Your time to serve the Lord is right now even though the obstacles are monumental. You are a mother with young children. You are building a business. You are planning to get married. Go ahead and wait for a better time. You will find it never comes.

You are too young, too busy, or too tired. You would love to spend time in prayer but you have no time or strength left.

Of all the forces that immobilize Christians, one of the most damaging may be the idea that one day there will arrive a golden moment when it all comes together, when we are free to serve the Lord without worrying about money, when we are strong and healthy, when we have no family responsibilities, when we are in another place, another land where the people will come flocking and everyone will cheer us on.

For most of us this moment never appears. We have to do the best we can today in the middle of the mess.

You may be in the process of losing your spiritual inheritance. What are you going to do about it?

The "Liturgical Year"

The Christian liturgical year would be funny if it were not so serious. It causes us to lose the fullness of our reward.

We now are approaching summer. Everyone knows that people go on vacation in the summer and so we will wait to get serious about serving the Lord until the fall.

When the fall comes school is starting. We are exhausted from getting the kids back to school. Family is coming from out of town for Thanksgiving and preparations have to be made. We will serve the Lord just as soon as we make it through Thanksgiving.

After Thanksgiving no one can be expected to get serious with God because of the approach of Christmas. Everyone is shopping early this year and the stores may run out of toys. Anyway we have to practice for the cantata. But after Christmas, then we will really get down to business with the Lord.

After Christmas we must wait a bit. Everyone is exhausted. The kids are going back to school. It is time to get our income tax ready to send. Pretty soon practice starts for the Easter oratorio. After Easter we will serve God.

It is springtime, graduation time. There are parties to attend. School is finishing up. Let's wait until graduation is over and we are not so busy. Then we can think seriously about serving the Lord.

Now we are approaching summer. Everyone knows that people go on vacation in the summer and so we will wait to serve the Lord until the people return from vacation and the kids are back in school.

This is the Christian liturgical year. The cycle continues until we are in a nursing home. Then of course we have to wait until we die so we can serve God in Heaven. Certainly no one expects us to enter the ministry or go on the mission field while we are waiting to die!

To be continued.