Weekly devotional 8-18-09 / 9-8-14 Tomorrow
The cartoon character Wimpy, a friend of Popeye the sailor, often said, “I will gladly pay you tomorrow for the hamburger I eat today.” He wanted to put off what he knew he should do. Wimpy of course was just a cartoon character, but aren’t we all in the habit of putting off until tomorrow something we know we should do today? Admittedly, there are good and logical reasons for putting off some things. However, our consideration in this work is the putting off of things that should not be postponed but done immediately. One such thing is, trusting the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. Another is that of committing of one’s self to following and serving Him.
Now, there are some who will read this devotional that do not believe that God is a reality. My prayer for you is that you soon will come to believe this before it is too late. You must understand that your non-belief does not change the truth of His reality. Jesus’ testimony was and is, “26For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works” Matthew 16:26-27 (NKJV).
For those of you who do believe that God exists but have not trusted Jesus, God’s provided Savior; I submit that there is no guarantee of a tomorrow. Your consideration may be, “I’m young and have many years ahead of me; I’ll live life as I see fit and then later on when I’m advanced in years I will trust and commit to Jesus.” Friend, there may not be a tomorrow for you. Consider the parable of the rich young fool, “16 The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.’ 19And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.’ 20But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’” (Luke 12:16-20 NKJV).
Don’t let the end of days come to you without having accepted Jesus as your Savior. The Apostle Peter in his second sermon to the Jews after the resurrection of Jesus said, “12Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12 NKJV). Without having come to trust Jesus as your Savior you are just as lost as those who don’t accept God’s reality.
To those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior but have not made Him Lord of their lives saying, “I will get serious with Him tomorrow”; what makes you think you have a tomorrow? There are no guarantees of such. Consider the parable of just and unjust steward. “42And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? 43Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. 45But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, 46the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. 47And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more” (Luke 12:42-48 NKJV).
Granted, this parable is concerned with the second coming of Jesus, but the truth that we are to consider is that the just steward was expecting his master to return soon, perhaps that day. The unjust steward however, did not expect his master to return for some time; perhaps several days or even many years later thinking that he had time to straighten out his act, so to speak. One was rewarded for his service, while the other was not only reprimanded, but suffered great loss.
We Christians are called into service the day we are regenerated, not to begin the so called service tomorrow. We are to immediately take up our cross (Matthew 16:24) and follow Jesus.
stevelampman@comcast.net stevelampman.com
Transforming Power; The Work of God on Behalf of Man
www.gbchurch.us