The Queen of Procrastination!

I have always been looking for something that I am really good at, something that I can shine at.  Unfortunately, this morning in bed, I realized what it is.  I am really great, amazing actually, at procrastinating.  I am the queen of procrastination.  I hit the snooze button at least 2 times when in bed.  I put off calling doctors or dentists until the problem is really bad.  I put off taking stuff out of the car until tomorrow, or put off the laundry.  I have put off mopping my floor so it hasn’t been done in over 2 weeks (yuck!  I will do it today, I hope…).  I am really good at putting things off.  So I am really great at something that I can’t be proud of. 

I was laying in bed and God threw it at me.  He said – lady, get your butt out of bed!  Get started, today is a beautiful day that I have made, rejoice and be glad in it.  Don’t waste your time in bed or doing things that aren’t glorifying to me…  in everything, do it as if unto Me today.  Well, when God tells you something like that, how can you say back – “sorry God, I am just too tired”? 

So I was laying there praying and got my butt out of bed.  I made my coffee (just finished brewing) and sat down to start my study.  Is procrastination a sin?  Well, I went to my handy dandy dictionary and looked up the definition.  “To put off, defer, or postpone until a later time.”  So I started to look at things.  If I let myself procrastinate: 1) I am not doing everything as unto the Lord and not unto man; and 2) I am going against God’s plan because I am being lazy.  What if we approached (and most of us do approach) sharing the gospel with procrastination? 

She needs God, big time, but today isn’t a good day to share it with her, I have a billion things to do (none really important), I will grab a cup of coffee and talk with her about it tomorrow.

The next day… 

Hey – you look really busy, but I wanted to talk with you about something, but I know today isn’t good, lets do it another day. 

And the cycle goes on and on and on…  They see the way that you live and see that you aren’t desperately trying to save them and the lost, and they move on.  You move on, the most important thing on your list for the day, put off until tomorrow and then until who knows when.  But what happens if tomorrow doesn’t come?  What happens if you, or your friend are in an accident and can’t make it home or to coffee or to sit and chat about Jesus and His great redeeming love?

What happens then?  Soul lost… God is sad, and it is just because we were being lazy.  Now, laziness is addictive.  When I have 101 things to do in a day, I usually can find a way to get them all done.  But when my day is so slow and I don’t have much to do, I find myself putting things off and pushing them off until another day. 

Don’t be lazy- don’t be a sluggard (like me), I pray that today I can get off my butt and get everything accomplished that I need to glorify my God – here are some verses that I found about procrastination:

Ezekiel 12:28 ESV  “Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord God: None of my words will be delayed any longer, but the word that I speak will be performed, declares the Lord God.” 

 

Galatians 5:22-23 ESV “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. “

 

Matthew 5:23-24 ESV  “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. “

 

2 Timothy 4:2 ESV “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching”

 

Luke 12:40 ESV  “You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” 

 

Matthew 25:26 ESV  “But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed?” 

 

Ephesians 5:15-17 ESV  “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. “

 

Proverbs 13:4 ESV  “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. “

 

Proverbs 27:1 ESV  “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” 

 

Proverbs 20:4 ESV  “The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.”