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Today Or Tomorrow We Will Series
Contributed by Steve Shepherd on Jun 2, 2012 (message contributor)
Summary: James gives us the proper perspective for life. 1- Don’t be quick to make plans in life 2- Recognize how quickly life disappears 3- Seek the Lord’s will in all things 4- Acknowledge the sin of doing nothing
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INTRO.- Today or tomorrow. Well, what about today and tomorrow? What are you going to do today? And tomorrow?
Hopefully, on the Lord’s Day you will always make it priority to worship the Lord with the Lord’s people wherever they assemble. And personally speaking, I think many Christians really miss on some great worship services by not attending while they are on vacation. Many Christians just skip church entirely when they are on vacation. They skip giving and they skip worship, but they are the losers.
I have attended some very good worship services by attending while on vacation.
ILL.- Twice I ran the Grandma’s marathon in Duluth, MN, and both times I attended a different church. One was an Evangelical Free Church (which I knew little about) and they had communion every Sunday just like we do and it was a very good service. Another time was 1990, I attended a service at a General Baptist Church and I remember that service as being outstanding even though we didn’t observe the Lord’s Supper. I was greeted warmly, made to feel at home, and the worship service was great with a great sermon. I WAS BLESSED.
I think any time you go to church, seeking the Lord in a church that preaches Christ you will be blessed in some form!
Acts 2:42 “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
Acts 20:7 “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.”
These two scriptures should tell the story about our lives when it comes to Sunday or the Lord’s Day.
Today and tomorrow. What are you going to do tomorrow? Here is what we should do every day. What we all should do.
Col. 3:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
Christianity is or should be a 24/7 relationship. We should live it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And every day should be a day in which we seek to bring glory to God in some way.
We are here for Him! We were created for His glory. God gives us life, breath, every good and perfect gift, and the grand prize of eternal life with no pain, no sorrow, no sin, no shame, etc. Is it then asking too much to live for His glory in this life?
PROP.- James gives us the proper perspective for life.
1- Don’t be quick to make plans in life
2- Recognize how quickly life disappears
3- Seek the Lord’s will in all things
4- Acknowledge the sin of doing nothing
I. DON’T BE QUICK TO MAKE PLANS IN LIFE
13 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.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life?
Are you planner? Most folks are to some extent. Although there are some people who take off on a driving vacation and only have a general idea or direction of where they are going. Are you like that? I prefer to plan where I’m going. I don’t like sudden surprises and particularly when they are not good surprises.
Regardless of whether we are vacation planners or not, we need to be planners in life. We need to plan the direction in which we are heading in life.
Today and tomorrow we will go here or there, get in some kind of business and make some money. IS THAT HOW YOU PLANNED YOUR WORK LIFE? It’s doubtful. I’m sure you had more specific plans in life for making a life and making a living.
ILL.- I left Ozark Christian College in 1969 without finishing and getting a degree. Why? Because I was eager to preach or get involved in a preaching ministry. I felt the urgency of doing the Lord’s work so I left and moved to Iowa for my first so-called full time ministry. It was a small church of about 50 people in a small town of about 500 people. WOW! Was that an education!
I made $75 a week and lived in an old church parsonage which was next door to the church house.
I did not enter the ministry to make money. I entered the ministry to concentrate on serving the Lord anyway I could.What about you? There is nothing wrong with making plans to get an education and try to get a decent job in order to make a living or a life. The problem is when we zero in on only making a living or making money. Making money is a major goal in life and many people have done that in life.