Weekend Preview – What if we started today?
By Matt Dawson
“carpe diem, quam minimum credula poster” = Seize today, put very little trust in tomorrow (the future)
Most of us have heard this “war cry” before. Usually shouted before someone jumps out of a plane or off a cliff or before attempting some other reckless act of impulse and possibly foolishness.
However, James, the brother of Jesus, gives us a stern warning to be careful NOT to put our hope or plans in “tomorrow.”
“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
What is my life? Just a MIST that appears for a while….thanks James! You were really quite the encourager!
The truth is, many of us put off till tomorrow what we are called to do today.
We allow the tyranny of the urgent and the assumption of tomorrow to distract us and derail us from taking action on some of our “What if” questions God has given us.
This Sunday, we’re asking the most challenging “What if?” question of the series. What if we started today?
BONUS – several folks have mentioned this clip to me from Steve Harvey, so I wanted to share it with you. He comes at this conversation from a bit of a different angle, but the core message is the same and Steve even finds a way to insert God into the conversation. Everyone has to JUMP!