Today

Written for chapel at Western Christian High School on 2/11/21, the ten year anniversary of Trisha’s death.

Chapel Topic: Pastor Greg Laurie's devotional: The Most Dangerous Word in Our Language. He identifies the word tomorrow as that dangerous word, because many of us live as if tomorrow is guaranteed.

>>>>>>>>

“Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 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. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” - James 4:13-15 NIV

When you’re seventeen, it’s easy to feel like you’re invincible, or that all your plans will come to pass simply because you want them to. It’s easy to forget about God’s will for your life. It’s easy to not think about Heaven so much.

Ten years ago today when I turned seventeen, I drove to Western and found out that one of my best friends was killed in a car accident on her way to school. It was a Friday morning, and just the day before, in 7th period Church History class, we had made our plans for the weekend. Plans for that day in school, plans to go out for supper together. Plans to sing in her church on Sunday together with the rest of the Chambers. Is it wrong for the Christian to make plans for their life here on this earth? Of course not! God calls us to be responsible stewards in the earth; to live responsibly with the time and money and talents He’s blessed us with. Often that involves looking to the future and careful planning. But tomorrow is not a guarantee. The next breath you draw, even the next beat of your heart is not a guarantee. It’s so easy to take every single moment of our lives for granted, to spend our days storing up treasures here on earth without once glancing up on high to where He is, to where our eternal home awaits.

“Tomorrow I’ll commit to a better devotional routine and a better prayer life, just not tonight.”

“Tomorrow I’ll try to be a better friend to that classmate who needs it, but not today.” “Tomorrow I’ll give 100% at practice… I’m just not feeling it today.”

“Tomorrow I’ll start acting in forgiveness toward the person that hurt me... I’m going to let them feel bad about it for one more night.”

"Tomorrow I'll say sorry for the things I said, but not today."

We are so often careless or reckless with this precious gift called time, because it’s easy to feel that it’s ours for the spending. But our time here on earth belongs to God. He created us and is sovereign over every moment of our lives. The most important thing we can do here on this earth is to live for His glory; to use every breath we take to glorify His name. Because any breath could be the last one we draw. Because all that truly matters in this life and the next is that we live for Him. Though our lives are just as fleeting as the morning fog… there one moment and gone the next, it STILL MATTERS how we live! That we live in thankfulness for our salvation and keep our eyes on Heaven as we walk here on earth. We need to hold tightly to the things of Heaven while being ready to go there at any moment. In this too, we see the comfort. What do we have to fear if tomorrow is held in the hands of our Heavenly Father? He tells us in Romans 8 that every smallest detail of His will is meant for our good, so even if tomorrow holds unspeakable tragedy, we need not fear.

No, tomorrow is not guaranteed. Tomorrow you might open your eyes in His throne room. So TODAY, look up. TODAY, think on Heaven and on the Lord and Savior who lives there, praying for you every day. TODAY say a prayer of thanks for your salvation. TODAY show His love to others through your words and actions and gifts. Use every moment of time He gives you to bring glory to His name, until at last you stand in the light of His glory in eternity, knowing that whether you’ve been there ten years or ten thousand, you’ll have no less days to sing His praise than when you first begun.