My oldest son lives a day ahead of most of us. By that I mean that every day it’s “tomorrow I go to Linda’s house” (even though he’s only been there once), or “tomorrow I work with Mark, and play with his computer” (which computer, if it exists, probably needs someone to play with it, since it’s a cinch Mark doesn’t). At least twice a day I have to sing the opening phrase of my son’s favorite non-church song, “Tomorrow” from the play Annie. He needs to know that the sun will, indeed, come out tomorrow. But then, my son is retarded, or, to be politically correct, mentally challenged.
Unfortunately, we have a number of Christians who could be called spiritually retarded, because they also live a day ahead. They ignore Jesus admonition that “sufficient to the day is the evil thereof.” (Matt 6:34)
The real problem with the attitude that says the sun will come out tomorrow, though, is that it leads to a faulty attitude about life in general. To be more specific, it leads to a faulty attitude about the end of life as we know it. The Christian attitude should be that I don’t know whether the sun will come out tomorrow, so I had better live today as if it is my last.
Peter reminds us of the danger of living as if tomorrow will always come.
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, 'Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.' For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which now are , by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. (2 Pe 3:3-7)The “tomorrow attitude” is that of the scoffers and the willfully ignorant.
Peter goes on to say that the world will end unexpectedly, the end coming “as a thief in the night.” His conclusion is that, since the sun may not come out tomorrow, “what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God? . . . Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” (2 Pe 3:11-12, 14)
I don’t want to be called retarded, or a scoffer, or willfully ignorant. I need to start living as if there will be no tomorrow. I know I should change my attitude. Maybe I’ll start changing — tomorrow.