With the daily hustle and bustle of every day life, urgency is no stranger for many of us. Whether it be a project due, a test to study for, or a deadline at work, having a sense of urgency is vital to surviving in our fast-paced world. Sadly, many people have the biggest sense of urgency about the things that really do not matter all that much in the long run. Investments of time and energy are wasted as people move without purpose. Take some time to examine those things in life that are truly urgent matters. Then ask yourself how much those actually matter in the grand scheme of life.
I am not going to contend that everything we do is purposeless. I firmly believe that anything you do as work to the Lord and not to men is something that matters in eternity. But too often we confuse God's work with man's work. A sense of urgency is not a bad thing to have. The value comes when we are urgent about the right things. In fact, I would contend that there are really only two aspects of life that this sense of urgency is really important to have: doing God's will and in sharing the Gospel.
My Sunday school teacher said the other day that, when it comes to God's will, He gives us plenty of time to accomplish it. But we had better get up and do it. Without a sense of urgency in doing God's will, we miss out on the opportunities and blessings that would have come otherwise.
The cool thing about doing God's will is that His will can and does spill over into the rest of our lives. For example, if you believe you are in the will of God where you are in your career, then producing quality work, meeting deadlines, and taking steps to advance your career are all in God's will also. That being said, depending on where God has you and where He wants you, a personal sense of urgency when it comes to your job could be exactly what you need.
Another example is in the goals that we set. If we follow God's leadership, our goals in life are ultimately determined by Him. That means that time you spend striving towards goals that God has set before you is not wasted. Instead it is being spent furthering the will of God. Along the line of spending time furthering the will of God, included in that will is the sharing of the Gospel.
Many people put off sharing when given the opportunity because they're afraid, don't have time, etc. The excuses are pretty well endless on this one. But the sense of urgency comes in when we take the time to really think about it. You may be the only "Jesus" that person ever sees. Your words may be the only Bible they ever hear taught. Why is it important for you to have a sense of urgency about sharing God's Message? Because for the person with whom you're sharing, tomorrow might not come.
I know that sounds pretty apocalyptic but it's true. The decisions that you make in deciding whether or not to share the Good News have lives hanging in the balance. Even more so than that, Jesus commanded you to spread the Gospel. Which bring me to a final point: Obedience is key.
That is really the dividing line between what matters and what does not. Are we being obedient? If we are obeying God in what we are doing, chances are that a sense of urgency is a requirement. If obedience is not much of a factor, you probably should not be wasting your precious time and energy on it. After all, you have limited amounts of both. Choose wisely what you will spend them on. Be urgent about the right things.
Stay classy,
Andrew
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