Tomorrow?

A little over 15 years ago I was sitting in the plush conference room of an attorney who was being paid $100/hour to do some work for us. He was probably around 42 years old at the time. We began to discuss church and he told me that he used to be a deacon in a prominent church in town but had grown disillusioned with church quarrels and such, so he wasn't attending very much at that time. So I asked him "the question". I said, "If you were to die today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven?" We talked about salvation and the gospel of Jesus Christ for the next thirty minutes as the files on the table lay untouched. He told me it had been many years since someone had engaged him in a conversation about the things of God and of eternity.

I could tell he was touched that I had been willing to talk to him about things that really mattered. It wasn't easy to take the step of faith to start a spiritual conversation with him. He was a successful professional, and I was only a poor student at the time. The setting was a bit intimidating from my perspective. He was in his element, and I was completely dependent upon his advice and expertise. But God enabled me at the time to dare to enter into forbidden territory. I felt good about the encounter.

Our family moved to another town and about 3-4 months later I called the attorney's office to ask some questions about legal matters. I asked the receptionist if I could speak with our attorney on the phone. The attorney's partner answered instead. He said, "Didn't you hear about him? He died of a heart attack on the golf course 3 months ago." I was shocked. Then I thought back to our conversation and wondered if this man was ready to meet God when he died. I realized how critical it was that I spoke up about Christ when I had the opportunity. James 4:13-14 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away."

No one knows if they will see tomorrow come. The unbeliever does not know, and therefore ought to begin seriously seeking God immediately. The believer does not know if tomorrow will come either. When we have an opportunity to witness and tell others about the best news the world has ever known, then we ought to step out in faith and speak up about our faith. We don't know if we will ever have "tomorrow" with that person. I wonder how differently we would all live if we didn't presume upon tomorrow.

If you are not certain that you know the Lord and have eternal life then listen to Isaiah the prophet: "Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon." (Is. 55:6,7)

If you are a believer and you are certain about the eternal destiny of your own soul, listen to Colossians 4:5-6 "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."