‘Too little … Too late …’ is the accusatory phrase that some politicians hurl at others whom they think have been negligent or sluggish in their response to danger or catastrophe. That phrase has been heard so often over these past months as politicians, scientists and medical experts have grappled with how to lead our nation through the current Covid-19 pandemic. It appears that whatever the leaders say or do, it is wrong, they are criticised ~ ‘you should have acted earlier, you should have done more to save us all from this terrible catastrophe and now you have acted, it is too late’. Nothing appears to be ‘just right’, it is … too little or too much … too late or too soon … too weak or too strong … too expensive or too cheap. Who would be a politician in these extremely difficult days?
But Covid-19 is not the only catastrophe affecting the world today. There is also climate change, plastics polluting the oceans, the destruction of the rain forests etc., and for all of these we are being told that what is being done is, ‘Too little … Too late …’ But the biggest, most significant and far reaching problem or disaster facing every member of the world’s population today is totally ignored, neglected, rejected, misunderstood or even unknown to millions of people.
The problem is … sin … selfishness … disobedience … rebellion … refusal to acknowledge God and to humbly ask Him for forgiveness and for help in living our lives in His way of blessing
The Lord God Almighty clearly shows us in His Word the Bible, that:
“all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (of the standards required to please Him)”
“for the wages of sin is death (eternal separation from God),
but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”
The Lord God Almighty, our Creator and loving Heavenly Father, has amazing compassion and love for each one of us. As He looked down the years of history from creation to today, He saw the disasters that man would get himself into and He saw that it was impossible for man to help himself. Because His love was not just mental, or emotional but practical, God showed in action, how much He loved each of us:
“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this:
while we were still sinners, Jesus Christ died for us”
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us”
Some people say, ‘IF God is a God of love, why does He not do something? How selfish, ignorant or blind can we be? The truth is: God has done something … NOT TOO LITTLE and NOT TOO LATE
“When the time had fully come, God sent His Son” … to die in our place on the cross … so we might be forgiven and be restored into harmony with Him as our Heavenly Father
God, in His grace, mercy and love, did FAR, FAR MORE than we deserve or could have expected and, as He always does, He did everything needed, and got the timing absolutely right.
What is our response? Have we got ourselves right with God? God has done all He can - it is now up to us. Time is running out, not just for the climate, or the sea or the forests … but for the whole of God’s creation and every person in the world today.
‘I will wait till I’m a bit older’ … ‘I have so many other things I want to do first’ … Don’t put off to tomorrow what you could do today ~ tomorrow may never come …Be careful, do not leave it too late!
On many occasions in the Bible when terrible times came upon God’s people, the sadness in God’s great heart of love is evident when we read: “Yet you have not returned to Me,” declares the Lord, “They refused to repent and turn to Me” What are you doing? Too little? It is not yet … too late!
Ron Brickman