Proverb 3:28

“Do not say to your neighbor,
‘Go, and come back,
And tomorrow I will give it.
When you have it with you.”

My instinct is to read this and think the take away is not to procrastinate. But there is something much more relational about today’s scripture. A quick glance back up to the heading gives a glimpse into the actual meaning and offers a reminder that these passages are about the way we treat others.

Just as we are not to withhold a good word from others when it is due to them, neither should we withhold a good deed. If your neighbor has a need and outright asks for your help, you should not delay in offering it.

I tend to think of myself first, though my mind should ever be focused on the needs of those around me. My mom came in a couple of days ago while I was working. She asked me to make dinner for her and her company. In the throes of blogging and research and email marketing, I widened my eyes to communicate that I really didn’t want to (in essence, that I wanted to serve myself) and brushed it off with “I’ll do it later.”

She wound up cooking for them. And me. Ouch.

Where is my servants heart? Today I can practice delving out good words to others who deserve them, but also by showing them with my deeds. There are these opportunities every single day to look for and to seize. But they aren’t just opportunities, they are part of our God-given duty.

I will try to talk myself out of it because I think I “don’t have time.” But the one who offers the command is the maker of time. He knows what time I need to accomplish what He asks. And if He tells us to do something, there is time. Don’t rationalize your way out of doing what you know to be right.