WAITING TOO LONG!

Luke 17:28-32 KJV

28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;

29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.

30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

31 In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back.

32 Remember Lot's wife.

Gen 19:24-26 KJV

24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;

25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.

26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

I suppose summer is truly over! I noticed the three hummingbird feeders in the sink. One had been hanging near the fence with the other feeders that hold grain. Another hung in the corner near the red hibiscus while one hung from a chain right in front of the window over the sink. These amazing creatures provided endless entertainment as they protected their precious territory from one another. We are sad that they are gone until next spring.

I remember a year ago one tiny bird which died while trying to get one final drink of sugar water. It was as if it were resting on the perch. I think it simply died of exposure because it waited too long to leave after the other birds had gone.

Don’t Wait Too Long!

Jesus cautioned against waiting too long. Like the hummingbird, you can sense the chill in the air and you know it is time to make your decision. Don’t wait too long! Like Lot’s wife, you know you must leave because the environment you are leaving can not sustain life but you linger just for one final sip from the sweetness of worldly pleasure. Don’t wait too long.

Many plan to choose Jesus but they postpone that decision until they have sipped the last bit of nectar from the last fading flower. Many simply wait too long! Unfortunately there are two events that threaten to make our postponement permanent.

1. DEATH STALKS US ALL!

James 4:14 KJV

14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

Death comes to young and old; the sick and the healthy. Sometimes it makes us linger by the bedside as life drains away and at other times it shocks us at how quickly life can end. We can’t afford to wait too long.

2. THE RAPTURE AWAITS THE BELIEVER!

1 Thess 4:15-18 KJV

15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

The rapid departure of believers from this world is not a comfort to the lost because it will seal their doom and thrust them into seven years of horrible calamity. If you are planning to become a Christian you can’t afford to wait too long.

Remember Lot’s wife! Remember the little hummingbird! Don’t wait too long to decide.

Dear Lord, Thank you for your patience in waiting for us. Help us to be wise enough not to wait too long. AMEN