When Tomorrow Isn't Promised

Newspaper headlines are constant reminders of the unpredictability and tragedy that linger like shadows around our fragile frames. A raging fire that consumes a family as they sleep. A vehicle accident that instantaneously claims lives that seconds before were vibrant. A senseless murder that extinguishes the life of someone with hopes and dreams.

None of those on the receiving end of these disastrous occurrences would have known that day or night would be their last. And while not all of us will leave this world in such tragic manner, those awful headlines are reminders that none of us is promised tomorrow. We all live in the same world of uncertainty, and no amount of money or power can shield us from that.

I don’t know about you, but to me, that does not exactly seem like the most comforting truth. However, that doesn’t mean that security is not possible or that peace, even in this uncertainty, cannot be found. Let me explain.

Originally, our physical bodies were meant to be eternal, absent from evil and all the pain and heartache that it brings. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God and rejected His warnings, ushering sin into the world and into human nature, our physical bodies became mortal, terminal … weak and vulnerable. And the world around us became unpredictable, even violent, under the curse of evil that had been ushered in through human rebellion.

However, what hasn’t changed since creation is the eternal nature of our souls. Only now, because of sin, our souls are condemned to eternal punishment in Hell, rather than eternal life in Heaven (see Matthew 25:46; 2 Thessalonians 1:9). And we remain condemned, unless we trust in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to save us (John 3:18). Because that is exactly why He came!

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17).

Consider the meaning of “sin”, anything that goes against God. Because God is infinite, sin against Him inherently becomes an infinite crime. Just like “infinity” in the mathematical world, there is no end to sin’s separation from God. And because of our sinful nature, we are unable to stop this infinite consequence.

Only an infinite sacrifice could stop this infinite consequence. This is why God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth. Fully God and fully man, Jesus laid down His life, taking the punishment for sin that we deserve, and then rose from the grave to reveal His power over death. He lives forever, and therefore, His sacrifice is infinitely effective. If you put your faith and trust in Him, He promises to be your covering for sin and to actually give you a righteousness that is acceptable to God (2 Corinthians 5:21), making you fit and ready for eternal life with Him.

Our bodies are finite. We will have a last day. But our souls are eternal. The question is, if this is your last day, where would your soul go? Would you stay in default position, dying in your sin and ending up in the eternal punishment of Hell? Or will you decide to trust in Jesus Christ, His forgiveness and cleansing of your sin, and His promise of eternal life through Him?

Before it’s too late, take time to think about your mortality and your eternal future. When you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, you don’t have to wonder or fear – you can know that you will spend eternity in Heaven with Him – right where God has always intended, and desires, for you to be.