Facing Two
Tomorrows
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Two Tomorrows:
Earthly and heavenly
Jeff, you know that
Christian’s have been
anticipating the end of the world for
2,000 years. If every Christian
had followed Paul’s advice and
shut down their dreams and future
plans because the coming of Jesus was
near, no Christians would be on Earth
today. They would have vanished!
Notice his words: “What I
mean, brothers, is that the time is
short. From now on those who have
wives should live as if they had
none.” (1 Corinthians 7:29
– See Exodus 19:10-15.)
For 2,000 years,
Christians have been dealing with two
tomorrows in different ways. This
diversity is caused by our two
natures (spiritual and carnal) and
the influence of different
personalities. Have you heard the old
saying, “Don’t be so
heavenly – minded that you are
of no earthly good?” There is
wisdom in this axiom because, like it
or not, a productive and happy life
requires the fulfillment of a number
of earthly obligations.
How can anything of
substance be accomplished without
planning, commitment, and execution?
Hospitals, schools, universities,
business corporations, and churches
are valuable parts of society. Such
institutions can take many years to
establish. Doing good requires plans,
commitment, and labor. There is
nothing wrong with looking forward
and planning accordingly. We have to
live on Earth until Jesus comes, so
let us make the best of this
assignment! On the other hand,
we must be careful, it is one thing
to occupy until the Lord comes, and
it is another to become totally
preoccupied.
Jesus told a parable
one day. Speaking of Himself, He said
to His disciples, “A man of
noble birth went to a distant country
to have himself appointed king and
then to return. So he called ten of
his servants and gave them ten minas.
‘Put this money to work,’
he said, ‘until I come
back.’” (Luke 19:
12, 13) When the king returned, he
richly rewarded the nine servants who
had put the king’s money to
work. The parable ends when the king
confronts the servant who had
received one mina. (A mina represents
three months wages.) “Then
another servant came and said,
‘Sir, here is your mina; I have
kept it laid away in a piece of
cloth. I was afraid of you, because
you are a hard man. You take out what
you did not put in and reap what you
did not sow.’ His master
replied, ‘I will judge you by
your own words, you wicked servant!
You knew, did you, that I am a hard
man, taking out what I did not put
in, and reaping what I did not sow!
Why didn’t you put my money on
deposit, so when I came back, I could
have collected it with
interest?’ Then he said to those
standing by, ‘Take his mina away
from him and give it to the one who
has ten minas.’ ‘Sir,’
they said, ‘he already has
ten!’ He replied, ‘I tell
you that to everyone who has [been
faithful with what was given them], more
will be given, but as for one who has
nothing [to show for the money I
gave him], even what he has will
be taken away. But those enemies of
mine who did not want me to be king
over them – bring them here and
kill them in front of me.’”
(Luke 19:20-27, insertion mine)
When properly
understood, this parable speaks
volumes. Jesus has gone away to
heaven to be crowned King of kings.
He has given His followers some
assets. Some followers have been
given much and some have been given
little. The servant given one mina
became angry with the king when he
saw that the others had much and he
had little. So, the servant did not
want to serve the king. The servant
wrapped the mina in a piece of cloth
and went about his own business. When
the king confronted the servant about
his actions, the man justified
himself by saying the king was
unfair. The king had given him one
mina. The king then killed the
servant because he was unwilling to
serve the king. The moral of the
parable is elegant: If you have
received much or little, you have to
be wise and faithful stewards until
the Lord returns.
Watch for the
Providence
Providence should be
one of the cornerstones of our
relationship with Jesus. The Lord
invites us to bring our thoughts and
plans, our perplexities and goals to
Him. (Hebrew 4:26) If we walk with
the Lord, obeying His commands, He
will hear our prayers and respond
accordingly. Of course, the Lord will
not respond to our prayers if we are
rebellious. (Isaiah 1:15) We cannot
see beyond today, because we do not
know the higher plans Jesus has in
mind for us. It is a privilege to
seek the Lord and learn His plans.
The Lord will hear our prayers if we
are humble and willing to listen. The
Lord answers the prayers of every
sincere person who seeks Him with all
of his or her heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)
Therefore, after presenting your
concerns to the Lord, leave them with
Him. My prayers go something like
this: “Lord you know my
concerns. I’m not sure that I am
aware of everything that I should be
concerned about! Therefore, I am
asking you to show me the direction
that I should go. If I do not see a
providential opening before the
deadline, I will take this to mean
that I must use my best judgment. If
I respond correctly, please make your
will very clear so I cannot miss your
instruction! Whether I succeed or
fail, may your holy name be
glorified. Amen.” Each of
us needs to be on our knees each day,
requesting the Lord’s guidance
in our lives and listening for His
response.
The Book of James
There is one book in
the Bible that was written for people
facing two tomorrows. It was written
by a man who thought Jesus was soon
to return. James wrote, “Be
patient, then, brothers, until the
Lord’s coming. See how the
farmer waits for the land to yield
its valuable crop and how patient he
is for the autumn and spring rains.
You too, be patient and stand firm,
because the Lord’s coming is
near.” (James 5:7, 8)
James lived at a time
in Earth’s history when the two
tomorrows presented a tremendous
problem. All of the disciples,
including James, thought they were
living in the last days. Severe
persecution caused many of the early
believers to be destitute, so the
early Christians came together and
sold their goods and possessions to
share the proceeds with other
believers. (Acts 4:32 –
5:11) As time passed, James began to
analyze some of the problems of
living with two tomorrows and the
Holy Spirit led him to write five
short chapters. Read the book of
James in one sitting. It can be done
in less than thirty minutes.
It’s full of wisdom!!!
If James were writing
this article today, I am sure he
would close with the following
admonition: “Now listen, you
who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we
will go to this city 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 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) As
long as we live here, we have to be
responsible and take care of Earthly
matters in a way that is pleasing to
God. (1 Corinthians 10:31) Do not
forget the parable in Luke 19. We are
here to serve a king who will surely
return and He will require a return
on the money and time He has given
us. Watch for God’s providence.
Submit all your plans to the Lord and
see what He has to say. (This is an
essential cornerstone in having a
relationship with Jesus.) Our
ultimate purpose on this Earth is to
please God. God’s timing is
perfect and He will fulfill His
perfect plans. When He does, everyone
will be rewarded according to what
they have done, “…Well
done, good and faithful servant! You
have been faithful with a few things;
I will put you in charge of many
things.” (Matthew 25:21) While
you are going about the King’s
business, just remember the words of
Jesus: “So you also must be
ready, because the Son of Man will [begin
to] come at an hour when you do
not expect him.” (Matthew
24:44)
Larry Wilson
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