"Someday"
Keith Greer
What is your favorite day? Friday? It is the end of the work week, and the beginning of the weekend, a time of relaxation for many. Monday? You are back into the swing of your work schedule after dreading the start of the new week. Wednesday? This is the "over-the-hump" day, and since the week is "half over", the rest of the week will be a breeze. Sunday? For many in the world, this is the day to just be lazy, sit in front of the television, become a "couch potato", and watch all those sporting events.
Many of our friends in the world would have given those answers and many others. However, in conversations with my Christian friends, those who "have left their first love" or have become "slothful" in their duties toward God, the most popular day is...SOMEDAY!!
When we read about Felix in Acts 24:25, what day was he waiting for? "A convenient season", is another way of saying, SOMEDAY! Then in Acts 26:28, we have King Agrippa whom Paul "almost persuaded to be a Christian..." SOMEDAY! The rich young ruler in Mark 10:17-22 had great wealth and riches. Maybe he would leave them behind him…SOMEDAY!
Most of us will never live to see all of our earthly plans accomplished. Even if we could suppose for a moment that we had time to fulfill all of the great plans that we have made for ourselves, our plans had better include the Lord, if we are going to be prepared for eternity!
The rich man, in Luke 16:20-31, learned the truth, but it was too late to remedy the situation and change for the better. Is it worth the chance to wait? Do you want to be like the rich man? I'm reminded of the words of the apostle Paul, "For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out." 1 Timothy 6:7. Riches couldn't help him then, could they?
What of the attitude displayed by the apostle Paul in Philippians 1:21-24? For Paul, "to live is Christ, and to die is gain...having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better." Paul did not put off for tomorrow what he could do today!
Why is SOMEDAY so popular with so many people? Many want to continue enjoying the pleasures of sin and "SOMEDAY" gives them a false sense of security. "I have time to obey God, but later- at my convenience." It allows us to postpone doing that which is truly important for those things we believe to be much more "fun." After all, we reason, "I have not forsaken God, I have just put Him on hold." By avoiding a sense of guilt, we can really get into the flow of life! Sadly, graves are full of the bodies of men who looked forward to "SOMEDAY" in which they would obey God...but for some unforeseen reason, that particular SOMEDAY never came! How tragic that this record could be played over and over again!
What can we do? Personally, I hope people live to see the day when "SOMEDAY" is not so popular with mankind. After all, "today is the day of salvation," 2 Corinthians 6:2. Today can be the day of your salvation...or it can be the day you leave this earthly abode, bound for eternal damnation. Why? The Lord has provided for us today but has not promised us SOMEDAY!
We must consider each day as if it were the last day to prepare for death and the judgment which awaits. Is SOMEDAY worth the price of your soul? Matthew 16:26. "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God," Hebrews 10:31. "Someday you'll stand before the bar on high, someday your record you'll see; someday you'll answer the question of life, WHAT WILL YOUR ANSWER BE."
Many chief rulers believed in Jesus but would not confess Him because of the Pharisees. Yet, they might have SOMEDAY (Jn. 12:42, 43). My friends can you not see a pattern that develops in all these examples? Can we learn anything which is worthwhile? God gave us these "examples" even the bad ones, so we might make the better choice, and choose the better path!
When I speak to young people about directing their footsteps in the pathway of God, sometimes the answer is, "I have plenty of time yet, I'm young. I want to sow my wild oats and have some fun with life. There is much to see, and I want to do things that I could not do as a Christian, but I firmly plan to obey the gospel and become a Christian...SOMEDAY!" Sadly, some of these people died at a very early age, with their life supposedly yet ahead of them.
What makes any of us think we have the promise of SOMEDAY? Sometimes, we live like we do not understand, "It is appointed unto man to die, but after this the judgment" (Heb. 9:27). Death and judgment are two appointments we will have to keep. "...For what is your life? It is a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and vanishes away” (Jas. 4:14). Life is so brief when compared to eternity! People want to live like they will live on the earth forever, and still have enough time to have a right relationship with God. Yet, we forget the Lord may come again! When He comes, will you be prepared, or still waiting for SOMEDAY (2 Pet. 3:10; 1 Thess. 5:2)? No one likes to think about death. It happens to others, not me. Even when slapped repeatedly in the face with the harsh reality as friends and loved ones are overtaken by death, but not me! Death is no respecter of persons. It takes the young, middle-aged, and the old, those in the prime of life, and those who are in the "later years." Two things are certain: we have no guarantee how long we will live on this earth, or if we will be alive when the Lord returns. My dear friend or brother, are you prepared for that day? Or are you still waiting for SOMEDAY? May God help us to see that SOMEDAY is a no-win situation!
(Adapted)
