Daily Devotional For Monday, March 4, 2024

James 4:17, “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it” (NLT). Well, it is Monday and we all have a whole new week to serve God at work, at home, in our communities, and in our churches. So, this week, try not to put off the things you know you need to get done. I am a doer. I want things not only done, but ahead of time. Some, are not so pushed. They are what are called procrastinators. Please read this article belowL

It's no secret that procrastination has a high price tag: it costs money, it undermines relationships, and it lowers job performance. In recent years, numerous psychologists have studied the prevalence and consequences of procrastination. The following facts provide an overview of some of the more interesting findings about this research:

• About 15-20% of adults are regular procrastinators.
• About 80-95% of college students are considered procrastinators.
• In 2002 Americans unnecessarily paid $473 million in taxes because of mistakes by hurried and harried late-filers.
• Many Americans don't have enough money for their retirement because of putting off saving during their working life.
• The Oregon Health and Science University tested several thousand people's level of cholesterol. Of the 19,800 who tested for high cholesterol, 35% did not see a doctor for at least 5 months.
• A University of Windsor in Ontario study found that procrastinators had higher stress levels and more household accidents than non-procrastinators.
• The vast majority of procrastinators—95 percent—want to end their habit but can't. One psychologist said: "Habits become non-conscious brain processes. When procrastination becomes chronic, a person is essentially running on autopilot.” Source: Trisha Gura, "I'll Do It Tomorrow," Scientific American Mind (January, 2009).

There are things we are expected to do and are required to do. Yet, many people, knowing that, even if they are getting paid, procrastinate. I don’t know if you know this about the famous painter Leonardo da Vinci:

Leonardo da Vinci is widely considered one of the most diversely talented individuals ever to have lived. As an artist, he is known for The Last Supper and The Mona Lisa among others. However, his total output in painting is really rather small. There are less than 17 surviving paintings that can be definitely attributed to him, and several of them are unfinished.

The small number of surviving paintings is due in part to his chronic procrastination. He often required a sharp threat by his patrons that they were about to withhold payment to motivate him. The Mona Lisa took over 15 years for him to finish. Worse was The Virgin of the Rocks, commissioned with a seven-month deadline. Da Vinci finished it 25 years later. Da Vinci apologized on his deathbed "to God and Man for leaving so much undone.” (Source: Piers Steel, “Da Vinci, Copernicus and the Astronomical Procrastination,” Psychology Today (2-3-12).

Da Vinci takes procrastination to a whole other level. So, what is procrastination? An online dictionary defines procrastination this way: “The procrastinator does not do what should be done. Procrastination is putting off or delaying intentionally and habitually, especially something requiring immediate attention” (Source: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/procrastination).

It seems that in nature, animals are less likely to procrastinate. Look at Proverbs 6:6-11:

“Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. (7) Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, (8) she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. (9)  How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? (10) A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, (11) and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man” (ESV).

Isn’t it amazing how nature seems to know not to procrastinate? So, then why is it some of our nature to procrastinate? There are students who wait to the night before to “cram” for a mid-term or final exam or do some project that is due. There are married couples who know there is a problem in their marriage, but hope that burying their head in the sand, it will either get better or simply go away. There are people, especially men, who know something is not right with their health but refuse to go see a doctor. Procrastination causes disappointment. Procrastination causes divorces. Procrastination causes deaths. 

Listen to the words of Chuck Swindoll:

“Let’s be honest: procrastination is really self-delusion. The fact is, we have a set of priorities, and we do indeed accomplish whatever we genuinely deem important. In truth, how we spend our time clearly reveals our priorities. We encounter a problem when our deeds reflect a less than honorable set of priorities. So we cover our tracks with excuses and call it “procrastination.” 

Here’s what that looks like in real life: A man says his health is a priority. He knows he should devote no less than forty minutes a day to walking, biking, or some form of moderate exercise. Instead, he spends that time on the couch, watching television, eating baked potato chips, and sipping diet soda. His choices reveal his priorities. In truth, he believes that relaxing in front of the television is a better use of his time than working up a good sweat. Because he can’t fully admit to himself his misplaced priorities, he soothes his conscience with the procrastinator’s rallying cry: “I’ll get serious about this tomorrow.” 

This, by the way, is a real person’s story. He barely survived a widow-maker heart attack. Now he runs no less than twenty-five miles each week! Before his brush with death, he didn’t really believe regular exercise is more important than watching television; he only said so. The consequences of his procrastination rearranged his priorities. His words and actions no longer live in tension with one another” (Source: Charles R. Swindoll, Living The Proverbs: Insight For The Daily Grind, Kindle Edition, p. 127).

Read the following Bible verses about procrastination:

• Proverbs 13:4, “The lazy person will not get what he wants. But a hard worker gets everything he wants” (ICB).
• Proverbs 16:3, “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established” (ESV).
• Ecclesiastes 9:10, “Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom” (NLT)l.
• Ecclesiastes 11:4, “If you wait until the wind and the weather are just right, you will never plant anything and never harvest anything” (GNT).
• James 4:17, “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it” (NLT).

The Bible gives us the stories of some fathers who procrastinated in dealing with their rebellious sons and children and how God dealt with them. Even when they confronted these sons, they still tolerated their sons’s rebellion. For example, Eli was a priest in 1 Samuel. He had two sons, Hophni and Phinehas who were wicked and blaspheming God and the sacrifices. Though Eli confronted his sons, he procrastinate in dealing  with them. Look at what God asked Eli 1 Samuel 2:29, “Why then do you scorn My sacrifices and My offerings that I commanded for My dwelling, and honor your sons above Me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of My people Israel?’” (ESV). Look at 1 Samuel 3:13, 

"I have warned him that judgment is coming upon his family forever, because his sons are blaspheming God and he hasn’t disciplined them” (NLT). Did God procrastinate on keeping His warning to Eli? NO! Israel is at war with the Philistines and Eli’s sons are in Israel’s troops and a man brings an update to Eli on how the war is going: Read 1 Samuel 4:16-18, 

“And the man said to Eli, “I am he who has come from the battle; I fled from the battle today.” And he said, “How did it go, my son?” (17) He who brought the news answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has also been a great defeat among the people. Your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.” (18) As soon as he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years” (ESV).

Questions to Consider

• Take a moment to reflect. Is there anything you have been putting off you know you should get done or should have already been finished? 
• What have you been putting off with God and your relationship to Jesus Christ that needs immediate attention and action? 
• What have you been putting off in your marriage or with your kids you know needs immediate attention? 
• It has been said that the person who says, “One day I will get around to it” eventually becomes the person who painfully realizes they never got around to it. When and where have you seen this happen in your own life and the lives of others? What is the lesson God wants you to learn from it?
• If you could go back and do something you procrastinated on doing, what would you do if you had a second opportunity to act on it immediately?

Scripture To Mediate On: James 4:17, “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it” (NLT).

Prayer To Pray: “Dear Jesus, there are things in my personal life that need my attention. I keep thinking I will get around to dealing with them and I don’t. I allow other less important issues take priority over these important issues. I do not want to live like that because it is impacting my relationship to You and the people I love. Jesus, as Your disciple, I commit today to no longer putting these off and I am going to immediately start dealing with them. Give me a person I can trust I can share this with so they can hold me accountable. In Jesus’ name, Amen!” 

I love you Southside, Pastor Kelly