By Doug Matlock
One of the problems we face today is permitting ourselves to become too busy. The problem is not that we are too busy working for God, but we are too busy with life, making a living, recreation, family and friends to serve God. We crowd out the real and lasting things from our lives for that which is temporal, transient and fleeting. If a person in torment could relive his life on earth, he would be far more concerned with saving his soul than with pleasing others and simply enjoying himself.
When we become too busy let us see the effect it will have in our lives.
I lose my sense of true values: I emphasize the material rather than the spiritual. In Matthew 16:26 we see that nothing is more important than the soul. Youth and beauty fade into wrinkles and frailties of old age. Worldly wisdom is of no profit when we leave this life. Fortunes can be lost overnight. Friends can become enemies, but through it all the soul lives on.
My children grew up as unbelievers. We not only hurt ourselves when we are disobedient but we to us for examples and direction. In torment you will realize you neglected them, failed to teach them about God and his will. Because we were too busy our children are headed for the same place.
The Lord’s church suffered. I lost my influence for good in the community among the lost. I he church was not helped by my efforts in teaching, working and serving God. I remember one that was too busy with his job to attend services for about six months. How can one claim to put the kingdom of God first and allow himself to be hindered like that?
My soul was lost. Since I lost my sense of values, it was just not important enough for me to give my time and attention to. I was just too busy to go to heaven. Thus my sentence is Matthew 25:41 “Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
Do you want this to be the story of your life? This may have been your story also. But you are more fortunate than those already in torment. You can change all that by becoming a Christian if you are not one already and by being faithful to God also starve spiritually and deprive those looking by putting him first in every phrase of your life.
Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 17, p. 513
September 3, 1992