“And [John and James] immediately left the boat and their father, and followed Him.” – Matthew 4:22

Procrastinating – the habit of delaying or putting off tasks or decisions – is one of the negative behaviors that I really struggle with.

But I am not alone; according to psychologists, procrastination affects the majority of people and it takes a great level of discipline to break it.

Fear of failure, anxiety, insufficient motivation, failure to prioritize, unexpected distractions, etc, are some of the common reasons for procrastinating.

Our meditation today makes reference to James and John, who provide the perfect example of how to defeat procrastination.

The two brothers and their father, Zebedee (meaning ‘gift of God’) had been professional fishermen since their childhood.

This particular afternoon, they are in a boat by the lakeside, mending their nets in preparation for the next fishing expedition later in the evening.

Then a Man comes over and politely greets the old man.

Then He turns to the two young men and asks them to follow Him.

“And immediately, they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.”

The ‘boat’ and the ‘father’ are greatly significant in the lives of these young men.

They were their everything.

The boat was their only source of livelihood; it represented their only means of survival and their future.

The old man was a ‘gift from God’ who had not only taught them everything they knew but had also invested in them – knowing they would look after him when he was old.

I can only imagine what Mzee Zebedee told the people when he returned home alone.

How would you deal with this situation? I would definitely have requested for permission to go home first to bid farewell to my family – like Elisha did.

Probably a formal handover of the business and assets to someone else.

Not these guys; they immediately left everything!

“Leadership requires personal sacrifice, and that leaders must be willing to give up their own interests, comfort, and even security for the benefit of others.”

‘Eutheous,’ the Greek word for ‘immediately,’ is used in the context of Jesus’ actions or commands being followed promptly and urgently without delay.

What James and John teach us today is that when it comes to the things of God, the right approach to use is ‘immediately.

In the New Testament, the word ‘immediately’ occurs at least 100 times, 41 of them in the book of Mark alone.

Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 warns; “When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it.”

The key lesson from this verse is that procrastination if “foolish.”

In his book, ‘The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership,’ John Maxwell cites the ‘Law of Priorities’: effective leaders must prioritize tasks, focusing on the most critical ones first especially those that have the greatest impact and leverage.

He also cites the ‘Law of Sacrifice,’ which states that a leader must give up to go up – that leadership requires personal sacrifice, and that leaders must be willing to give up their own interests, comfort, and even security for the benefit of others.

That was exactly what James and John understood!

And so, what did God tell you to do but you’ve keep procrastinating as you ‘wait for the right time’? 

What vow did you make to God but you’ve keep pushing ahead?

What key decision do you have to make but you ‘don’t feel motivated enough’ or you don’t feel like it’s the ‘right time’?

May today’s word, ‘immediately,’ be our word for 2025.

Do it now!