Charlton Rhinehart

Often times we as humans tend to focus on tomorrow, and when we speak of tomorrow, we often mean months or even years from now. What are we planning to do? What vacation are we going to take this year, what sports should the kids play this year, or how about next year? Thinking this way is the responsible thing to do, we plan ahead and are prepared for tomorrow. After all is it not the irresponsible individuals who live for the moment and often latter pay the price? It is good for us to plan in such a way but also does that mean we sometimes forget the here and now, important things of today like enjoying the moment or being engaged with our family today?

 
When it comes to the work we plan do for God as Christians, often times we take the same course. What will I do next year for God as I plan for a new year’s resolution? Who do I hope to talk to about how to be saved when the perfect moment arises? What great mission trip do I hope to take before I die? We have our plans, we have our hearts in the right place seeking after God’s work, but far too often our good plans are all we ever achieve. Perhaps we need to realize the importance of today.

 
First of all don’t get me wrong, there is value in planning. Proverbs praises those who plan for the coming seasons (Prov. 6:6-11), Jesus likewise tells us that just like a man building a tower we must plan and count the cost of being a Christian (Luke 14). Churches and their elders, deacons and members all need to plan for their works, but when hopes and future plans are all we have we forsake our greatest opportunity – today.

 
Today is the day to Obey! “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I am commanding you today; and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the Lord… (Duet 11:26-28 NASB). We need to realize that today is our only chance to obey. As preachers often say, “we are not promised tomorrow”, this couldn’t be any more basic but also it couldn’t be any more truthful. Today is our chance to obey God, to put aside our disobedience and traditions, to be immersed in Him for forgiveness, becoming a Christian.

 
Today is the day to Repent! Repentance is part of obeying Christ, one of our initial steps to Christianity. But for far too many there is a need to come back to the salvation they were once in (II Pet 2:20). Once we face death and join the billions who are already there, there will be no opportunity to repent. There is no biblical purgatory as some teach nor is there is a second chance to repent after a millennial reign as premillennials teach. Once the Bridegroom comes the door will be shut, those unprepared will left outside forever (Matt 25:10). There is only here and now before we face death that we have to repent. God longs to embrace us like the prodigal son once we turn around (Luke 15:20), but if physical death comes first eternal death is all He can give us. Don’t put off what needs to be done today.

 
Today is the day to Serve! Jesus told the parable of a rich man who had a profitable year, the man said to himself he would build bigger barns, store his goods and live well for many years. Little did the rich man know but that very night his life was taken from him (Luke 12:16-21). Such it is with or lives also, how many of us plan to work hard, perhaps we hope to retire early and take a big mission trip at that time. According to this parable that is a foolish plan if we are putting off our service for God now gambling to do a better job tomorrow. Likewise we do the same thing with our money. We give very little today, we plan and work hard to climb the corporate ladder in our career telling ourselves we will give so abundantly latter – don’t we see we are never satisfied with what we have no matter how prosperous we are? Now is the time to give! Probably the greatest thing we put off for tomorrow is what we prefer most not to do – evangelism. It is awkward speaking up for Christ, it is challenging to start the right conversations and consuming to be prepared with the scriptures we need to know to do so. We tell ourselves we are waiting for the perfect moment, maybe when we are alone with an individual for a long period, maybe when the subject of salvation or the church comes up. We wait and wait for this perfect moment, we have our honest high hopes, but in the mean time these very individuals come and go from our opportunities. Situations change fast, our coworkers or our classmates change so quickly and before we know it our opportunities and hopes have been missed. Do these individuals a favor, look at them with love and compassion, realize how brief our moments are together and ask yourself what can you show or tell them today?

 
Jesus told us when He was speaking of the concerns of this world to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, “Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will take care of itself…” (Matt 6:34). Perhaps we are far too focused on tomorrow, perhaps this is really Satan’s way to get us to procrastinate God’s work day after day. Not only are we putting off God’s work, but we are planning for a day we don’t know that we will have. Let us make the most of what God has given us, let us realize how valuable this very moment we are in is, let us do His will today!