I’m really pretty good at it. In fact, at times I would say that I have mastered the tactic. That is, inevitably and creatively delaying something that needs to be done. Procrastination. I mean, why do today what you can put off until tomorrow? I learned the fine art of procrastination in college. You had so much fun stuff combating for your time that papers, studying and reading all easily took a backseat to Jet-Skiing, video games and girls. Really, is that even a contest? But there’s a fine line between procrastination and denial. If I had a 20 page paper due, I knew that eventually I would have to write that paper, it wouldn’t just go away (no matter how hard I prayed.)
As we go adulting through the rest of our life, not much changes. Instead of college papers we have work projects. Instead of studying we have constant continuing education to keep up with competitors and the market in general. And yes, we still have major competition from a myriad of things that push us to wait on the boring tasks at hand. Family, hobbies, free-time, exercise, sleep, recreation, TV, sports and a host of other items like these can prompt us to push important things to the back of the desk for a while. But in life there is one decision that cannot be pushed back forever. There is one major decision that looms over each and every person on this planet that will never go away. Millions decide that they will deal with it later, gather more facts, think about it more or just wait until the time seems right. That decision is what to do with God and His Son Jesus.
Today we see the Philistines dealing with the spoils of their victory from 1 Samuel chapter 4. The Philistines routed the Israelites as God’s people errantly marched the ark of the covenant into the skirmish, hoping that it would seal them the easy victory. The only problem was that they were in direct disobedience to God in doing so. And folks, when you disobey God, He notices. The Philistines kill 30,000 Israelites and steal the ark of God. A big ooops for the Israelites. So now the Philistines have the ark and they take it to their city of Ashdod. I can only imagine the Philistines all standing around the ark of God, staring at it like the cavemen staring at the black obelisk on 2001 A Space Odyssey. Staring at the strange gold carvings and wondering what in the world they’re supposed to do with the God of the Israelites now that they have it. They decide to stick it in the temple with their own god, Dagon, the father of another god, Baal. Almighty God didn’t like His new roommate.
The next morning the statue of Dagon had fallen face down before the ark of God. They stood the statue back up. The next morning Dagon was down for the count, this time with his head and arms broken off before the ark of God. God 1, Dagon 0. Next, we’re told the hand of God was “heavy against the people of Ashdod.” (1 Sam. 5:6) God afflicted them with painful tumors. At this point a game of hot potato started as they dumped the ark on the city of Gath. In Gath, God once again caused tumors to break out among the people, so the hot potato was tossed yet again, this time to the city of Ekron. Here God once again caused tumors as well as death. The hot potato game was over, the Philistines decided to give the ark back to the Israelites. Wise choice.
You see, the Philistines learned a valuable lesson in dealing with God. You can’t just procrastinate with Him forever. You can’t just keep putting off the inevitable, tossing Him from city to city, day after day. Eventually you have to decide what you’re going to do with God for the long haul. Eventually you have to deal directly with God, not just keep Him around as a trophy.
The single biggest misconception about God in our world today is about His home, Heaven. Specifically, how do you get there. And folks, it seems like everybody has their own ideas on how to get to Heaven. Be good enough, go to church, get baptized, give good karma, get christened, follow the 10 commandments, do good for others, go to seminary, get reincarnated, memorize the Bible, don’t kill anybody, do your best, be nice to people, go to confession. The list goes on and on. It’s amazingly ironic that something so simple, man has made so complicated. In fact, when you study salvation through Jesus Christ in God’s Word, you realize just how painfully simple God made it. All you have to do is open up a Bible, read it, and then do what it says.
The words of Jesus are full of absolutes. And within these absolutes are choices. Two to be exact. You see, Jesus came so that we could have just that, a choice in eternity. But He will not make that choice for you, He gifts you free will to choose for yourself. Why? Well, I love Margie because I have made that decision in my heart. She is my love, my joy, and my passion. Do you think she could make me love her this way? Nope. You see, God can’t make you love Him the way He desires to be loved. You must make the decision to love and follow Christ on your own. And folks, you must make a decision, you can’t procrastinate forever.
In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount He utters a very famous passage that perfectly sums up the point.
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matt 7:13-14
Folks how many ways does Jesus give here? Two. Just two. Not three ways, not your way, not my way, not a religion’s way, not what makes sense to you or what seems fair. Two ways. The wide gate is just that, wide, big, easy to find, and easy to walk through. This is the gate of the world. It’s easy to get into this gate, just do what you want and walk right through. Jesus tells us in the verse (and it should alarm us) that the wide gate leads to destruction and many will enter it.
But there is a choice, the narrow gate. Jesus tells us to use this gate. But He also tells us this gate is small, it’s much harder to find than the wide gate and thus fewer will find it. But this gate leads to life. Folks, Jesus is crystal clear here in His Words. There are two choices, one is life and one is destruction. Heaven and hell is a choice and that choice lies with us. Pick a gate.
You can’t procrastinate with your choice of the gates forever; you will pick one. You see, if you decide to wait, you have already made a choice. You can’t somehow hang out in the middle of the two gates and just pontificate. Today, I pray to God Almighty that you will choose to walk through the narrow gate. Realize that your sin separates you from God and that you need a mediator. You need someone to make your sin acceptable in the eyes of God. And Jesus Christ is the only way. Jesus Christ is the narrow gate, only through Him can you hope to have a home in Heaven. Pray to Jesus to save you from your sin and be the Lord of your life and He is faithful to do so. But if you decide to wait, the wide gate is your destination. Deal with God today, don’t play hot potato for even one day more.
“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” 1 Timothy 2:5
“Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9
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