“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34).
“…whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (James 4:14).
I feel both of these verses are strong calls to faith, not advice to live an unplanned life with a “Don’t worry, be happy” attitude. The Bible doesn’t speak out against prudence, against proper stewardship or the using of gifts and talents in a God honoring way. To live your life day to day without any planning seems wrong: we have responsibilities to take care of ourselves and others in our care.
Spouses, children, parents, neighbors, others in our local Body (or in the Body around the world) who are in need. Without planning and stewardship we would never have the resources, the time, the talent and the treasure to meet those needs and fulfill those responsibilities because we would have wasted all three, leaving nothing left with which to provide.
The provision God makes in our lives we are to use prudently and obediently, following His will and showing the love of Christ to others, especially to family and our church family.
Those two verses are a strong call to faith because they are calls to not worry about the future. The Lord has it in hand, and the Lord provides for His children. As a faithful child of God, there is nothing to worry about. If you have read the book of Revelation, you know things gets very bad but that the Body of Christ is protected from the worst, and we win in the end because we will be standing by Christ and He wins.
But remember that the Lord has given us abundant provision today and He expects us to use it wisely. Planning for the future is not an unwise use of resources as long as you are not ignoring today. The advice of those two verses is not to worry about the future, not to obsess on it or paralyze yourself in the present.
In the total scheme of things, our lifespans on earth are an insignificant passage of time in regards to eternity, without Jesus to bring us into eternity in God’s presence we are nothing more than a wisp, a vapor or a mist passing quickly. It is an abiding faith in Jesus now that allows us to trust in Him and not worry about the future.
Plan to marry? Sure go ahead. Want to start and raise a family? Nothing wrong with that. Build a career that allows you to provide for that family? Okay by me. But what if you marry and your spouse and you do not have a relationship centered in Christ? Should you raise children without teaching them about Jesus so they one day they hopefully will seek a life following Him as well?
Why build a career if it is not done in a God honoring way so that what He does through you glorifies His name? Outside of Christ, all you do is reserved for fire and will burn up leaving nothing but smoke and ash, nothing precious and enduring in the eyes of the Lord. These things require some level of planning ahead but only make sense if you are a Christ follower and using what He has given you to glory the name of God.
And if that is what you are doing, the worry about the future fades into the background because your eyes, your heart, soul and mind are focused on Jesus. Loving Jesus and living for Him leaves no time for worry but plenty to serve and worship Him, using the gifts and provision He has placed into your life.
To a follower of Jesus, tomorrow is not a worry because it becomes the time when you are one day closer to spending eternity in the physical presence of God.
Andy Coticchio
Rafter Cross Ministries