A Godly Sense of Urgency

At work I have multiple responsibilities, and I try to manage them all in a timely manner.  I know that my instructors and students are depending on me to do what I’m supposed to do so they can either teach their class or earn their certification and find a job.  If I’m lollygagging, no progress is made, people get frustrated and start emailing me and texting me.  It’s not uncommon to make a request of someone and receive an Out of Office for the next 3 days email response - so if I need it now it’s not happening.  It’s not uncommon for me to send an email then follow up with a phone call or a text.  I try to wait 30min, but often I’m waiting for something that’s the 2nd step in a 7-step process and the class starts Friday!   I hate having to apologize, but often I’m also waiting.  

Last week, I wrote about how we can tell if God is speaking to us.  Admittedly, I know when He is telling me to do something, but I don’t always respond with the appropriate sense of urgency.  God may tell me to do something and I respond with, Hmmm, that’s a good idea, I may try that after I write this book, or after I retire, or after I pay down my credit card.  Writing this seems absurd, but it's true, and unfortunately, I’m not the only one!  

Disobedience can come in the form of a delay, or multiple delays!  The failure to adopt a Godly sense of urgency is disobedience.  In the second message I wrote after I took a two year break…from writing this weekly blog, I stated:

I do not go to church to be convicted!  I do not want the Lord to show me my disobedience.  Besides, I like to think I’m pretty obedient!  Don’t we all!  And God said to me, “You may be pretty obedient, but I didn’t ask you to be pretty obedient, I asked you to write that blog!  I asked you to preach my Word!  I gave you a talent and you are not using it.  You’re sitting up in here grinning when you’re supposed to be delivering My message!  My patience with you runneth thin, Kimberly Griffith Massey!  You are about to feel my wrath.”

The last sentence in last week’s message about how to know if God is speaking to you was this, “Someone’s salvation may be dependent upon your obedience - that gets me every time!!!”  The Lord doesn’t speak to us out of convenience or because we are His friends. He speaks to us to do His will.  We don’t always know His will, we know it is good and perfect, but we don’t know all the steps.  Our obedience may be step 2 in a 7-step process and we respond, Okay, after I…get my life together, I’ll do it!  Have you ever felt like you should slap somebody - well, what do you think it would feel like for God to slap you?  (I’m laughing as I type this!) 

We can see a great example of a Godly sense of urgency in Joseph, the man God chose to be Jesus’s earthly father. Matthew 1:18-25, 2:13-23 It was likely Joseph's proven Godly sense of urgency that caused God to choose him in the first place.  When Joseph realized Mary was pregnant, knowing he couldn’t be the father, he was going to break up with her quietly, (v. 18-19) but an angel explained, in a dream, what was happening and told him to take Mary home as his wife (v. 20-21).  Verse 24, “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.”  He didn’t wait to save up money for a wedding, nor a house, or a honeymoon - he married Mary as he was told to do!  

Later, after Jesus was born, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream again, and said, take Mary and the Baby to Egypt (v. 13).  In the very next verse, 14, “So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt.”  This is a Godly sense of urgency - he didn’t even wait til morning!  “Someone’s salvation may be dependent upon your obedience.”  All humanity’s salvation was depending on Joseph’s obedience!  Who’s salvation is depending on your obedience?  We don’t know - but it’s imperative that we adopt a Godly sense of urgency so we don’t delay God’s plan.  Amen.
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=>​While I share these weekly messages as widely as I can, imagine how much further it could go if you too would share with those you know!  I am being obedient to write this message and I'm sincerely asking you to help with to share it with even more people. 
Thank you for reading ... and sharing!  Amen!
​Kim