I wonder how many of us have fully intended doing some task or keeping some promise, but somehow we have been distracted and never got round to doing it. When I was a young person, our attic at home was full of equipment and books on various interests that I intended to take seriously one day. Sadly, they stayed in the attic. How many parents have asked their child to perform some task and have met with an excuse, for the child really meant to do it, but never did?

During the years that have passed by so rapidly, there have been so many unfulfilled intentions scattered along the way and buried in the past. Some we can recall and others we have long forgotten. Some of these failures we deeply regret. We may have failed to visit a friend or show our gratitude to a member of the family. We never got round to it, or perhaps recalled the matter when it was too late. In our hearts, we loved them and cared for their well-being, but life was so full. Where did the time go? Opportunities were lost. Sometimes unfulfilled good intentions become too painful to recall. We are so busy with the affairs of our own little lives that there seems to be very little room for anything else. Sadly, we are so busy satisfying ourselves. The more we have, the more we want and we are never truly satisfied.  There are times when we consider our Creator, but they seem to be fleeting thoughts that soon pass away. It is our intention to think about spiritual matters and the destiny of our souls, some day. Very soon, the ‘some day’ becomes a continuous tomorrow. Quietly and steadily, the days pass by. Once we were young, then imperceptibly, we were middle aged and then somehow, we slipped into old age and it was too late.

I was once asked to visit a home where a dearly loved father had died suddenly, leaving his wife and teenage children. The family requested that the service should be held in the church where I served. I was happy to oblige, but enquired exactly why they should choose that particular place. In my view, the answer was a tragic one. The wife told me that her husband had been to several services of remembrance of past friends in my church and was impressed by the services. He had told her that if they ever took Christianity seriously, he would attend that church. Ironically, she said, now he had his wish. Too late!

How many people genuinely have the Lord Jesus Christ on the agenda for consideration but the item has been placed under ‘any other business’? I have been in many meetings where we have not reached the ‘any other business’ because someone has proposed ‘to move a closure’ and to leave the remaining business until some other time. There is a day which God will appoint ‘to move a closure’ and then there will be no more days. The Lord Jesus Christ speaks of a man that worked so hard and successfully that he did not know where to put all his material wealth. Indeed, he was so troubled at night that he could not sleep. Then, he had a wonderful idea. He said to himself, ‘I will build bigger buildings and enjoy all the luxuries of this life’ - which he probably felt that he justly deserved. He had forgotten one thing, however, and that was his immortal soul. Although rich in this world, he was poor towards God and faced a tragic destiny.

What then does God require of us? He sent His Son to die as a punishment for our sins on the cross of Calvary. We could never meet the demands of perfection which God requires and the Scriptures plainly announce that ‘the wages of sin is death’. The Lord Jesus Christ, in His death, took on Himself the eternal death that we deserve. This is God’s love in action to rescue our souls.
 
You may say that you know all that and have intended one day to do something about it. Time flies and then it is gone. There is one thing that is essential: you must stop and think and ask God for that gift of faith to believe in His Son Jesus Christ. In doing this, you will have entered into a new arena where God begins a work in you, that will satisfy your soul forever. This event in your life, not only secures your eternal safety, but also helps you and guides you on life’s journey. Dear friend, do not push the Lord Jesus Christ into ‘any other business’, but make Him your priority. It is my wish that God will bless you, dear reader.