Pensamientos para hoy (afterthought for today)
Trust God for Today
Have you ever started something only to find out later that it was a lot more involved than you initially thought? Several years ago I was painting the front of my garage. Some of the paint was peeling so I began to scrape away the paint and prep the wood for painting. Then I discovered that the wood was infested with carpenter ants. The 6x6 wooden posts that supported the garage door were completely eaten up by the carpenter ants, and I had no choice but to tear out the old posts and all the wood in the front of the garage and build everything new. My little one-day paint job turned into a summer long project. In a similar way Jesus tells us to consider the cost of discipleship. At one point in his ministry when many people were following him Jesus cautioned them that discipleship was not without sacrifice. Jesus said:Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be my disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' . . . So therefore, no one of you can be my disciple who does not give up all his own possessions (Luke 14:27-30, 33).1What should we do when we find that Jesus' call to follow him involves more than we originally anticipated? May I suggest that you take each day one day at a time? If we will wake up each day with only that day as the focus of our energy, God will give us all that we need to face the challenges of that day with joy and confidence. When we pray we are to ask God: "Give us this day our daily bread . . . do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:11, 34)." When we face the stress of life God reminds us: "do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16)." When we see others struggling in their spiritual life we should "encourage one another day after day (Hebrews 3:13)." When God provided the manna from heaven as food for his people as they wandered in the wilderness, they could only gather enough for that day. The biblical principle that God promises to meet our needs one day at a time is an important lesson for all of us. God will provide your needs today. Seek him today; trust in him today; he promises to walk with you and meet your needs today. Don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will take care of itself. Trusting God for today, Pastor Steve
Footnotes1 Luke 14:27-30, 33, NASB (New American Standard Bible). Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.
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