Small-minded people cannot work hard. When a small-minded person is asked to do some work, that person will reply, “This work will take some time. Let’s do it with an easy schedule”. However, it is not always best to work with an easy schedule. Some work demands prompt decision-making and a firm driving force to complete it at short notice.
Let’s suppose that an athlete is running a race. As soon as the race starts, the athlete must run as fast as possible to the finish line without resting. Otherwise, he cannot win the race.
People who are hungry never eat slowly when they are given food. They eat quickly to fill their empty stomachs. In the same way, we should do God’s work as if we were hungry and thirsty for righteousness. We should not delay even by a day or two.
Delaying by a day means that the work will be completed one day late. Delaying by two days means that the work will be completed two days late. Likewise, delaying by a month will make us one month late; and delaying by a year will make us one year late.
It would be better for you to do God’s work as early as possible. Only those who know how to be thirsty and hungry will be able to relieve their thirst and hunger with water and food right away. Those who delay by a day or two don’t have a sense of urgency or hunger for God’s work.
When we fast, we wait for the completion date so we can complete our fasting according to God’s will and eat food. At the moment of fasting, we desperately desire food. If we didn’t hope for the food, we would die from exhaustion. However, by the hope that we can eat later, we can endure fasting.
We can endure even 20 days of fasting if we are guaranteed that we can eat food 20 days later. If we did not have promised date when we could eat, we would die after 10 days. Likewise, our mental attitude greatly empowers us.
If we lay down our desperate hearts, cling to the Lord like a hungry person that desperately desires food and move God’s heart so he cannot help but answer us, we will surely receive his answer with no delay.
Pastor Seok-Jeon Yoon
Extracted from Yonsei Newspaper #599
