Tomorrow: The Most Popular Lie We Tell Ourselves
Tomorrow – I am not sure there is another word in the English language that carries as much power & hope as tomorrow. We convince ourselves that tomorrow we will start going to the gym. Or we will start eating healthier tomorrow. Tomorrow we will finally get that project cleaned in a less-than-occupied space in our house that we started 6 weeks ago. Tomorrow, we will address that personal conflict that’s been secretly eating away at us. Tomorrow we will do a better job of getting more sleep & binge-watching less…. Tomorrow we will do our devotionals, or get right with God. There are never enough hours in today, & tomorrow is already jam-packed with empty promises before we even get out of bed.
When it comes to God, we always convince ourselves that because He is constant, never changing, He is fine to wait another day, or wait another week. However, *this* thing that we have decided to put before Him, that is temporary, and we must do it immediately. *This* could be attending a sporting event, spending time with someone, getting more sleep, purging all the spare toys in your children’s playroom, picking up some much-needed OT, etc. Now, before I go on, please hear me out. I am not coming at this from a legalistic approach of YOU MUST BE IN CHURCH EVERY WEEK, OR YOU’RE A HORRIBLE CHRISTIAN. That is NOT what I am saying. That is legalism & religion, & I have seen it drive a lot of people away from God. However, always putting God on the back burner, promising to “call Him” tomorrow, is equally wrong.
The harsh reality is, we are not in control of tomorrow because we have no guarantee of it. Proverbs 27:1 tells us, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” I am fully confident that both Heaven & Hell are full of people who had big plans for tomorrow. They had big plans of doing something different, starting tomorrow, but God had other plans. So how do we approach this? What do we do to make sure we are living in each day, not filling the next day with empty promises & also make sure to approach God in a relationship, not with religion?
The answer to that is found in scripture. One of my favorite New Testament books is the book of James. In James chapter 4, He says these words in verses 13-15, “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’
This passage very humbly reminds us of the fragility of life. We have no guarantee of tomorrow & we need to be reminded that EVERYTHING we do is to be part of God’s will for us. When is the last time you asked God for His will in your life? My wife & I have always said that we are called to ministry, wherever that is. God hasn’t called us to Hawaii, so that’s why we are still in Western New York. We always try to do things that are part of God’s will for us & our family. Even when they are unpleasant things….. God may call me to do something WAY out of my comfort zone, or something incredibly humbling, & I need to submit to that authority, just as when I submit to His authority when it is something I want.
So where am I going with all this? This weekend is the second most attended Sunday in the American church. Many people will visit a church service that they haven’t been to in a long time. That is great, I am beyond grateful for your willingness to go & celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Here’s my challenge: go this week, & the following week, & the following week, etc. While you are going, study God’s Word. Find people in your church who will help you grow in Christ. They will walk with you on the mountain, & through the valley. Don’t wait for a new season in life to get right with God. If you constantly put Him on the back burner, one day it will be too late. Heaven & Hell are very real places, & I wouldn’t wish Hell on anyone, yes, even you New England Patriots fans……. Get right with God TODAY, don’t let tomorrow be just another excuse. I am a MAJOR procrastinator, so this message is for me as well! Happy Resurrection Day to you all! Pursue Him, honor Him, glorify Him, in ALL you do! Be blessed!
When it comes to God, we always convince ourselves that because He is constant, never changing, He is fine to wait another day, or wait another week. However, *this* thing that we have decided to put before Him, that is temporary, and we must do it immediately. *This* could be attending a sporting event, spending time with someone, getting more sleep, purging all the spare toys in your children’s playroom, picking up some much-needed OT, etc. Now, before I go on, please hear me out. I am not coming at this from a legalistic approach of YOU MUST BE IN CHURCH EVERY WEEK, OR YOU’RE A HORRIBLE CHRISTIAN. That is NOT what I am saying. That is legalism & religion, & I have seen it drive a lot of people away from God. However, always putting God on the back burner, promising to “call Him” tomorrow, is equally wrong.
The harsh reality is, we are not in control of tomorrow because we have no guarantee of it. Proverbs 27:1 tells us, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” I am fully confident that both Heaven & Hell are full of people who had big plans for tomorrow. They had big plans of doing something different, starting tomorrow, but God had other plans. So how do we approach this? What do we do to make sure we are living in each day, not filling the next day with empty promises & also make sure to approach God in a relationship, not with religion?
The answer to that is found in scripture. One of my favorite New Testament books is the book of James. In James chapter 4, He says these words in verses 13-15, “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’
This passage very humbly reminds us of the fragility of life. We have no guarantee of tomorrow & we need to be reminded that EVERYTHING we do is to be part of God’s will for us. When is the last time you asked God for His will in your life? My wife & I have always said that we are called to ministry, wherever that is. God hasn’t called us to Hawaii, so that’s why we are still in Western New York. We always try to do things that are part of God’s will for us & our family. Even when they are unpleasant things….. God may call me to do something WAY out of my comfort zone, or something incredibly humbling, & I need to submit to that authority, just as when I submit to His authority when it is something I want.
So where am I going with all this? This weekend is the second most attended Sunday in the American church. Many people will visit a church service that they haven’t been to in a long time. That is great, I am beyond grateful for your willingness to go & celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Here’s my challenge: go this week, & the following week, & the following week, etc. While you are going, study God’s Word. Find people in your church who will help you grow in Christ. They will walk with you on the mountain, & through the valley. Don’t wait for a new season in life to get right with God. If you constantly put Him on the back burner, one day it will be too late. Heaven & Hell are very real places, & I wouldn’t wish Hell on anyone, yes, even you New England Patriots fans……. Get right with God TODAY, don’t let tomorrow be just another excuse. I am a MAJOR procrastinator, so this message is for me as well! Happy Resurrection Day to you all! Pursue Him, honor Him, glorify Him, in ALL you do! Be blessed!
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