Without Delay

Psalms 119:60 I hastened and did not delay To keep Your commandments.

•  Hastened:  to hurry; to be eager with excitement and enjoyment
• Delay:  to question, to hesitate, to linger
• Keep:   to hedge about (as with thorns), i.e. guard; generally, to protect, attend to
• Commandments:  refers literally to the things God says TO do and NOT TO do

Too often sin is allowed to wreak all kinds of damage because we give it more time to linger, to argue, and to tear down the Lord’s truths with its fancy lies.

The psalmist sought the face of God and directed his own feet toward Him.  And he, like the Apostle Paul after him, ran his spiritual race in such a way as to win.  Speed matters when it comes to stopping the spread of sin.

1Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.

Why do we delay?

• Because repentance is a painful process.
• We feel as if we don’t have the energy to do it today.
• We assume we have tomorrow to deal with it.
• We feel as if it isn’t that bad and will take care of itself eventually.
• We feel too guilty to ask for help, again.

 He made all speed to get back into the royal road from which he had wandered, and to run in that road upon the King’s errands. Speed in repentance and speed in obedience are two excellent things. We are too often in haste to sin; O that we may be in a greater hurry to obey. Delay in sin is increase of sin. To be slow to keep the commands is really to break them. There is much evil in a lagging pace when God’s command is to be followed. — C. H. Spurgeon

•  2Timothy 2:15 Be diligent [literally, use speed] to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
•   2Peter 3:14 Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent [literally, use speed] to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless.

Lord God, I cannot hurry from the path of sin unless You speed me along by the power of Your Holy Spirit.  Make me all the more diligent to obey You quickly and completely.