My extended family was visiting on a recent holiday weekend and we spent a great deal of time sitting around the house trying to decide what we were going to do. We talked about going to the movies, taking a hike in a nearby park, playing games around the dining room table, or going shopping at the outlet mall. All of the ideas sounded good, some even sounded great! However, some family members didn’t really care what we did.
We spent the time talking, debating, researching our options online, asking questions, and talking more. Want to know what we ended up doing? Nothing! Time slipped away and it was then too late to do anything. After all of that, we didn’t go anywhere because we lacked the determination and urgency to go. My family wasn’t resolved to do anything.
I grew up singing the old hymn, “I am resolved no longer to linger…”. It was written by James Fillmore in 1896 and expresses the determination and urgency we should all have about coming to Christ and following Him as a believer.
Here are some of the words in the hymn: “I am resolved no longer to linger, charmed by the world’s delight; things that are higher, things that are nobler, these have allured my sight.” Every verse of this hymn begins with the phrase, I AM RESOLVED.
What is it that you’re resolved to do? Resolved is defined in the Oxford dictionary as “firmly determined to do something”.
The lack of determination in my family about what we would do that afternoon didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. But, when it comes to living on mission and sharing the gospel, determination matters. Without it, we won’t press on through obstacles and challenges to share with others. Consider the apostle Paul who endured beatings, shipwrecks, and imprisonments, yet remained resolute in proclaiming Christ (2 Cor. 11:23-28). Determination keeps our eyes on the long-term impact, the prize! We may not see immediate results from each gospel conversation, but we trust that God’s Word will not return void. With determination, we share the gospel as often as we can regardless of the circumstances.
My family’s lack of urgency to do something caused us to miss out on everything we talked about doing. There were consequences because we didn’t act promptly, and there are very significant and eternal reasons why urgency matters with the gospel. We can’t linger when it comes to sharing the gospel because there are souls that hang in the balance. Worldviews have shifted dramatically and we must with urgency learn how to adapt our methods so that we can effectively reach the lost. Without urgency, we miss opportunities for sharing with others. People move away, hearts harden, and chances slip through our fingers. A lack of urgency breeds spiritual apathy. We become comfortable within the wall of our churches, the fire dims, and our witness weakens.
Determination and urgency may not be all that important to a family gathering, but they matter when it comes to living our lives on mission. I pray that we might be like the early Christians who turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6). May determination fuel our resolve, and urgency propel us into action. As we go forth with determination and urgency, lives will be transformed, and the Kingdom of God will advance.
“I am resolved no longer to linger”.
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