“Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.” This wise saying, attributed to Benjamin Franklin, is one I have always taken to heart. Given an assignment, I always jumped right in and finished it early.  On the other hand, my entire family prefers Mark Twain’s version which says, “Never put off till tomorrow, what you can do day after tomorrow!”  The emphasis of this proverb is to avoid procrastination. Don’t delay in doing what needs to be done. Do it today! That’s what the Lord expects.

It may seem like a moot point but let’s define what ‘today’ means. The dictionary meaning is ‘this day, as distinct from yesterday or tomorrow.’ That is pretty clearcut to me. Have you ever given your child a task, told them it needed to be done by the end of the day, only to have them ignore you and not complete it until the next day or even later?  Their failure to do as you asked in the time that you asked is spelled d-i-s-o-b-e-d-i-e-n-c-e.  It is not partial obedience…there is no such thing…it is full disobedience.

As God’s child, do we act like our own children?  Do we put off doing what our God commands of us? We know what he told us.  “As you are going….teach, baptize, disciple. I can’t be going yesterday; those opportunities have already passed.  I can’t be going tomorrow.  It isn’t here yet and besides, we are not promised tomorrow.

The Bible has much to say about ‘today.’

Deuteronomy 26:17 Thou hast avouched (affirmed, declared) the Lord this day to be thy God, and to walk in His ways, and to keep His statutes and His commandments and His judgments, and to hearken unto His voice.

Do you remember the day you made the One and only God your God? At the same time, without fully understanding, we were also committing to walking as He wanted us to, obeying His word, and training our hearts and minds to hear His voice. 

Joshua 24:15  And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land ye dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

The very day they declared the Lord to be their God was the same day they declared that they would obey Him, listen to Him, follow the truths of His Word. Each day as we greet the morning, we should also greet the Lord as our God and Savior and commit to these same things. Today.

We daily get to decide who we will obey that day. We can pray and ask for discernment; for eyes and hearts open and alert to opportunities God sends our way. Or we can ignore the Spirit’s leading and determine to complete our to-do list for the day….blind to the needs around us.

Hebrews 3:15

15  “This day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts as in the provocation  (rebellion).”

So this day…today….begin in the word and listen for your marching orders.  Don’t be surprised if He waits until you are going to show you the next step; to lead you into a new conversation, even with a stranger.

RESPONSE: Do something now….go get your daily planner.  Maybe you keep up with dates and appointments on your phone.  Maybe you are young and smart enough to keep everything organized in your head.  I actually have a monthly planner that I call my brain.  I carry it with me most places and write down everything I need to keep up with on each day.  What if at the top of each day, in obedience to my Savior, I write in the words, “Today…GO AND TELL!’  Then go and tell!  Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.  Besides, that stranger God puts in your path today might not be there tomorrow.  For that matter, you might not either!

PRAYER: Father, forgive me.  I pass up so many opportunities that you put in my path. I’m so focused on getting my stuff done that I am unaware of what doors you are opening for me to share Your glorious gospel. Help me, as I am going about my day, to be hyper-aware and obedient to the Spirit’s leading.