You Might Not Be Here Tomorrow

Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions." (Luke 12:13-15 NIV)

So much of our days are driven by money.  In our country, we've come to equate "the pursuit of happiness" with "the pursuit of property."  John Locke would have considered it an inalienable right.  Why shouldn't we?  It shouldn't surprise us, then, that even in the first century Jesus is often questioned about power and money. His response is simple:  What good will all your money do if you are not here tomorrow?

And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry."' "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' "This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God." (Luke 12:16-21 NIV)

Living for today is not about being able to "eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow you may die."  Living for today is about realizing that at the end of the day you may be giving account to God for your day...and every day of your life.  Live today as though tonight you will be meeting your maker and discussing your life.  What will He consider important?  What will He think of your choices?  What will He say about your life?

Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? (Luke 12:22-26 NIV)

We have no control over whether or not we have a tomorrow.  We have no control over whether or not we have the rest of today.  We always have control over our thoughts, words, and deeds.  We always have control over whether or not our choices Glorify God.  So...what will you choose?  You might not be here tomorrow.