God made the night and he made the day. We have only one of these to worry about at a time: the one we are living in. Christ spoke to us encouragingly, telling us not to worry about anything else.
Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. ~Matthew 6:34
Now if we aren't to worry about any other day and if Christ's return is imminent and we don't know what day he will return, then today is the best day you have. And it will always be that way.
Part of being thankful for what we've been given is using it to the best of our ability. Whether we use the day for joy or grit, let it be filled to the brim with nothing lacking. As it says:
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. ~Ephesians 5:15-17
But if you live constantly taking for granted the kindness of God (which is the days we have left before Christ's return) then you might find yourself spreading your life thin because you think to yourself you can do this or that on any other day. And this mentality is wasteful. For as James says here:
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. ~James 4:13-14
Then he says,
As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. ~James 4:16-17
This mentality of taking for granted tomorrow is a two folded problem. One, you are boasting in arrogance, taking for granted the things which are given ahead of the time that they've been given. Then, you are not necessarily accomplishing the things which God has given for you to do in that day, today. This is why James transitioned into saying "whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." It is because each day is to be filled to the brim with what you are able to accomplish that day. Letting the day go by is sin.
Sometimes the day can be a daunting challenge but this is why we entrust ourselves in the Lord and put our best foot forward. Just as Joab made battle plans so also do we make our daily plans. We say, "I will accomplish as much as can be accomplished and work, and the Lord will do what seems good to him." Read 1 Chronicles 19 and see how Joab made his battle plans.
This is the key to the day: each day is a gift. And instead of seeking to return it or putting it up on the mantelpiece we ought to use it! It's funny how we actually create less for ourselves to do in the day on the very basis of our planning for many days. We say we will accomplish so many things across the week or the month and actually, if we lived each day doing what we can in that day, we would accomplish more than what we planned for ourselves in the entire week. It's this principle which stands:
Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you. ~Proverbs 3:28
Let us be a people marked with readiness. We will train ourselves to be ready by being good stewards of the only day we've been given. Every day that goes by is a new challenge to accomplish the day itself. Making the day accomplished is the reason why we do today, what we thought we would do tomorrow.
Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. ~Matthew 6:34
Now if we aren't to worry about any other day and if Christ's return is imminent and we don't know what day he will return, then today is the best day you have. And it will always be that way.
Part of being thankful for what we've been given is using it to the best of our ability. Whether we use the day for joy or grit, let it be filled to the brim with nothing lacking. As it says:
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. ~Ephesians 5:15-17
But if you live constantly taking for granted the kindness of God (which is the days we have left before Christ's return) then you might find yourself spreading your life thin because you think to yourself you can do this or that on any other day. And this mentality is wasteful. For as James says here:
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. ~James 4:13-14
Then he says,
As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. ~James 4:16-17
This mentality of taking for granted tomorrow is a two folded problem. One, you are boasting in arrogance, taking for granted the things which are given ahead of the time that they've been given. Then, you are not necessarily accomplishing the things which God has given for you to do in that day, today. This is why James transitioned into saying "whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." It is because each day is to be filled to the brim with what you are able to accomplish that day. Letting the day go by is sin.
Sometimes the day can be a daunting challenge but this is why we entrust ourselves in the Lord and put our best foot forward. Just as Joab made battle plans so also do we make our daily plans. We say, "I will accomplish as much as can be accomplished and work, and the Lord will do what seems good to him." Read 1 Chronicles 19 and see how Joab made his battle plans.
This is the key to the day: each day is a gift. And instead of seeking to return it or putting it up on the mantelpiece we ought to use it! It's funny how we actually create less for ourselves to do in the day on the very basis of our planning for many days. We say we will accomplish so many things across the week or the month and actually, if we lived each day doing what we can in that day, we would accomplish more than what we planned for ourselves in the entire week. It's this principle which stands:
Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you. ~Proverbs 3:28
Let us be a people marked with readiness. We will train ourselves to be ready by being good stewards of the only day we've been given. Every day that goes by is a new challenge to accomplish the day itself. Making the day accomplished is the reason why we do today, what we thought we would do tomorrow.