A mantra is a repeated word or phrase that exemplifies your beliefs or goals. It’s a device to keep you on track and to remind yourself of what is most important. Do you have a mantra for your life? If not, how about “urgency and mission”? Mission because the Lord has entrusted you to carry on His work, to be His hands and feet in sharing the gospel to the ends of the earth. (Matthew 28:19–20; Acts 1:8) Urgency because we know the time is short. (Romans 13:11–12)
These truths should be at the forefront of the mind of every Christian and the driving force of each of our days. (Colossians 3:2) To our shame, these are not the hallmarks of most of our lives. Since they aren’t, we must ask, are we serious about our commitment to follow Jesus? (Luke 9:62)
If you aren’t living with urgency and mission, why not, and what are you living for? We while away our days consumed with the pleasures and trivialities of life, and we do so in ignorance or outright rejection of what the Bible says. (1 John 2:15–17) Peter warns us to be sober-minded. (1 Peter 5:8) Sober-minded people do not spend their lives focused on irrelevant niceties or meaningless arguments. (2 Timothy 2:16; Titus 3:9) A sober-minded person understands there is no time for such nonsense. (Ephesians 5:15–16) Look around your neighborhood, complex, or workplace. Do you ever consider how many of the people you see are going to Hell? (Matthew 7:13–14) Are you okay with that (Romans 9:1–3)?
Even the most disciplined of us need to re-evaluate our habits and how we are spending our days. (Lamentations 3:40; 2 Corinthians 13:5) We aren’t living with urgency and mission, at least not consistently. Perhaps we have starts and stops, days we’re pretty good, but other times we are immersed in feeding our preferences and pleasures. (Philippians 3:19) We’re too tired to be bothered, too distracted to notice the dying souls surrounding us. (Matthew 9:36–38)
There will not always be a tomorrow. None of us has any guarantee that we will wake up in the morning or survive the day. (James 4:14; Proverbs 27:1) What if you knew this was your last month, week, or even day to live? Do you think you’d live it with a sense of urgency and mission, or waste the precious minutes and breaths you have remaining? (Psalm 90:12) If we would prioritize our time differently if we knew our life was ending, then why not now? Because your life is ending. (Hebrews 9:27) You may not want to hear it or think about it, but you are going to die. For most people, death comes sooner than they think it will. (Luke 12:19–20)
Brothers and sisters, our modern conveniences and comforts are lulling us into a casual and laissez-faire lifestyle. Just as in the days of Noah, we go about our lives living for ourselves and oblivious to the disaster right around the corner. (Matthew 24:37–39) Satan has fooled us into thinking this is the normal way to live the Christian life. (2 Corinthians 11:14) But God says if we love anything in this world, then we do not love Him. (1 John 2:15) He says to redeem the time because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:15–16)
If we aren’t living with urgency and mission, then we aren’t living for Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:15) If we aren’t living for Him now, what makes us think He will bring us into His Kingdom (Matthew 7:21)? This life is not a dress rehearsal; it is a proving ground. (James 1:12; 1 Peter 1:6–7) We will either prove the genuineness of our faith by doing all He commands us to do (John 14:21; James 2:17), or He will cast us aside with the hypocrites, thrown into outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 24:51; Matthew 25:30) There is only one way to Heaven (John 14:6) and there is only one way to live. (Galatians 2:19-20) Stop wasting your life and live with urgency and mission to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)