Urgent!

Sometimes we just get sick and tired of hearing, "right now," or, "hurry up," or "faster!" If it isn't our parents saying it, it is our teacher, our boss, a client or someone else. Everyone is in a hurry and wants us to meet their needs.

There is a saying, "the tyranny of the urgent." This refers to our responding to all the demands on us as if each one were priority. The problem is that we can never respond to all the demands or satisfy everyone. We're left with two options: run around until we collapse and get nothing done or establish priorities and action plans in order to actually get things done in good time according to the true importance of each demand.

In the Bible there is an urgency that requires that every true believer in God place as a priority: the message of Jesus Christ.

Jesus has compassion for everyone and does not desire that anyone perish or suffer for their sins. That is the reason he came to the earth, died and rose again from the dead.

Jesus' mission did not end there. In Matthew 9:35 - 37 we see that Jesus transmitted an urgent priority to his followers. He saw the multitudes who were harassed and tired, without any direction or purpose to their lives. Deeply moved, Jesus commanded his followers to see the situation as he saw it and pray that God would send people to meet the desperate needs of the people of the world.

Jesus said that everyone was ripe and ready to receive the message of love and salvation from God, but there were few workers who were out there proclaiming it. Therefore millions and millions of people stayed, and stay today, far away from a new life and hope in Jesus.

It is the obligation of every true believer in Jesus to continue the work that he started nearly 2000 years ago. There is a urgency to this command for two reasons.

1) Life is short. Few people in this world today live past 80 years. In most underdeveloped countries many do not even reach 45 years of age. The book of Hebrews says that it is appointed to man that he dies once and then there is the judgement. How terrible to live a short life and then arrive at God's judgement seat carrying with yourself all of your sin and guilt.

2) The second coming of Jesus is imminent. Jesus could come at any time. Very few are ready to meet him.

Therefore, it is the priority and obligation of every true Christian to share the message of salvation, forgiveness and hope through faith in Jesus to every person.

Don't wait until you are "ready". You already have everything you need to proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ.

Don't wait for someone else to do it. God has called YOU to do His work in the world.

Don't wait until the "time is right." Today is the day of salvation. I'm not saying you should run into the middle of the street and scream out the message of Christ, but you can live a life now that is completely different from the rest that it will call the attention of others.

Finally, we must have a passion to see the world saved through faith in Jesus. If we have no conviction, we'll never start, and, of course, no one will see that we have something special to offer: eternal life in Christ.