Thought for the Day 13/05/21 - LIMITED TIME offer!

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We were due for a cattle tag inspection by the Ministry on the farm yesterday.

Yesterday's Thought for the Day was about how it feels to have someone come along to subject you to 'critical scrutiny'!

But yesterday the nice lady from the Ministry (and she does seem to be a nice lady) texted me just a couple of hours before she was due, to say her child was ill and she would be unable to  come, postponing the visit until next week. 

Well, we've worked through raising children too, and it seems quite understandable that she was unable to come.

After all the preparation of moving cattle to facilitate her inspection, it felt like an anti-climax, but mixed with a strange sense of relief ... the can had been kicked down the road and it felt as if the 'evil day' (though I'm sure it won't be that in this case) definitely had definitely been thoroughly delayed.

But really ... how misguided is that?!

The inspection hasn't gone away at all, in fact the whole stressful process gets repeated now next week.

Procrastination

There seems to be something about us as human beings that finds a strange kind of pleasure in kicking cans down the road ... cans that are only going to need to be picked up and binned at a future point anyway.

According to the website SolvingProcrastination.com (yes, it's for real ... check it out!)

"People sometimes procrastinate because they view their future self as being disconnected from their present-self, a phenomenon known as temporal self-discontinuity or temporal disjunction.

For example, someone might delay when it comes to eating healthy, even if their doctor told them that it’s important, because the harmful impact of their present diet will only start being a serious issue in a couple of years, which they view as someone else’s problem (i.e. as the problem of their future self)."

Delaying the needs of your future self when there's a time-limited offer to secure it, available right now, seems perverse when you put it like that, doessn't it?!

Which brings us to the Verse for the Day:

"I tell you, now is the time of God’s favour, 

now is the day of salvation."

                             2 Corinthians 6:2

Of course this is really great news!

But what's the pointof a special offer unless you GO for it?!

You see?

NOW is the time of God's favour.

NOW is the day of salvation.

So step right up!

Why does Paul say this?

He gives us two reasons:

• this is what the Scriptures say:

"‘In the time of my favour I heard you,

    and in the day of salvation I helped you.’" 

                               2 Corinthians 6:2

It's a quote from Isaiah 49:8

And then,Paul reasons ...

• it would be foolish not to receive the news of God's free offer in vain:

"As God’s fellow workers we urge you 

not to receive God’s grace in vain."

                      2 Corinthians 6:1

To have received the Good News of God's grace and how to sort your future safely out but to have neglected to act and get hold of it would be indefensible folly, reasons Paul.

What on EARTH could be important enough to hold you back?

The Point

A lot of people seem to be happy to kick the can of securing their futures down the road, and a lot of people seem to think of anything to do with God in a similar way.

God's salvation is a really good offer! 

But like so many good offers in our experience it is time-limited, and you don't quite know when the offer runs out.

The Takeaway

If you've not settled things for your eternal future with God yet, then the offer is a great and a free one.

Now is the day to make sure of it.

And if you have made sure of it, today is a good day to tell your mate about it!