"When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people’s hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong"(NIV) Ecclesiastes 8:11
Bible Reading: Ecclesiastes 8:11-13
I heard about a customer who sent an order to a book club for the book they were offering that month. The distributor noticed that the bill for a previous book hadn't been paid, so the collections manager sent a 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. Will the bill 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 2014!" 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: "When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people’s hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong" (Ecclesiastes 8:11)
The reality is that 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. "Although a wicked person who commits a hundred crimes may live a long time, I know that it will go better with those who fear God, who are reverent before him. Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow." (Ecclesiastes 8:12-13)
Don't let Satan deceive you. Payment will come. Have a great day!