Suppose a man had an appointment a hundred miles north of his home, and if he kept it he would be sure of having happiness and prosperity. He has just enough time to get there, just enough gas in his car. He drives out, but he decides that it would be more fun to go 25 miles south before starting in earnest. Nonsense, isn't it? Dorothea Blande

This quote from Dorothea Blande's book, "Wake up and Live", sadly sums up the lives of far too many people. They know what they need to do to have happiness, but they don't do it. Then, strange as it may seem, they are genuinely surprised when they miss out on the contentment that they so earnestly desire. I'm sure glad that I'm not that dumb - aren't you?

The fact is that most of the failures I have had in my life have not come from a lack of knowledge. Instead, they have resulted from a lack of effort and commitment. The truth is that when things are really important to me I do them, and when they are not, I don't. We might have what seem to be legitimate excuses for not accomplishing the important things but the harsh reality is that we cannot reap that which we have not sown.

I suppose there are few areas in life that we make more excuses for than in our service to God. We haven't become a Christian yet because we want to study some more. We didn't go to worship last week because we felt a cold coming on. We don't study more because no one can really understand the Bible.  If we are honest, however, we have to admit that the reason we haven't become a Christian yet is because we don't want to. The reason we didn't go to church last week (if we were healthy enough to go anywhere else important) was because we didn't want to. The reason we don't study more is because we  don't want to. But...

We do have Heaven waiting for us if we truly want to go. We know this is true for God so loved us that He allowed His only begotten Son to die in our place. If you and I want something as tremendous as service to God and Christ (as well as the happiness that service brings) then we will have to do something about it. And, if we don't, we won't! Do you?

Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22, NIV