delayed

A customer sent an order to a book club for the one they were offering that month. The distributor noticed that the bill for a previous book hadn't been paid. The collections manager then sent their form letter saying, "We can't ship your new order until you pay for the last one."

The collections manager received a note a few days later, "Please cancel the order. I can't wait that long."

We live in a society where people expect to receive things without paying for them -- at least for a long, long time. That's why credit cards are so popular. You don't have to have any money. Just hand them that little piece of plastic. The bill will come later? You can worry about it then. A popular form of advertising says, "Buy now -- no payments for six months!" or "No payments until January 2000!" Companies know that we are more likely to buy something if the payment can be delayed because if it is far enough away, we won't think about the hardship it may cause.

Satan operates in much the same way. If he can convince us that the consequences of sin will not be experienced for a long, long time (if at all), then we will be more likely to give in. Listen to how Solomon put it:

"Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." (Eccl. 8:11)

But credit card bills eventually arrive in the mail, merchants eventually expect us to pay for any merchandise that we carry home with us, and sin will eventually have its consequences.

"Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him. But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God." (Eccl. 8:12-13).