Why do Today what You Can Put Off Till Tomorrow?

The very opposite of a life seeking “vision” from God is a life tangled in “procrastination!”

Our life needs to be disciplined; in other words, doing what you know you should do.

Why? Due to our sin nature, life will continue to be a struggle:

Romans 7:14–25 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin.I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.  And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

Since this is true, it is imperative that we get a control on our life. We know that Procrastination is bad. That lifestyle keeps us frustrated and unaccomplished. We will always put off doing the difficult in favor or the easy.

Lets look at three mindsets that produce Procrastination.

1. Life based on convenience

This is “Relative” living; in other words, making your own standards.

King Saul is an example of this. He allowed circumstances to dictate his obedience. When we are controlled by circumstances we will only do what is convenient at the moment.

1 Samuel 13:7–14 Also some of the Hebrews crossed the Jordan into the land of Gad and Gilead. But as for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. Now he waited seven days, according to the appointed time set by Samuel, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattering from him. So Saul said, “Bring to me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering.  As soon as he finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and to greet him. But Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “Because I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the appointed days, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash,  therefore I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not asked the favor of the Lord.’ So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering.”  Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, for now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.  “But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

1 Samuel 15:13–24 Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the Lord! I have carried out the command of the Lord.” But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?”  Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; but the rest we have utterly destroyed.”  Then Samuel said to Saul, “Wait, and let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” And he said to him, “Speak!”  Samuel said, “Is it not true, though you were little in your own eyes, you were made the head of the tribes of Israel? And the Lord anointed you king over Israel, and the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are exterminated.’ “Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord, but rushed upon the spoil and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord?”  Then Saul said to Samuel, “I did obey the voice of the Lord, and went on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and have brought back Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.  “But the people took some of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”  Samuel said, “Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. “For rebellion is as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king.”  Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned; I have indeed transgressed the command of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and listened to their voice.

Here is the danger: Our foundation of life is not based on “Who” we are but – “Where, What and Why.”

2. Life based on appetites

This leads to impulsive Living: Remember King David. Hundreds of wives, yet when he saw Bathsheba he had to have her! (2 Sam 11)  Ananias & Sapphira, craved attention so they lied to the Holy Spirit! (Acts 5)

Unlike the first example, where life is based on “what’s around you”, this life is based on what’s inside you. The sad truth is, the part that is inside controlling you is your fleshy appetite. This will never allow full dedication because you will give in to what ever desire your flesh wants. Jesus made it clear that a true diciple must be fully committed.

Luke 9:57–62 As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” And He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.” Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Here is the danger: Our foundation of life is not based on what we "know", but on how we "feel".

This is the breeding ground for the "I deserve" mentality that pollutes the church today.  

3. Life based on Compartmentalization

Double Living – we separate our life with God from everything else. We have our "religious" self, our "work" self, our "leisure" self, "family" self, etc. This way we can only allow time for God when we are in our religious “zone”. Tragic! Solomon did this and found it empty.

Ecclesiastes 1:16–2:11 (NLT)

 I said to myself, “Look, I am wiser than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I have greater wisdom and knowledge than any of them.” So I set out to learn everything from wisdom to madness and folly. But I learned firsthand that pursuing all this is like chasing the wind. The greater my wisdom, the greater my grief. To increase knowledge only increases sorrow. 1 I said to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless. So I said, “Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?” After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. And while still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I tried to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world. I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves. I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me.  I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire! So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me.  Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.

Here is the danger: Our foundation of life is based on what we want life to be, not what it is.

God desires us to live in and through all circumstances, remaining “who” we are no matter what. God desires us to enjoy our appetites, while controlling them. He gave us our senses, but to be our slave, not our master. God desires us to have a fully integrated life. He should have access to all we are and all we do! When we allow God to make us this, we will deal with all issues, easy and difficult, one at a time. We will also sense a deeper meaning and purpose to life.

Meditation Questions: Do you see time as a friend or an enemy? How easy do you find it to put things off? Do any of these lifestyles describe you? When was the last time you said no to an appetite? Ever fast? Why? Why not? If you did what did it accomplish?  Do you keep a schedule? Do you have a “to do” list? Do you have a “stop do” list?