I was speaking with a friend of mine this afternoon, an outdoorsman, and he offhandedly made the comment that most people die in the wilderness because they don’t worry about their predicament until it’s too late. He went on to tell me that most of these situations are avoidable – but people are just stubborn and continue on the wrong path until it is too late to change the outcome – that’s when people die.
I got to thinking about the same thing in business. I can’t tell you how many companies I have consulted with that start to get into trouble and the owners just don’t want to see the reality. They continue to spend money they don’t have, hire people they can’t afford and buy “toys” that they don’t have any business buying. On hindsight, a little planning and a little more restraint could have saved most, if not all, of these companies that ultimately went down the drain. Most of us just don’t have the capacity to be objective about our own blind spots or where we need help in carrying out our dreams for our companies.
But bad judgment isn’t limited to hunters or business people. We see it every day in our spiritual world and how people react to the good news of Jesus Christ. People live for themselves rather than for the Lord and always think that they will have enough time to make a decision for Christ near the end of their lives. You know what? That’s really playing with fire – just like the people who don’t have the objectivity to see their own predicament. At first look, it isn’t a glamorous thing to live for somebody else – even if it is for God. After all, what fun is that?
If I do things my way, I can feel more fulfilled and live the way that I want to. I don’t have to be concerned with morals or ethics or being an ambassador for God. Because it’s all about me. But then, suddenly, it’s too late. You’ve spent your whole life doing your own thing and it becomes more and more difficult to live for God. You’re getting up there in years and you just don’t want to change things. But the Scripture is very specific that if you don’t accept Christ this side of the grave, it’s too late. You won’t make it to heaven.
The verse for this evening speaks of having trust in the Lord. Psalm 37:3 is quite specific – we are told, “Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.” My encouragement this evening is that God wants you to trust him and dedicate your life to serving Him. My prayer is that you will make that commitment before it’s too late. After all, just like bad judgements in the wilderness, this is a case of life and death – eternal life and eternal death. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…