In his sermon Sunday, Bill preached on the importance of the NOW. Too often we put off or procrastinate what is need to be addressed now for the later. Somehow we have become a self-deluded generation thinking that tomorrow is guaranteed and will be politely awaiting for us to address procrastinated task as hand. This mindset comes back to bite us in the you-know-where when we discover that later has ran out. There is no replacement when later runs out. When it is gone, it is gone, and cannot be recovered. Watch how evident this is when April 15 rolls around - you know the dreaded tax deadline. Hundreds of thousands will be bouncing from their tax preparer to the post office rushing to get their tax returns in the mail before the 12:00 midnight deadline. Why? because there severe consequences of waiting to late. The IRS welds a big consequence stick.

Vickie Dove in the worship set uttered some profound words that caught my attention and fitted nicely with Bill's sermon. She stated that "opportunities in our lifetime must be seized in the lifetime of the opportunity". Makes lots of sense huh? When God brings opportunity our way our best response should be to seize the opportunity - especially in doing good to others - as immediate as possible.

The rich man in the story related by Jesus, hit home again. I had to confess, I am guilty of procrastination.  I too often put off for tomorrow what is needs to be addressed today. And check this out. I have discovered that if I do it often enough, I become inflicted with the disease of indifference. And indifference can land you in hell. Indifference blinds us to our numbered days. It causes us to ignore what really matters and become self-indulgent. As our days dwindle down we finally cross death's threshold, like the rich man, we discover the "later" has run out and all other available options cease to be. So I am struck with the notion, that just maybe I need to concentrate on becoming more aware of the needs of others.

Does this mean I am going to start supporting every organization that has a legitimate need? Probably not. Such a response is driven by false guilt which ironically could land me in hell too. What I want to avoid is bypassing needy people and not even feel a twitch of compassion. I want to stay away from self-righteousness and not judge the needy by their circumstances. Maybe I can't address every need. I think that is God's responsibility. But I can be open to helping when and where I can. For example, this Saturday I was in Compton along with hundreds of others helping to bring reality to the "Birthing a New Compton" outreach campaign. I live in Lakewood, but I care enough about the welfare of another city to help with a simple task like painting. Making a difference in the lives of others (however small or big) is the best antidote against indifference. The rich man chose not to even consider what small level of comfort he could give to Lazarus. His indifference stamped him as a walking dead man long before he stepped into hell.

It wasn't the rich man's wealth that put him in hell. It was his indifference that choked compassion and love for his fellow man out of his life that put him there. He fail to seize the opportunity in his lifetime to bless Lazarus  before his lifetime ran out. Let's make every effort to avoid indifference at all cost. The results are internally (heart related) and eternally fatal.  Holler back with your thoughts.