A Good Word - Urgency
by Gary Johnson
Culturally, we are being inundated with bad news. From morning to night, one headline after another is presented as “breaking news,” and most often it is in the genre of bad news. To be counter-cultural, we are bringing you a good word throughout all of 2022, hoping to build up and encourage you. Each month emphasizes a particular word, and throughout August, our focus is on urgency.
Think with me. Across America, urgent care clinics dot the land. Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, urgent care clinics are filled with people who urgently need medical care. From broken bones to deep cuts or raging fevers, there are times when people need immediate attention medically. Something physically wrong is of pressing importance to them.
There are times or situations in life calling for a great sense of urgency, and urgency can simply be described as something of pressing importance needing immediate attention. And such times are not always life-threatening. For example, urgency is a timely word for the month of August. Think of the number of children returning to school this month. Getting school supplies and school clothes is of pressing importance that requires immediate attention.
It seems as if we are swept up in the ABCs of non-urgency. For a variety of reasons, we tend to be A—apathetic, B—bored, and C—complacent about what should be of great concern to us, particularly as elders leading the local church.
Biblical illiteracy is a major challenge among Christians.
Passive evangelism and lukewarm disciple-making is a reality.
Cultural Christianity is outpacing biblical Christianity.
Progressive, liberal Christianity is taking greater hold in congregations.
Consumer Christianity is spreading like a spiritual cancer.
We are failing to reach—and keep—the next generation of Christians.
The leadership pipeline is empty.
And the list goes on and on.
In addition to the many challenges we face as elders, what is of pressing importance requiring immediate attention in your own life and mine? Is there something about which we should have a greater sense of personal urgency?
A deeper need for healthy marriage and family.
Growing spiritual depth with the Lord in His Word and prayer.
Finances that are aligned with scriptural teaching.
A priority on pursuing and staying physically healthy.
Increasing devotion to live on mission at home, at work, at church, etc.
Determination to be above reproach in the strength of the Lord.
Written by Moses, Psalm 90 is the oldest psalm in the Bible, and in it, there is a verse that I often pray: “Lord, teach us to number our days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (v. 12). Being in “Club Med” (i.e., Medicare), I now cultivate the mindset that I have fewer days ahead of me than I do behind me. I truly want to make the most of the time that I have left in this world, be it many or few. In every sense of the word, if you know me personally, you know that I live with a sense of true urgency.
To that end, the question we should then ask is this: HOW do I want to use the time the Lord has given to me? When a person is diagnosed with a terminal illness, the patient often thinks or asks, “How much time do I have left?” It’s an obvious question. I would ask that question, but I would also think of HOW I want to spend the time I have left. That is living with urgency.
In this “back-to-school” month of August, consider the ABCs of living with new-found urgency, giving immediate attention to that which is of pressing importance in life.
Let’s consider making ourselves more…
A – Accountable to someone for living with greater passion and intentionality about that which should be God-honoring priorities in life. Jonathan and David lived with a sense of urgency, forming a covenant with one another (1 Sam 18:1-4). What God loved, they loved. What God hated, they hated. As iron sharpens iron, David and Jonathan urged one another to live for God with a greater sense of urgency. Do you have someone in your life to help you do the same?
B – Bold in our approach to life. In Acts 1, the believers were in the upper room behind locked doors in fear for their lives. In Acts 2, after receiving the Holy Spirit, they took to the streets and boldly proclaimed that salvation is found in Christ alone. Urgency is seen when we are bold.
C – Courageous as we lead. Have you noticed how risk-averse we are becoming as a culture? Have you noticed how inclined we are to “play it safe” in life? We have locks on doors and windows, security systems on houses and cars, along with insurance policies to protect every dimension of our lives, right down to minor kitchen appliances. We shrink away from doing that which will deliberately advance the kingdom of God. We lead out of fear instead of in faith – fearing people and their response to our decisions while not stepping out in faith, believing that our God is still able to accomplish what matters in life. We confuse loud with large, thinking there are large numbers of people who resist leadership efforts. Yet, in reality, they are few in number but with loud, critical voices. Increasing courage produces urgency.
It's time to turn up the proverbial heat on the burner of our urgency. After all, we know that Jesus is not pleased by our being lukewarm.
