Tomorrow, Today Will Be Yesterday

“Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:34)

Someone asked why when Jesus taught us to pray He didn’t include praying for tomorrow’s bread. The response was, “He didn’t want us to have stale bread.”

The importance of living in a day-tight compartment is important and can’t be overstated. We must learn from yesterday, live for today, and hope for tomorrow.

A.A. Milne said it well, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why we call it the Present.”

Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, said, “Know the true value of time: snatch it, seize it, enjoy it; no idleness, no laziness, no procrastination. Never put off until tomorrow what you can put off today.”

I would like to add a spinoff to that: “Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today, you may enjoy it so much you will want to do it again tomorrow.”

Plan your schedule. If you don’t, others who don’t know your priorities will do it for you. You should know more about your priorities than anyone. If the one who knows the most about your priorities doesn’t budget the time for achieving your goals, somebody who knows less will.

To safeguard your priorities you must realize “no” is often a good answer. Therefore, learn to show some teeth when you say no. A smile always helps.

Prioritize each item you want to achieve in the order of importance so when the day is over if anything is left, it will have been crowded out by items of more importance.

An item of great importance is your time alone with the Lord. So, you don’t have time to do it! A simple solution is to set your alarm clock 15 minutes earlier to do it. It can set your mood and equip you for the tasks of the day. Read a brief passage of Scripture, meditate on it, and pray. It is that simple. 

The “present” is our only reality. Yesterday and tomorrow exist only in our thoughts. Our present is the only day we have in which to achieve anything.

Without a knowledge of its background we have become familiar with a vibrant passage: “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24) Repeat it to yourself often.

That was a song sung by the ancient Jews as they did a little jig on their way to the temple. The day of the coming of Messiah was referenced by the term “this is the day.” They were rejoicing over the coming of Messiah. Our rejoicing is made all the more possible today by the day of His coming.

Remember, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why we call it the Present.” Consider today a present from the Lord, and cherish it.

Git ‘er done — today.