By: Max Burgin                                                         

Acts 24:25

“Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, "Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you ."

 

These words were uttered by Felix when he was troubled by Paul's reasoning of God's will, in simply dismissing him for this time, in the hope of a better and more appropriate time in the future.

There can only be one reason for wanting a more convenient season, this may well be because of other demands or priorities which are allowed to overshadow, and considered at this time to be more urgent than God's word. It must be considered that there is not a more convenient season to consider God's word than right now and that there is not anything of greater urgency.

 

We, like Felix, allow many other things to create in us the desire for a more convenient season either to hear, or respond to God's word. We fully intend to get to it “one day”; it's just not a convenient season because of more pressing priorities. We expect God to fit in with our schedule rather than arranging our schedule round our duty toward Him. Only when we, like Felix, fail to understand the most important thing we can be involved in is God's will, can we feel justified in seeking a more convenient season.

“Be not deceived” God will not be fobbed off, or expected to take second place to any other priority, no matter what, or how urgent or temporary it is. We need to determine to put God first, without a single exception, and all will fall into place, after all it was God who said:

Ecclesiastes 3:1 “To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven”

This is true whether it is good or bad, there is then no excuse for failing to rightly organize time. There is therefore time for whatever is required of you, especially our service to God. If you feel pressured, any time, to seek a more convenient season, you need to take stock about your use of time, and make sure that you are not guilty of robbing Peter to pay Paul in this regard.

 

I once had a woman say, “I don't have time to go to church”, and she had herself convinced that other things were more important, there is a need to remember that if we are too busy for God, He will be too busy for us. When it's all said and done we expect Him to be there and ready to accept us, but we fail, too often, to allow Him the very same expectation of us. We want to rely, and count on, God, but don't want Him to have the same confidence in us. Christianity is not such a one-way street.

The very fact that a more convenient season is sought is tantamount to saying that under the present circumstances God's will is not acceptable, that it needs to change to become more acceptable. If ever such a situation could be found, one could be excused for ignoring God's will, and of course that will never happen.

 

Time is measured in past, present, and future, so as it's not possible to seek for a more convenient season in the past, which leaves only the present and future, and since we cannot be certain of having a future, that leaves only the present to develop such an opportunity, and since even the present is only momentary, the matter becomes urgent NOW , so in reality there is no such concept as a more convenient season. We might have noble plans for the future, but from the reality we may never be able to carry them out, and in the recognition that it's not wrong to make such plans, but if such involves obeying God, it is a cop-out.

If the future becomes the present, it won't be long before it is the past, and the opportunity will be wasted if not seized while it is NOW . We can do nothing in the past, and can use the present to make plans for the future – to avoid the mistakes of the past – so much so that we fail to make the wisest use of NOW – the ONLY time we've got, and will ever have.

 

The most convenient season you have is right NOW – don't waste it!

 

               Max Burgin

 

            Email: mburgin@tadaust.org.au