A Sense Of Urgency

Be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time.
–Ephesians 5:15-16

Gary Inrig told the story about a man who found himself shipwrecked on what he thought was a deserted island. But soon he found that the island was filled with a tribe of people. He did not know what the tribesmen would do to him, but to his great pleasure they treated him very, very well. In fact, they met his every need, and to his great delight they even placed him on a throne and made him their king. But as he began to understand the language more, he realized that this was one of their customs: They would select a man and make him king for a year. Then at the end of the year, they would place him in a boat, send him to a nearby island that was abandoned, and leave him there to die.

As the man realized what was going to happen to him, his delight turned to distress. But then he came up with a plan. In the final few months of his monarchy, he sent some of the tribesmen to that abandoned island to till the land and plant crops. He sent another group to build a beautiful mansion there. Finally, he sent some of the friends he had made to live on the island as well. On the day of his exile, the tribesmen placed him in the boat and sent him to that island that had been carefully prepared, filled with friends who were there to receive him.

The Bible says if you are a Christian, you are about to take a journey. Your destination is not some remote island; it is heaven, where Jesus Christ Himself will be there to greet you. Nevertheless, Jesus said in the parable of the shrewd manager, the preparations we make in this life will follow us throughout eternity. Once the manager realized that the days of his employment were severely numbered, he realized he had no time to waste. He did not wait until motivation hit him; he immediately began making preparations for that inevitability.

Do you have that sense of urgency right now about eternity? Do you realize that the date of your death is a fixed date on God’s calendar? There is not one thing you can do to postpone it. And every second that passes moves you closer and closer to that inevitability. A wise person is one who acts quickly to make preparation for the future.

As Inrig said, “Fools serve money and leave it all behind. Shrewd believers serve God and invest in eternity.”

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Today’s devotion is excerpted from “How To Survive A Layoff” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2008.

Gary Inrig, “Jesus’ Parables about Money” (Grand Rapids: RBC Ministries, 1998), 22.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org