Each Day Its Own
I was reading the book of Leviticus this morning and came across a verse that caught my attention. I am the type that writes in my Bible, so I underlined this verse to make sure it stands out to me in the future.
“ ‘Now as for the flesh of the sacrifice of his thanksgiving peace offerings, it shall be eaten on the day of his offering; he shall not leave any of it over until morning.” (Leviticus 7:15, NASB95)
This verse caught my attention because it reminded me of another verse…
“ “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34, NASB95)
And this verse reminded me of others…
“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” ” (James 4:13–15, NASB95)
Okay, I know this might seem weird to you, but here is what I think the Lord was speaking to my heart this morning.
In the first passage, God gave instructions for how they were to come to Him when their hearts were full of thanksgiving for His provision, protection, and presence. They could bring a sacrifice that would be roasted and then eaten in community with the priest after giving to God the portion that was prescribed by law. If they made this voluntary offering, there were still rules to be followed. The most important was that they were to eat the meat of the offering on the same day it was offered. Other offerings could be eaten the next day, but not this one. Each day had its own blessings and you could not coax God into providing more by sacrificing in advance, and you could not rest on the victories of yesterday.
In the next passage, Jesus taught His disciples in the Sermon on the Mount not to worry about what they will eat, drink, or wear because God knows what they need and can be counted on to provide what they needed. They were not to spend all of their time worried about what would or would not come tomorrow because every day has its own challenges and concerns and God can be trusted tomorrow just like He can be trusted today.
In the last passage, James tells his hearers not to think they can presume upon God’s blessings but need to live out their lives faithful to God’s calling on them today. They were to submit their business plans to God’s sovereignty just like they submitted their hearts to Him for cleansing, their path to Him for direction, and their ministry to Him for His empowerment.
As I put all of these passages and thoughts together, I feel like God was directing me to trust Him for my future. And that future includes what I will do today for sure, but also what tomorrow will look like, or next week, or next month, or next year. As we look at what is going on in our nation and world, many people are trying to cause us to fall into their thinking. Some say that this COVID-19 is a conspiracy while others say it is God’s judgment. Some say that we need to go home, stay home, isolate ourselves and resign ourselves to this being our new normal. Others are deliberately not following our government’s recommendations and living life as normally as possible while others are licking doorknobs to prove that there is nothing to all of this. Where does that leave me as I try to plan what church will look like? Paralyzed that I can’t make everyone happy? Guilty because we adjusted plans? Fearful of the future?
I think what God is saying is submit your plans and ways to Me and trust me to direct and protect and if you come home, it was time. If you stay and continue to serve, it is My plan. If you get sick, I can heal on this side of heaven, or you can be healed there. Consequently, thank me for today; trust Me for tomorrow; live out the life I have given you today. Let Me be in charge of your tomorrow.
I don’t know about you, but I needed to be reminded of those very things.