days of praise: now, not later

Now as Jesus was walking past the sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And He said to them, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men." Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called to them. Immediately their left their nets and their father, and followed Him.

Matthew 4:18-22

In college, after a summer at the beach with a campus ministry we each wore a piece of fishing line tied around one of our wrists. It was a visual reminder that we are to be fishers of men. I remember studying these verses and focusing on the fact that they all left their livelihoods and their families and followed Jesus, which is very important. However, I remember reading these verses months later and the urgency in the way they followed him stood out. They did not question, weight the pros and cons, give the excuse of business. No, the followed him immediately. They did not follow him out of convenience or ease, they followed him because of who he was.

Which is convicting. There have been times that I have felt the Spirit moving me, prompting me to do something, say something to someone, and I have stalled, put it off until later. The saying, better late than never is not always true. Later often means a missed opportunity. It is in those times that I have to repent and ask that the Lord place an urgency for obedience and move someone to do that which I avoided, say those words when I stayed mute, to be bold and confident when I was timid and afraid.

It is my hope that we will be people of urgent obedience, that when He speaks we listen and act accordingly..immediately. On time.