I have a confession to make. Sometimes, I can be a procrastinator. My wife can attest to the fact that one of my favorite things to say is, “Not right now.” The problem is that sometimes “not right now” develops into, “I should have done that yesterday.” Sometimes it can even mean forgetting to do something, or putting it off until it is too late.
Benjamin Franklin once said, “You may delay, but time will not, and lost time is never found again.” Charles Dickens echoed that same thought when he said, “My advice is to never do tomorrow what you can do today. Procrastination is the thief of time.” These words are true for anything in life, but probably no more important than when it comes to evangelism, to sowing the seed of God’s Word.
All believers are called to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ, to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). We are to be sowers, spreading the seed of God’s Word. When we do, the seed will yield a bountiful harvest. But, if we procrastinate, if we put off sowing that seed until the time is right, then that harvest will not come.
In Ecclesiastes 11:4, Solomon wrote that the person who observes the wind will not sow, and the person who worries about the clouds will not reap. We don’t know when the time is right. We do not know if our efforts to sow the Word will prosper if we do it now or do it later. Only God does.
Our responsibility is not to wait until we think it’s the right time to sow His Word, but rather to do so when the opportunity presents itself. If we delay, if we say, “Not right now,” the opportunity may be lost and never be found again. We need to sow the Word when we have that opportunity. God will take care of the rest.
A Worshiper's Journal 