We Might Not Be Here Tomorrow

We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet Him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 NLT)

You're not the only one who might not be here tomorrow.  Your spouse might not be here.  Your parents, siblings, children, and/or grandchildren may not be here tomorrow either.  There may not be a "here" tomorrow.  There will be a day when everything around us is burned up and a new heaven and a new earth are restored.  Your house, your car, your computer, your smartphone and any other possessions you have amassed in your lifetime are only good for one thing: kindling.

Now concerning how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters, we don't really need to write you. For you know quite well that the day of the Lord's return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. When people are saying, "Everything is peaceful and secure," then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman's labor pains begin. And there will be no escape. (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 NLT)

The idea of an "end of the world" may not sound very good to you, but it's true.  We just don't know when it will happen.  It could happen...now.

But you aren't in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won't be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don't belong to darkness and night. (1 Thessalonians 5:4-5 NLT)

Well...we're still here.  The moment of His return hasn't happened yet.  But the moment will come.  So, how will you live in light of the fact that there may not be a tomorrow here in this life?

So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation. For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out His anger on us. Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when He returns, we can live with Him forever. So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:6-11 NLT)

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.

You Might Not Be Here

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. (James 4:13-14 NIV)

It's difficult to think about it, but you might not be here tomorrow.  Yesterday's services, "You might not finish this service," reminded us that our lives are fleeting and may not last past the hour.  If you knew your life wasn't going to last past the hour, the day, or the week; would it change how you spent that time?

I had a friend who would remind me on a regular basis that, "Life is priority.  Life is perspective."  Would your priorities change if you knew you were not going to live past the hour?  How would they change?  How would you use the time?

Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. (James 4:15-16 NIV)

Life is a gift.  Our time is intended to be a stewardship, a temporary residence, and an opportunity to bring God's Kingdom here.  When we get "there," nothing else that we do will matter.  The amount of money we make, the things that we buy, and the places we've seen all will disappear.  We can't take any of it with us.  The only thing we leave behind is our legacy.

If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them. (James 4:17 NIV)

What will your legacy look like?  Are you building a legacy that honors God and brings more people to Him?  When it outlasts you, will God smile?  Will you look "down" from heaven and smile, too?