Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go
to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make
a profit." Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You
are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.
Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and also do
this or that." James 4:13-15
In thinking about time, the
next thing we must deal with is the
future. Our yesterdays are behind
us. Our tomorrows are not yet here. Indeed, tomorrow never comes. When it gets here, it is today.
It should be said about the
future, that it is uncertain. There
is no guarantee that we will ever see any point in what we call the future. Our lives could end at any time. There is no guarantee that we will live to be
ninety, or eighty, or seventy, or fifty, or even thirty. History is filled with talented and gifted people
who met unexpected tragedy from all walks of life. Most of us have personally
known several people who died unexpectedly at a very early age. None of us have a guarantee of tomorrow.
Tomorrow is not even ours anyway. God holds our future
in His hands. This does not mean that we do not think about the
future or plan for the future. We should
certainly do both of those things. We
should consider the possibilities for the future and we should also be prepared
for what the future may behold. But we
should think realistically about the future if we are to live effectively in
the present.
The future can give us hope. We
face the beginning of a new year. What
will this year hold for us? We certainly
hope that it holds good things. One
thing it does hold is the promise that it may be better than the last year. It also holds the promise that things needing
change in our lives may in fact be changed. While there are no guarantees, it does hold
the promise and the hope for good things in 2011.
On the other hand, the future can give us a false hope.
It can provide a false sense of security
and thereby keep us from living effectively in the present. By assuming that we do have some guarantee of tomorrow we can postpone many of the
things we need to be doing today. This
false hope that we will be able to accomplish something "tomorrow"
provides many people with the excuse they want so they can put off the very
thing they need to do today.
I have met so many people who
attempt to live in the future. They are
going to do great things when they get around to it. When they have time, they are going to become
more involved in things that count. When
this happens, or that happens, they will then begin. They will do it later, tomorrow, next week,
next month, someday. The fact is that
time never comes, the situation never is right, tomorrow never arrives.
I heard a story of a pastor
visiting newcomers to the community. The
wife began to attend church but this man always put the pastor off. He said that he would come to church just as
soon as he got straightened out. Each
time the pastor would visit him the man would make the same reply. As soon as he got straightened out he would
come to church. Finally, the man died. The pastor was called upon to hold the funeral.
As he stood behind his pulpit in the
church sanctuary looking down at the coffin with the man inside, he thought to
himself, "Well, he finally kept his promise."
Today is the day to change
your tomorrow.
Scripture to Claim:
But
seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be
added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for
itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:33-34
