Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Today vs Tomorrow

"But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness."Hebrew 3:13 (NIV) There is a saying out there that goes "never put off till tomorrow what you can do today." You may have heard this expression and/or even used it from time to time. I like the alternate version that many of us like to use "never put off today what you can do tomorrow." I believe that is the procrastinators motto, if they ever got around to claiming one. In any event, I am sure that Thomas Jefferson meant it with it's intended purpose of doing things at the present and not waiting for tomorrow to come. Our founding fathers were considered to be Christians as this was one of the main sticking points for our succession from England. Mr Jefferson may have been conveying scriptural content in a paraphrased fashion. It says in Luke "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (6:34 NIV) Isn't that the truth???? My personal goal of making it to the gym always seems to get relegated to "tomorrow." As my hubby says "tomorrow never comes." He says this to me quite often and one day I stopped and really thought about it. "Tomorrow" doesn't really come because when it gets here, it becomes "today." Pretty deep, huh? Now, I am no philosopher but that struck a cord with me. I have all the best intentions in mind the night before I go to sleep to complete all the items on my "to do list" AND go to the gym. Unfortunately, something always gets in the way. I have to admit sometimes it is my own laziness or decision to do something different. In any event, the end result is an incomplete "to do" list and a less than taunt body. The Bible tells us, "why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." (James 4:14) I am happy to say that it is typically a less than tragic event that keeps me from my intended plans that I committed to the night prior, but to paraphrase James above, we don't know what is going to happen or if we'll even be here tomorrow. I don't think that the Lord is against planning for the future, but I do feel He wants us to live in the now and do what needs to be done versus waiting. So, often we use our time ineffectively and squander away the precious resource given so sparingly to us. Each of us are only given so many days on this Earth or to quote a verse from a 4HIm song Psalm 112: "We only get so many times to ride around this sun And so many times to see a full moon shine When day is done if anything's worth doing Then it's worth doing right So I looked for wisdom on how to best live this brief life I have found "
God gave the Israelites just enough food for each day while they were in the wilderness with the exception of the Sabbath. He provided for them at that particular time in their life and He wanted them to rely on Him and trust that He would continue to provide for them even though they saw no evidence of food in the cupboard for the coming day, much less a week or month out. God wants us to treasure what He has given us and trust that He will make provision in the coming days. We do have to do our part though. We are required to have faith and act according to His rules. In the case of the Israelites, they were to take enough manna for each person in their family for that day only. Any extra food would be spoiled and inedible if saved. They had to learn sufficiency in God and God alone. (Read Exodus 16) I want to trust in God's supremacy to provide "tomorrow" to me but I also want to act today on what He has given me. I am going to try to put this into practice today, not tomorrow. Most of the time, I have the option to choose how to spend my time. After all, God gave time to me just like He gave it to you. We have the same 24 hour period in which to slice up anyway we see fit. Unfortunately, my slices don't always come out too even in the "productive" side. I really want to produce more fruit and less preservatives to be used later.

I know what I want to do tomorrow but more importantly, I know what I can do today. My plan is to do what I need to stay focused on the important things in life. Here's my list to get me on track and to focus on today in order to become a productive member of God's army:

  • not turn on the TV
  • avoid using the computer for long periods of time (except to write or read Blogs or for basic stuff like bill paying, and of course NO window shopping)
  • spend more time with hubby -- talking, playing games, laughing together
  • spend more time playing with my kiddo
  • read more to stimulate my brain with informative and relevant information that will feed my mind and enhance the quality of my conversations
  • take up a hobby (such as cake decorating) -- I don't really have a hobby that's why I need one
  • pray more
  • listen more, talk less
  • spend more time in the Word
  • FINALLY -- make it to the Gym!!

Feel free to challenge yourself with me and let's go on our "today" journey together and see what a difference it will make in our lives and in those around us. After all, idleness is the devil's playground so let's not give him anywhere to play. Remember, today is all we have at this very moment. We can't change the past but we can make an impact on the future with our activity today. Meet you at the gym...

Dear Heavenly Father - I pray that you help me to avoid a life of sluggish action and laziness. I pray that you help me to prioritize the things in my life so that I am productive and not idle. I want to be effective in your ministry. Equip me with the energy and the desire to pursue good things. AMEN

Application:

  • What are you putting off?
  • What kind of changes that you can make TODAY?
  • Pray that the Lord will show you the importance and impact you can make TODAY.

1 comment:

The Open Range Camping Family said...

Good list of things..mine is similar too :)