Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed. (Matthew 27:1)
It’s interesting to me that the chief priests and elders didn’t waste any time in making their plans for having Jesus executed. Rather than taking time to think through the ramifications of their actions, their minds were set, and nothing was going to get in their way. But what if they had paused? What if they had earnestly sought God? How might things have been different?
I believe that one of the characteristics of evil is urgency. Temptation places in our minds the idea that what needs to be done must be done immediately. Before we even realize what’s happening, we’re knee-deep in whatever it is that we’re not even sure if we should be doing. Our passions overtake our brains, and we foolishly allow them to have total control.
The next time you feel you must do something urgently, it would be wise to pause and see if what you’re doing is really the right thing to be doing. There are some Godly pursuits that demand urgency, but many seemingly urgent temptations should be treated with great care.
Father, when I feel the pull of urgency in my life, help me to take a step back and to really evaluate what I’m about to do. Help me to run my actions through the filter of what is honoring to You, and give me patience to say no to temptation.
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