Delay Is Dangerous

Acts 24.

It is a great story to learn from.

We can see a LOT about Paul from these passages.


But there is also one character to focus on.

And his name is Felix.

Felix was a governor who was known for corruption and evilness.

Paul was brought before him to plead his case and the accusation that were mounting against him.

Scripture tells us in verse 22, that Felix was familiar with the Way (Jesus and the Gospel message) that Paul was talking about, adjourned the hearing and told him to “wait until Lysias, the garrison commander, arrived.” He goes on to say, “Then I will decide the case.”

Scripture goes on to say that a few days later Felix came back with his wife, who was Jewish, and they called for Paul, listening intently to what he had to say.

Paul was clear in his message, just as he had been to all who would listen, and spoke plainly to them concerning righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgement.

Perhaps Paul knew, most, what they needed to hear.

But the bible tells us that, Felix "became frightened” (vs 25), and told Paul to, “Go away for now.” He said, “When it is more convenient I’ll call for you again.”

Ahh.. but it would be the last time we hear from Felix again.

In all of scripture.

He would leave Paul in prison because of the fear he had of losing favor with the Jewish people, and he would be succeeded by Festus who would take over control of Paul’s earthly destiny.

Felix procrastinated.

And it cost him dearly.

He needed to hear the truth.

But the truth was too hard to hear.

And so he put off turning from his evil ways.

My commentary says he ignored the urgency of the call… he ignored the acceptable time being NOW, for salvation. It say this, “He was in haste to turn from heating the truth. Was any business more urgent than for him to reform his conduct.”

The word REFORM means this = “the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, or unsatisfactory; to change to a better state; to improve by alteration substitution, or abolition; to cause (a person) to abandon wrong or evil ways of life or conduct; to form again.”

WOW!

For Felix the time came... and the time went.

The opportunity was RIGHT in front of Him.

Salvation was offered.

And denied.

Maybe it was because he thought he had more time.

Maybe he thought he needed time to “think it over.”

But scripture would tell us that TWO YEARS would pass that he was mulling it over, if this be the case.




TWO years.

And yet some of us, too, will die (spiritually) due to delays and distractions.

And we cannot afford to wait another day.

TODAY is the day of salvation. (2 Cor 6:2)

This is the most important time of our lives.

Today.

This moment.

And we have, in this moment, time to be reformed.

To improve.

To amend what is wrong.

To change to a better state.

To abandon what is keeping us from a full life in Christ!

But it might not come again.




I live with the verse from Amos 8 ringing in my ears all the time. “‘The time is surely coming,' says the Sovereign Lord, ‘when I will send a famine on the land—not a famine of bread or water but of hearing the words of the Lord. People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from border to border searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.” (Amos 8:11-12)

Delay is dangerous.

We cannot affair to waste another day.