My wife substitute teaches as a way to communicate Christ to children. In the US, when a teacher is sick or has to take a personal day, schools hire a substitute to work in his or her place. One day, my wife received a request from a local school 15 minutes after the class began. To my surprise, she took the job, got ready, and left – late for work.
THE NEED
I learned something about substitute teaching that day. If there is a need, the school will take you, even if you are late. When children are already in school, the need will be there all day long, with or without a substitute. As such, it is better to have a substitute teacher for half a day than no teacher the entire day. This is why the school policy for substitute teachers is: We need you. Just come now!
GOD'S APPROACH
It suddenly struck me — a similar reality exists with many aspects of our Christian life. Consider these:
If someone has not received the gift of salvation, God says, “Just come now!”
If we are not reading our Bible, God simply says, “Begin now!”
If we are not taking time to pray, God says, “Pray now!”
It we have not been tithing, God says, “Start tithing now!”
This principal basically applies to all aspects concerning our walk with Christ. It can be said about fasting, forgiving, going to church, scripture memory, loving your spouse, investing in your children, honoring your parents, abandoning yourself in worship, loving your enemy, living in moral purity… the list goes on and on. God’s answer is always the same: Start now!
THE GOD OF PRESENT TENSE
The God whose name is present tense, “I AM," calls us to a present tense obedience. It's never too late to begin obeying. You're never too bad to come to Him; no situation is hopeless or irredeemable to the point which God can’t accept you.
Of course, this also means the time is now. Don’t wait until later, don’t procrastinate, don’t make excuses. Schools will take substitute teachers even if they are late, but they expect no delay. While you are still living, you can never be late for God. Whatever decision you need to make… Just start now!
As Lent commences on Ash Wednesday, we are entering a time of introspection and prayer leading to Easter. Let us reflect on the significance of death preceding resurrection, urging readers to embrace a daily practice of surrendering self in preparation for our spiritual transformation.