For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. – 2 Corinthians 6:2
A while back, I made plans to purchase new furniture for my home office. After doing some research and reviewing my budget, I finally decided what pieces I would buy and just how they would all fit into my room. To sweeten the deal, I had a coupon for a substantial discount, based on points I had earned from an office super store.
At last the day came to head for the store and make my purchases. I picked up the coupon, intending to put it in my wallet—and stared at it in horror. It had expired the day before! NO! Thoroughly disgusted with myself, I decided to go to the store anyway, and see if I could persuade them to accept the coupon.
“Is there any way I can still use this?” I asked, handing the coupon to the cashier. She studied it for a moment, and then replied, “No, I am sorry. It is expired.” I asked about possible deals that were not advertised. “Are there any discounts available at all? Of any kind?” Again, the answer was no. I left the store disappointed, realizing that I was going to have to re-think my budget. My sweet deal was no longer available, and I had no one to blame but myself. If only . . .
It is disappointing when we miss out on something because of neglect or inattention to an established time or date. However, it generally is not a life-or-death matter. We get over our disappointment and in most cases, we can remake our plans. However, today’s focus verse speaks of the importance of “now” when it comes to spiritual issues.
God offers salvation to all people, but many put off yielding their lives to Christ, thinking there will be a better time. That is incredibly dangerous! They could easily miss their opportunity altogether by neglecting to accept the mercy and grace of God.
Even after we have given our hearts to God and are serving Him, it may be possible to postpone making a consecration or yielding something in our lives that God is calling from us. We must not let anything distract us from responding to God now. Today is the day to make sure every consecration is up to date!