“ALMOST" THE SADDEST WORD
Acts 26:28
Then Agrippa said to Paul, "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?"
It had been a long and frustrating hunt. I had been telling Linda for years of all of the big bucks we saw on each hunt in South Dakota and it was the last evening. We had yet to see a good buck in range. We had seen a lot of small bucks up close an a couple of large bucks a long ways off, but we had failed at what I thought would be an easy and successful hunt.
Darkness was closing in quickly on the last afternoon and I was feeling pressure. As the sun set behind the ridge to our west, I decided to rattle some antlers to entice a buck to come up from the valley below. As I smashed the antlers together, I prayed that the Lord would send a buck for Linda.
I rattled for a minute or so and when I quit I could hear something walking in the leaves way up the valley. I hoped and prayed that whatever it was would get there before it was roo dark to shoot. I have very good vision in dim light, but Linda's vision runs out long before legal shooting light ends.
The walking continued to get closer and closer and finally I caught movement in the scrub oaks below us. I asked Linda If she had enough light to shoot, but she wasn't sure. Then there he was... a huge whitetail buck, standing broadside in an open tunnel in the oaks. I told Linda to take him... her response was just, "take what?"
I pointed, I begged, I probably insisted... "shoot that buck standing right there" and the buck just stood there for a minute or two and then walked out of our life forever...
ALMOST! It's likely the saddest word in the English language.
In the verses following the one above we read:
29 Paul replied, "Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains."
30 The king rose, and with him the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them. 31 After they left the room, they began saying to one another, "This man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment." (Acts 26:29-31)
How sad. Agripa listened to the truth and was so close to understanding it yet he walked away, to an eternity separated from God.
I have a friend that has listened to a gospel message many times and has come so close, but when I've asked him if he's made a choice to give his life over to Jesus Christ, he responded with, "I'm just not ready". Almost.
The biggest fear for everyone in that situation is that we have no clue when we will take our last breath here. If we haven't made that choice for Christ, almost isn't good enough. It's an easy choice.
How about you? Are you "almost" there? Are you contemplating the costs and benefits? Realize that you're not only gaining an eternity in heaven, but a life of peace here on earth... and place with no other peace.
And for those of us that have that relationship with Him... are we sharing the hope we have. Or are we backing off when the opportunity arrives. Do we "almost" have enough courage to tell others? That's not enough. Someone else's eternity might be hinging on an "almost."
Please don't go through life continually saying, "almost"... someday will be too late
Help achieve the mission - GIVE today
Click the button to sign up for Dean’s Daily Devotional. FREE and delivered daily.