Almost

Today's Verse:

Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. ~Acts 26:28 

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The word almost describes a near decision or event. When the terrorist attacks on four of our commercial airplanes occurred on September 11, 2001, there were people who almost took those flights but did not. There were some people who had planned to enter the World Trade Towers that morning for work or other reasons and did not. For these people they probably are living in the memory of “I almost, but I’m glad I did not.” Then, there are other people who have had opportunities that they could have benefitted from that they decided against. For these people, they are living in the memory of “I almost decided to do this, but now regret I did not.” 

We see the deferment. 

King Agrippa told Paul, “almost, thou persuadest me.” Almost is when we defer a decision until a later time. It means you are close to a decision, but you are not in favor of doing it at the moment. It means you have been given enough facts to make a right decision, but you chose to put it off to another time for consideration. People say “almost” because they are not ready. They say “almost” because they are afraid of what it might cost them. They say “almost” because they are afraid that their family or peers might be critical of them. They say “almost” because they do not think making a decision now benefits them. In many cases, people say almost because they think they have more time to decide in the future. 

We see the danger. 

Saying almost to Jesus is dangerous. When we say almost to commitment we are saying we do not want to make any commitments right now. When we say almost to surrender, we are saying we will not surrender our life or possessions now, but will keep thinking about it. When we say almost to salvation, we are saying we think we have more time in the future to decide. Saying almost is telling God you want to make Him wait for you. Saying almost is running from the Spirit’s conviction that you need to obey God, but have chosen not to. Saying almost leads the pastor to think you are close, but the reality is you are trying to avoid doing God’s will. Saying almost to surrendering to the mission field is saying you understand the need for laborers is great, but you don’t want to be part of the solution for reaching the world with the gospel. Almost is the one word that can keep you in the darkness of disobedience instead of the light of obedience. Almost is the one word that will haunt every sinner who dies and goes to Hell. 

We see the disappointment. 

We have no record that King Agrippa ever repented of his sins and called on Jesus to save him. This man heard a clear gospel presentation and was under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. He could feel the tugging of the Holy Spirit, but said not now. I’m almost there but not yet. He may have been thinking about what it would cost him if he said yes. He may have been thinking of what he would have to give up. It may be he thought he had another twenty years to make that decision. However, the disappointment is he went into eternity having rejected his opportunity of getting saved under the preaching of the Apostle Paul. No other Christian was closer to winning Agrippa to the Lord than Paul. I wonder if Paul ever thought, “I should have tried a little harder.” In any case, it is a huge disappointment when someone says almost to Jesus when the right decision is to say “yes, Lord!” 

The key word when it comes to making decisions for God is “now”. Now is the day of salvation; now is the accepted time.  Don’t put off the things of God: do it now! 

Have a willing-hearted God Morning! 

Reading Schedule: Isaiah 45-48

#Acts #Almost #Procrastination