October 21, 2026

“Watch! Be alert! For you don’t know when the time is coming.” – Mark 13:33

Last week I got the opportunity to hear Dr. Kevin Ezell speak. If you do not know, Kevin Ezell is the president of the North American Mission Board, one of the largest church planting organizations in the world. He had many great things to say, but the comment that stuck with me the most was this: “To maximize the mission you must understand the brevity of it.” As long as we feel our work has no deadline – like there is always a “tomorrow” – then procrastination will rule the day. This is especially true when it comes to difficult things.

Maybe it is the fact that I am turning 50 in a couple months (or the fact that I just discovered the average life span of an American male is only 76 years!), but this hit me hard. The truth is that our time here is very short. If you truly believe that God has a purpose for your life, then you must also understand you do not have an infinite amount of time to fulfill that purpose. We have to make the most of every day. So, that conversation you need to have with your neighbor, that person you know needs Christ, that gift you have been keeping to yourself… now is the time!

Father, fill us with a sense of urgency. Help us to understand the brevity of our time so that we would make the most of every day. Put to death our procrastination. Let us live this temporary life with eternal purpose.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Shane Cannon