We spend so much time worrying about those things over which we have little or no control and so little time doing the things which we can do to insure the future. We have no real control over the length of life, but tremendous opportunities to provide for the quality of the life we have.
Jesus spoke to his listeners from the mountain concerning this very matter. "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" (Matthew 6:27). His conclusion is, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34).
Still, we continue to allow the anxieties of those things we cannot control draw from us the energy we need to enjoy the productive life that we could have.
We always seem to concern ourselves with predicting our own future. And we are seldom, if ever, accurate! Again, James addresses the plans for the coming day this way:
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. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that" (James 4:13-15).
James' words give us an interesting commentary on the words of Jesus. It is not a matter of being thoughtless about tomorrow, but rather we are to keep things in proper perspective. The rule then is this: Be free from anxiety by trusting God to oversee the matters of your life. And even when making the everyday plans for an orderly life, remember that you are always in the will of God. The most significant matter is to always be willing to live in the Father's will!
So, for today, determine what you can do that will last forever. Don't put that matter off. One of the best ways to be free from anxiety is to not only know that you are in the hands of God, but to be certain that you are prepared to meet Him face to face. After all, there is no tomorrow, there is just today.
