Out of Ink

 “To everything, there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

You saw the warning—it appeared more than once. There’s still time, you thought; no time to stop now, I will tend to it later, you thought. The same thing happened several times before with plenty of time to spare; so, you went about your business. Facing a crucial deadline now, everything else is put on hold until the document is completed, printed, and presented. The full-color presentation you have been steadily working on is almost ready; you press the “print” key—ah, you can finally relax. But halfway through the process, you received a final warning: Out of ink. “No!” you moaned. One empty cartridge in a color printer causes printing to halt suddenly; even an ink cartridge has “a season and a purpose.” The printing pauses until replacing the empty cartridge, but you didn’t take time to restock your supplies and missed the deadline.

When functioning as an “almost empty cartridge,” you will notice warning signs like irritability, impatience, mediocre performance. To assure you don’t get those messages, refill by spending time with God; His Word offers endless supplies. Although the Holy Spirit lives within born-again-believers, each decides how much space they yield for His filling. When surrendered to His authority, your “printout” will bless others, and spending quality time with Him prepares you for what the day holds. Procrastination towards obedience is a robber of blessings and peace.

There are seasons and times for everything God created: “A time to be born and a time to die” (3:2). God appointed the day of our birth and recorded the day of our death. He reveals Himself to all people in many ways: by His written and proclaimed Word, creation, songs, people, books, road signs—whatever way He chooses. Until you believe and receive His messages, you are like an ink cartridge running out of time, but when “out of ink” happens, it’s too late. Having refused the gift of Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you face a horrible eternal-death. Procrastinating about where you spend eternity may leave you standing before holy God as an empty cartridge, forever separated from God who created you, the Father who loves you.