If Tomorrow Never Comes
If Tomorrow Never Comes September 15, 2024
“How do you know what will happen tomorrow? For your life is like the morning fog – it’s here a little while, then it is gone” (James 4:14 NLT).
A couple’s oldest son kills his brother in a fit of jealousy; a mother sends her son away for his own protection but dies never seeing him again; a woman gives her husband a beautiful son, but she dies in childbirth; a father receives word that his son fell in battle; a mother watches her innocent son executed for crimes he did not commit. A man stands up for what he believes and is murdered by a mob. A storm demolishes a house and kills a decent couple’s grown children who had gathered to celebrate a birthday – seven sons and three daughters.
Sounds like the evening news? Maybe, but these tragedies come from the pages of the Bible. The Bible does not sidestep the stark reality of living and dying. It does not sugar coat the raw edge of human existence as we know it.
Why do you suppose God wanted a book that sounds like the evening news in its record of humanity? First, God wants us to know He knows full well our plight and understands that life is unpredictable from our perspective. Second, God wants us to be aware of our fragile nature. The common concept of youth is that “nothing bad can happen to me.” Sorry, that’s a foolish concept. Third, God wants us to use our days wisely. “What should it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” (Matthew 16:26). Nothing matters as much as the value of a soul. If we realize we may have no more tomorrows, wouldn’t we plan for eternity? Fourth, God wants us to realize we are “sojourners” here, not permanent dwellers. “This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through” are words not only to be sung but lived – each day!
By Rob Redden (Arroyo Grande, CA)
