Neal Pollard

Desdery Massawe, the preacher at Meru church of Christ, Charles Heberth, who works with the Andrew Connelly School, Michael Hite and I arrived at Mula Chini this morning to meet with a 22-year-old young woman we studied with on Monday.  We taught her about the one church and her need to obey Christ in order to have God add Him to it.  She had put off the decision to be baptized on Monday because she had to prepare food.  Today, when we asked her, she said she was not ready.  She told us she wanted to wait until Sunday!  We discussed this for a couple of hours.  She would seem very close to the right decision, but then she would say, “Sunday.”  We asked why Sunday was better than today.  We asked her what would be different on Sunday.  We asked what would happen if she did not make it to Sunday.  She never had an answer.  She would only flash her sweet smile. Two and a half hours later, when we discovered that she was slightly afraid of the water and very afraid of the disapproval of an older lady, she decided that she should resist the devil so that he would flee.  She said she was ready today!

We told her the first step would be the hardest, but that she would feel great joy and peace once she obeyed God’s plan of salvation.  After a long, bumpy ride from Mula Chini to the Arusha church building and drawing several huge tubs of water out of the well to pour into their baptistery, Glory received God’s grace through her obedient faith.  It was exciting to see her overcome her fear and excuses.  She knew what she needed to do.  She wanted what she saw scripture promise.  She just felt more comfortable waiting.

How many are like Glory, except they have not conquered their excuses, fear, or hardness of heart?  They wait–for a more convenient time, for a more agreeable feeling, for a change of circumstances–gambling that later will come.  They gamble with stakes too high.  Our soul is eternal, and it will be somewhere forever!  Don’t wait until Sunday.  Don’t wait another minute!