The Most Tragic Words

[Coliseum]

“When I have a convenient season, I will”: these tragic words of Felix from Acts 24:25 text are more horrible, and awful, and damning, and condemning than all of the other terrible words that you could read in the Bible! But everybody shares, and everybody indulges in the words of this text: “Not now, but some other time. Tomorrow, when I have a convenient season, I will. But not now.” The lost man says it. “I don’t intend to be damned, I don’t intend to be lost, I don’t intend to die and to fall into hell. I someday will be saved. I’ll give my heart to Christ some other time, some other hour, some other moment, when I have a convenient and propitious time; but not now.” The lost man says it. The vile man says it: he’s going to reform, someday; he’s going to do better, some other hour. The drunkard says it: he doesn’t intend to lie in the gutter all his life, to live out his days in insensibility and in filth and in the gutter; he intends to do better! And the Christian says it. These are the commonest words you will find among Christian people: “We’re going to pray some of these days. We’re going to read this Bible some of these days. We’re going to work for God some of these days. We’re going to do that visit some of these days. We’re going to win people to Christ some of these days. When I have a convenient season, I will.”

   "For Felix the convenient season never came. He was never converted. He died a miserable suicide; and Drusilla his wife, and the boy she bore Felix, perished in the great eruption of Vesuvius in Pompeii. They were never saved; they were never Christians."  …….Pastor Criswell

"But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today: lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Heb (3:13). What has the Spirit called you to do today that you put off for tomorrow? 

[ReneeIW]

13 minutes ago, Coliseum said:

What has the Spirit called you to do today that you put off for tomorrow? 

For me, my thought-life needs to improve. A lot. I pray about it and then go back to thinking the same things. I need to look that verse up in Philippians(I think) and meditate on it.

Thanks for this post and the reminder! 

[Coliseum]

1 minute ago, ReneeIW said:

For me, my thought-life needs to improve. A lot. I pray about it and then go back to thinking the same things. I need to look that verse up in Philippians(I think) and meditate on it.

Thanks for this post and the reminder! 

Thank you Renee for being transparent. If it helps you, it helps me also be encouraged, and to remember what I might do today as well.

[Blood Bought 1953]

 

Nothing has changed in all these years.....people would rather risk going to Hell than “ be religious”. That’s the way I used to think. That’s the way everybody I ever knew used to think.We all bought Satan’s Lie....God is looking for religious people — those that will turn over a new leaf and stop sinning.Give up this....start doing that...Religion is “ trying”, trying to make oneself “ worthy” enough to go to Heaven.God is looking for the opposite of Religious People .He is not looking for Tryers....He is looking for Trusters.Never Forget —- Religion says “ do”..... Christianity says “done”. Christians are saved.Religionists are damned.

[Coliseum]

1 minute ago, Blood Bought 1953 said:

 

Nothing has changed in all these years.....people would rather risk going to Hell than “ be religious”. That’s the way I used to think. That’s the way everybody I ever knew used to think.We all bought Satan’s Lie....God is looking for religious people — those that will turn over a new leaf and stop sinning.Give up this....start doing that...Religion is “ trying”, trying to make oneself “ worthy” enough to go to Heaven.God is looking for the opposite of Religious People .He is not looking for Tryers....He is looking for Trusters.Never Forget —- Religion says “ do”..... Christianity says “done”. Christians are saved.Religionists are damned.

I think there are people who are content not using the gifts God gave them; God saved us to be an encouragement to draw others to Christ, not sit in self-centeredness. Sure we can isolate ourselves, but what would it mean to love others as ourselves sitting in our basement? I do not think I am saying be a religionist, but rather a "relationist".

[Willa]

Often the words "I did it my way" seem the most tragic to me.  It by default means that they didn't live their lives God's way, or they tried go to heaven their own way instead of God's way.  Whenever I here Sinatra sing that song it brings tears to my eyes thinking of so many others who stubbornly did it their way and refuse to humble themselves before their Creator.

[missmuffet]

People in this world want control of their own lives. They pay a consequence when things turn out to be a disaster. 

[Blood Bought 1953]

I am referring only to the typical reaction that Felix exemplifies......people think Salvation depends on giving up everything you like and forcing yourself to do all of the things you don’t like.Its like, “ OK, fun time is over, now I gotta straighten up and fly right. My decision for Christ means I will be unhappy for the rest of my life,but it beats going to Hell!” If that is what Christianity is, who can be blamed for wanting to put it off?When one understands Christianity, when they are truly “ born again”, they will only bemoan the fact that they did not the discover the Truth of the Life Of Faith much sooner.....

[Michael37]

2 hours ago, Blood Bought 1953 said:

I am referring only to the typical reaction that Felix exemplifies......people think Salvation depends on giving up everything you like and forcing yourself to do all of the things you don’t like.Its like, “ OK, fun time is over, now I gotta straighten up and fly right. My decision for Christ means I will be unhappy for the rest of my life, but it beats going to Hell!” If that is what Christianity is, who can be blamed for wanting to put it off? When one understands Christianity, when they are truly “ born again”, they will only bemoan the fact that they did not the discover the Truth of the Life Of Faith much sooner.....

Just have to correct your punctuation above, Blood. For some reason you space between words but not between fullstops (periods), and other punctuation marks. 

[BibleStudent100]

8 hours ago, Willa said:

Often the words "I did it my way" seem the most tragic to me.  It by default means that they didn't live their lives God's way, or they tried go to heaven their own way instead of God's way.  Whenever I here Sinatra sing that song it brings tears to my eyes thinking of so many others who stubbornly did it their way and refuse to humble themselves before their Creator.

Willa, you are spot on!  I think the same way whenever I hear that beautiful song; the song is so haunting and mournful, but when one ponders the lyrics, they are really anti-bibilical.  Sadly, many people really pursue that life style and and take pride in their singular endeavors that do not include God's thinking whatsoever.  

Another beautiful song that I love for the melody, but contains lyrics that are contrary to God (but reflect the thinking of so many people) is the lovely song by Sammy Davis Jr: "I Gotta Be Me."  This song reflects the worldly thinking of so many people today who believe that "truth" comes from within and that they just have to find their internal truth.  But the Truth comes from the exterior:  God.