After a long day of driving and meetings, I arrived at church fifteen minutes early last evening, something quite unusual, while my husband arrived just on time or even a little late, something quite unusual.  In my fifteen minutes of waiting for our class to begin discussion of the next chapter, a family friend and I enjoyed a chat.  After some small-talk, we turned toward a topic of great significance—the timing of our lives.

This family friend worked a total of fifty years (37 for the federal government & thirteen part-time years after retiring from her full-time career).  She worked a full life-time to say the least.  In asking her if she wished to return to work, her answer was quick in coming.  “NO!  She replied with a smile.”  It is a truth;  we can settle down into whatever phase of life we find ourselves living within at the moment.  Nevertheless, it is God’s truth—We Just Do Not Know What Today Brings, Much Less Tomorrow!

• Just this week, my husband purchased a hay-wagon because he sees what he hopes the future might bring.
• Just yesterday, I attended a retirement recognition for five professors and two staff members.  In asking Stan what he hopes to find himself doing next year, he replied, “I will teach a few classes part-time and attend doctor appointments.  It’s come to that.”
• Just yesterday, I drove from that faculty/staff recognition to a “think-tank” meeting that looked specifically at what’s working now and what needs to happen in the future to meet the needs of our current & future students.
• Just yesterday, our Wednesday night class discussed the “why” God saw a need to give us His Word to guide our daily lives.

The truth found when asking life-questions always comes to the same answer—We Do Not Know What Tomorrow Brings.  Truth be told—We Do Not Know the Outcome of What Today Will Bring.

But We Know WHO Does!

Last week, I shared a conversation with an unbeliever about the predestination of God & about the way God gives us our own will & about how we should trust God—in all parts of our lives.

• We can do, OR we CANNOT DO—so much!
• We can believe in God’s existence, OR we can choose to NOT believe in God!
• We can seek to live for God, OR we can choose to NOT follow God’s will!
• We can pray without ceasing OR NOT!
• We can pray, asking God for healing for our physical bodies, OR we can choose to NOT!
• We can trust God in His leading, in His direction, & in His protection OR NOT!
• We can witness to those who remain lost, OR we can choose to not be led by the Holy Spirit!
• We can testify to the world how God saved our souls, OR we can walk through every day close-mouthed!
• We can prepare for our retirement plans, OR we can live in today!
• We can prepare for our future in heaven, OR we can sit & DO NOTHING as we wait for another today!
• We can live with our future heavenly home in our mind, OR we live only for our earthly home in our mind– today!
• We can love out loud OR NOT!
• We can care about those who surround us OR NOT!
• We can live for today, OR we can be consumed with our tomorrow!
• We can boast that we will do this or that, but we just don’t really know if God will grant us a tomorrow!

• We Do Not Know the Outcome of What Today Will Bring.
• BUT WE DO KNOW WHO HOLDS TODAY!
• We Do Not Know the Outcome of What Tomorrow Will Bring.
• BUT WE DO KNOW WHO HOLDS TOMORROW!
• We Do Know in Whom We Should Trust.
• WE DO KNOW WHO SHOULD GUIDE OUR EVERY STEP!