Matthew 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
How often as we race toward our plans for tomorrow, do we run past God’s plan for us today?
Matthew 6:34 instructs us to take no thought for tomorrow, yet if we are transparent, our minds are constantly occupied with tomorrow.
Companies like Day-Timer, Evernote and Sunrise have all been started with the sole purpose of helping us plan our tomorrows. And we plan, schedule and organize with relentless passion as we look for the opportunities that tomorrow will bring.
The greatest danger we face in being consumed with tomorrow, is that we risk running past the “today” that God has planned for us.
When we are focused on tomorrow we may miss our moment – sometimes God’s plan for our today is to bring the opportunity to us. Our vision for what tomorrow may bring may begin with who is standing in front of us at this moment. A wise pastor once told his students, “Our interruptions are our ministry.”
That text message, phone call, or smiling face standing in the doorway could very well be a divinely created moment in our day. Don’t let the future rob us of the moments that God brings into our lives.
When we are focused on the future we miss our purpose – most of our plans for the future have to do with change. It may be a change in our appearance, a promotion, a new skill, or countless other changes that we perceive as bringing value to our lives.
Reality is that most of those plans will never come to pass, they will remain where they are right now – in the future. Our purpose is here; it is in the today that God has planned for us. His desire is for us to be the change He has planned!
When we are focused on the future we miss our mission – the last portion of Matthew 6:34 says, “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Our mission is not tomorrow – tomorrow is God’s to plan.
Ministry takes place in the here and now today with the people who God places in our path, people who are hurting, people who are discouraged, people who have given up on both today and tomorrow.
For many of them our ministry today of an encouraging word, a touch of comfort or a random act of kindness can restore hope that was lost.
It’s possible that today, you are a part of God’s plan for someone else’s tomorrow! What will you do with the moments, the purpose and the mission that God has for you TODAY?