
Finally, if we're looking for excuses to justify our procrastinations (in which the Bible sometimes refers to as lazy or slothful), we will certainly find one or sometimes even more. Here is what we find in Proverbs 22:13.
"The sluggard says, 'There's a lion outside! I'll be killed in the public square!"
In conclusion, we certainly don't want to get ahead of God or move in a direction that God has not in sanctioned or ordained but we don't want to make excuses or refuse to move when God has made His plan clear of the timing and direction. Let's be attentive to God and the Holy Spirit. When it's time to wait, let's wait but when it's time to move or act, lets do so.
In His Service,
Roy Newman, Senior Pastor
Of course, it is so easy to quote and "live by" Isaiah 40:28-31,
especially verse 31. "But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." In essence, we're not procrastinating, we're simply "waiting on the Lord," some would proclaim.
Certainly, the Lord has much to say about the importance of trusting and waiting for God's timing but perhaps, there's an equal number of commands and warnings about being slothful or simply being disobedient to God when His timing is "now." We can benefit in wonderful ways by applying James 4:17.
"If anyone, the, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them."
yes, we wait on God's directions and timing but when God's will and his timing is clear and we choose to willfully ignore this, then our procrastination graduates to sin. As stated earlier, our procrastination certainly has a negative impact on one's family. Not only does the habitual procrastinator set a poor example for family members and the others to follow, it can cause unnecessary financial stress. Here's a reminder from Proverbs10:4
"Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth."
Finally, if we're looking for excuses to justify our procrastinations (in which the Bible sometimes refers to as lazy or slothful), we will certainly find one or sometimes even more. Here is what we find in Proverbs 22:13.
"The sluggard says, 'There's a lion outside! I'll be killed in the public square!"
In conclusion, we certainly don't want to get ahead of God or move in a direction that God has not in sanctioned or ordained but we don't want to make excuses or refuse to move when God has made His plan clear of the timing and direction. Let's be attentive to God and the Holy Spirit. When it's time to wait, let's wait but when it's time to move or act, lets do so.
In His Service,
Roy Newman, Senior Pastor