Procrastination

Thus speaks the LORD of hosts, saying: 'This people says, "The time has not come, the time that the LORD's house should be built." ' "Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying, "Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?" Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: "Consider your ways! - Haggai 1v2-5

For many years as our kids were growing we were blessed by Patch the Pirate songs from Majesty Music. Now, I don’t like everything about Patch the Pirate music but there are so many great character building traits that really stick in your mind even years later.

One of those songs, ‘Do It Now,’ I think it was called fits so well here. The chorus goes like this:

Do it now.
Don't delay.
Don't put it off 'til another day.
Go ahead begin it, right this very minute,
You better do it now!

These folks were procrastinators. Fourteen years earlier they had stopped building the temple because of opposition. The opposition was long gone, but they had not gone back to work on the temple. They had sorted out their own houses. They had put up nice walls and fancied up the interior, but God’s house was still in ruins.

They kept saying ‘It’s not time to build God’s house yet!’ Procrastinating, putting it off, delaying. That was there answer to a difficult task.

Haggai asked them, ‘Is it indeed not time to build God’s house? Think about what you are doing.’

Haggai was challenging them to do the work now. Get your priorities right.

What are the tasks that you and I might be putting off today?