Memories of Tomorrow

According to the Twentieth Century Unabridged Dictionary, the word radical carries many meanings depending on its usage.  In politics, it means to advocate for extreme reformation in government or social conditions by overturning and changing the existing state of things.  I think that’s a pretty good definition of what should happen in a person’s life, mind, soul and spirit after professing faith in Christ as Lord and Savior.  Why?

Because, with salvation, life suddenly switches from being all about me to how can I serve the Lord and bring glory to Christ Jesus in all that I say and do?  To be sure, that is a pretty tall order, radical if you will, even for the most devout and dedicated.  Nevertheless, it does become our purpose in life after we have laid all trust and hope in his hands. 

But we shy away from the word radical, I think, because with all the political and  religious strife fouling the world these days we do not want to be associated with fanaticism, violence, death and misery.

Yet, radical devotion to God is exactly what he desires.  He desires radical devotion to him in this moment, in what we do with this moment.  He wants us to learn that what we do with this moment influences who we are tomorrow.  Our allegiance to him should be so radical that we feel the same insult for his honor a small boy shepherd felt deeply enough to die for when Goliath mocked God and his people.  Our passion for God should be so irrational that we, like Daniel, will enter a lion's den to prove his protection.  Stephen could have lived had he kept silent about Christ, yet the stones flew.  Is there a more radical example of the conviction that what we do today matters tomorrow, than our Lord going willingly to the cross?

In a way, God gives us a responsibility with our salvation.  And that responsibility is to always remember tomorrow.  Not fretting, or morbidly dwelling on tomorrow, but remembering we face tomorrow what we do today.  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego would not bow to the idol because they knew that today and tomorrow are inseparable in God's eyes.  It was not possible for them to fake idol worship today and carry on tomorrow as if they had not shamed themselves before God the day before.  What they did today mattered to them tomorrow-to eternity.

So think on this for a moment.  Remembering tomorrow acts as a check on every decision we make today.  Why else do we distract and numb ourselves in various ways when we fall short, other than we hope to forget tomorrow.  We are without choice in this matter, however, for within hours the sun does rise, we do face yesterday and we will look back on each of our yesterdays with either sorrow or satisfaction.  So the right choice for the Christian is living radically wholehearted for God today so that we can be satisfied tomorrow with all of our yesterdays.      

As Always, In Christ,   David M. Cornell    GOD MOMENTS