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 (ESV)
Scripture: Matthew 6
God has told us in His Word that He wants us to focus on today, not tomorrow. But would that mean we could miss the narrow gate? This devotion looks at the connection of living for today and living for tomorrow.
Nuggets
- God wants us to focus what He is doing in our lives today.
- We have to figure out how He wants us to live, leading to growing in Him.
- We are supposed to focus on God’s kingdom first.
- If we are trying to live a holy life for today, that will help us for living for His return tomorrow.
- Jesus wants us to be evaluating the signs for His return.
When I was writing a post for the What It Mean to Be a Believer? series, the question flirted through my mind as to whether we as disciples of Christ should live for today or for tomorrow. Let’s see what the Bible says.
Live for Today
There are several verses that tell us to focus on today. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Mt. 6: 34 ESV). God knows how hard this life is going to be.
Uncertainty in Life
God wants us to focus what He is doing in our lives today. Matthew 6: 25 says, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life — whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?” (NLT). God is going to provide what we need. “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4: 19 ESV).
That is a good thing because tomorrow doesn’t have any guarantees. “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring” (Prov. 27: 1 ESV). In fact, we aren’t even guaranteed there will be a tomorrow. “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” (Jas. 4: 14 ESV).
So, we are to focus on today but not worry about it. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6 ESV). God has this.
Focus on Living Right
But we’re supposed to do something, right? No, we don’t have to make any changes to get salvation. But He doesn’t want us to stay the way we are, right?
To read
Do We Have to Clean Up Our Acts to Get Salvation?
and
God Meets Us Where We Are,
click on the appropriate button below.
No, God doesn’t want us to stay where we are. Second Peter 3: 18 says, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ …” (ESV). We have to figure out how He wants us to live. That will mean growing in Him.
How are we supposed to do that? First Chronicles 16: 11 says, “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!” (ESV). We seek to learn how He wants us to live.
One way we are is to live is to not conform to the world (Rom. 12: 2). We recently talked about this in another devotion.
To read What Are the Patterns of the World?, click the button below.
So, how are we to live? Philippians 4: 8-9 says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (ESV).
We do this by following Colossians 3: 12-14. “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Col. 3: 12-14 ESV).
We are called to follow God today. “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Ps. 118: 24 ESV). Today is enough.
Live for Tomorrow
But are we just supposed to focus on today? Do we not give any thought to tomorrow? We have to think about tomorrow.
Priority Is God’s Kingdom
We are supposed to focus on God’s kingdom first — which we will be doing if we are putting priority on living the life God wants us to live today. Matthew 6: 33 says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (ESV).
Paul put it this way: “You have been raised to life with Christ, so set your hearts on the things that are in heaven, where Christ sits on his throne at the right side of God. Keep your minds fixed on things there, not on things here on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3: 1-3). Our focus should be upward.
Our focus has to be upward. If we are just focusing on this life, what we create will be for nothing. Matthew 6: 19-20 says, “Don’t store up treasures on earth! Moths and rust can destroy them, and thieves can break in and steal them. Instead, store up your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy them, and thieves cannot break in and steal them” (CEV).
Live a Holy Life
If we are trying to live a holy life for today, that will help us for living for His return tomorrow. Matthew 7: 13-14 says, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (NIV).
To read Will Being Kind to Others Get Us into Heaven?, click the button below.
Sounds like we really need to pay attention to make sure we hit the narrow gate, doesn’t it? If we are not paying attention to the lives we are living today, we might be heading down a path that doesn’t lead to the gate.
That is especially true when we remember Galatians 6: 7-8. “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (ESV). If the life today is the sowing and the life tomorrow is the reaping, they really are interconnected.
Matthew 16: 26 puts it all into perspective. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” (Mt. 16: 26 ESV). If we equate daily living with the world (because that is where we are) and heaven with the soul (because we will be changed to a spiritual body) — and don’t have the connection — we are up a creek with no boat or paddle. We will be swamped.
Watch for Jesus’ Return
We have talked in a previous devotion about what Jesus meant when He told us to watch. Jesus wants us to actively be alert. He wants us to be continuously on guard.
To read What Did Jesus Mean When He Said Watch?, click the button below.
Jesus wants us to be evaluating the signs for His return. No, He doesn’t want us to pick a day and time. He would rather we focus on being prepared for His return. He doesn’t want us to fall for impostors claiming to be Him.
To read
What Are the End Time Signs?
and
Will Jesus Come in Secret?,
click on the appropriate button below.
Again, that means we have to focus on the daily life, not just the tomorrow life. But that will get us to the tomorrow life in good shape. They are connected.
Why are they so connected? Because “… our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” (Phil. 3: 20-21 NLT). We are citizens there but wait here.
How Do We Apply This?
In order to live for today and live for tomorrow, we need to live by God’s laws and commandments. That is what we will be living by after Jesus’ return. That is what God calls us to live by now.
It is that simple. No, it isn’t easy to live by God’s standards in today’s world.
We have to pray for strength and discernment to keep the focus where it should be — on God.
Sovereign God. You have called us to live by Your laws and commandments. That will be easy when You have called us home and changed us to our spiritual bodies. Lord, that is challenging when we are still locked in this human body. Help us to know Your commandments. Help us to keep them. Help us to resist Satan as he tries to get us to break them. We look forward to Your blessings as we grow closer to You. Amen.
What do you think? Do you focus more on living for today or living for tomorrow? What do you need to focus on in order to live for today ad tomorrow?
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