Immediately!

“…and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.”  -Matthew 4:22

There is a lot to be said for the word “immediately.”  Nothing defines us more than our actions right now, or our lack thereof.  Our actions determine the content of our hearts, and the course of our lives. 

Sometimes it’s difficult to own up to our actions or failure to act.  But in the Bible, when the moment needed seizing, Jesus and his disciples took action immediately.   

“…and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.”  -Matt 4:22

“But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.””  Matt 14:27

“Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” Matt 14:31

Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.  -Matt 20:34

Procrastination is a big problem in our society. According to Wikipedia, procrastination refers to the act of replacing high-priority actions with tasks of low-priority. Twenty percent of people classify themselves as chronic procrastinators.  This begs the question, how many “high priority”, important items are we passing by in order to just do the normal, the mundane, or the easy?  How many more businesses could be started, ministries birthed, or goals accomplished?

Sometimes when we have big ideas it’s difficult to know where to start.  Write them down.  Start a goal journal.  Ask others who are doing what you want to do what the first steps were for them.  Your steps may not be identical, but knowing theirs will help you on your journey.  And, once you figure out what the most important things are, don’t wait to start! As the old Nike commercial used to say, “Just do it!”

Are you ready to begin immediately?