In one of the most compelling ads I have ever seen, a young couple named John and Mary are having dinner in a very romantic restaurant. Finally, with all the courage she can muster, Mary says softly: “John, I love you.” She has bared her soul and looks expectantly into John’s eyes, waiting for a like response. Startled, John just sits there with a deer-in-the-headlights look on his face. Mary waits, and waits, and waits, and finally bursts into tears and runs from the room. Finally, John says: “Mary, I love you too.” The ad is for diamonds from a jewelry store, and the moral of the story is if we wait too long, it doesn’t count.
Looking back in history, if Noah had waited too long to build the ark, he and his family might have drowned and we wouldn’t be here today. If the apostles had tarried and not answered Christ’s call to follow Him, the church might not have been born, and we would all be pagans. If we wait too long, it doesn’t count.
A friend of mine went to visit a fellow he knew who was gravely ill. My friend witnessed to him and asked him if he would be willing to receive Christ as his savior. The fellow agreed, and received Christ as his savior. A few moments later, he slipped into eternity. My friend was the last person to see this person alive on the earth. If we wait too long, it doesn’t count.
So what is the Holy Spirit prompting you to do? What is stopping you? SO WHAT? If we wait too long to respond to the Holy Spirit to act, that window of opportunity closes. If the Lord says “Help this person” or “Witness to that person” and we resist, we lose that opportunity, and we will have blood on our hands when we stand before the Lord.
Time is short. We must do the work the Lord is calling us to do, and not hesitate to do so, for tomorrow may be too late. And always remember – IF WE WAIT TOO LONG, IT DOESN’T COUNT.
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