So, how many Christmases, how many New Years Eves, how many birthdays do you have left on this earth, before your time here comes to an end? Okay, most of us have no idea. But life on this earth is finite. It will come to an end? How are you going to spend the rest of your life?

We know, you and I, that our days on this earth are numbered. We know that one day, we’re going to breathe our last breath. We know that one day, our heart will stop beating and that will be it, for our time here.

We know that, but mostly, we behave as though we’re going to live for ever. Somehow we put the idea that we’re going to die, out of our mind and we live mostly, for today.

The things of today, tomorrow and perhaps next week are what occupy our minds. As a former soldier, I like the expression ‘down in the weeds’ – it’s this sense that you can’t see the big picture, because you’re, well, down in the weeds.

Having navigated through many a swamp in my days in the military, it’s something I really relate to. Because when you’re down there, you can’t easily stick your head up and look around.

So, the cares and the pressures of this world take over, and it feels as though all that matters is what’s going on right now. The problems, the hurts, the conflicts, the joys, the pleasures that we have going on, right now.

But I believe God wants us to stick our heads up and get a sense of the big picture. Because when you take a look at the big picture of your life, it puts today into context. Maybe the things that we have going on right now aren’t all there is. Maybe, they’re a lot smaller, a lot less significant, in the bigger scheme of things.

The days of our life are seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we are strong; even then their span is only toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. (Psalm 90:9-10)

That’s the truth of the matter. That’s what’s going to happen. SO what God wants you to do today is to stand back and look at the things that are happening in your life today, in context:

So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart. (Psalm 90:12)

Hmm, what’s He trying to say here? Quite simply this: count your days, they’re limited. If I live to the average age for a male which is 82, I have just 25 birthdays left. That’s around 9,125 days – under 10,000.

In one way, that’s not all that many. From another perspective, it’s rather a lot. What I am I going to do with the days that I have left? What are you going to do with the days you have left? Will they count? Will the lives of the people around you be better for having known you?

You start asking those sorts of questions, and you’re lifting your head out of the weeds. You start asking those sort of questions, you’ll develop some serious wisdom of the heart.

A funny thing happens when you lift up your eyes from the day to day. I have a beautiful park near my place, where I often go walking. I realised one day, that I constantly had my eyes looking down at the path ahead. Day after day.

So I decided instead, that I would look around. And you know, it opened up a whole new world of beauty and joy.

We tend to walk through life like that, looking down at our circumstances. Looking down and seeing the problems. Focussing on the here and now, don’t we.

At a time when Israel had spent seventy years as slaves, in captivity in Babylon, at a time when all God’s people could see was a lifetime of toil, God said this to them:

Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these? He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name; because he is great in strength, mighty in power, not one is missing. (Isaiah 40:26)

God wanted them to lift there eyes up out of their misery, out of their sense of lostness and of slavery, to focus on Him, on His power, on what He can do for them. He goes on …

Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God”? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:27-13)

I wonder if perhaps today, you feel faint and weary and powerless. I wonder if perhaps today you feel exhausted. If you do, then lift up your eyes and see this God who put all the stars, the trillions upon trillions of stars in their place. The God who created the whole universe. The God who wants to renew your strength so that you too will mount up with wings like eagles, so that you to can run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint.

Lift up your eyes today and wait expectantly on God – that’s what the original Hebrew word there means – to wait expectantly, hoping in Him, trusting in Him … then you will be laying hold of the might and the power, the love and the compassion of God for you, in your circumstances. In your life.

Isn’t it amazing the wisdom that God has ready and waiting for us, if only we’ll look, if only we’ll listen, hmm?! But wait, there’s more!

The reality for all of us, is that we lose sight of God amidst the busyness of life, just the day-to-day living life – who He is, His love for us, His incredible power for. Yep, we all lose sight of heavenly things, the spiritual dimension.

A dear friend and former business partner of mine, used to say that in understanding any difficult issue, any problem in life, context is everything – almost. He was right.

If you take a scripture verse out of context, you can turn it into a lie – that’s exactly what the devil did in tempting Jesus (Luke Chapter 4). And he’s still doing it today.

If you don’t take the time to understand the reasons behind a person’s actions, chances are, you’ll completely misunderstand them. And, you know, if we don’t get a grip on the heavenly context, the eternal context, the spiritual context of our lives, we’re going to make so many mistakes.

Wisdom is about exercising good judgement. Wisdom is about taking our knowledge and experience, and making good decisions. But when you leave something out, if you miss part of the picture, you can’t be wise. You can’t make good decisions. And that’s what happens when we forget the heavenly context of our lives.

So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4)

How much time do you spend seeking the things that are above, the heavenly things? Setting your mind on the things that are above, not always on the things that are on this earth.

Here’s the big picture. Jesus died for you and if you believe in Him then your very life is tucked away in God with Christ. And one day, that life will be revealed in glory with Him.

Imagine just for a moment, if that became the overriding reality of your life. The context for all that you see and do, for everything that happens to you. Imagine how different the world would look. Imagine the strength and the power that you would lay hold of in dealing with your trials and temptations. Imagine, just imagine, the joy and the peace that would guard your heart, as each day, you set your heart and mind on the things that are above.

Well, stop imagining and start doing. Because the Lord your God has a whole new dimension of wisdom for your life, as you set your focus, on the things that are above.

We would all like our lives to go along smoothly. That’s what we’d like. But, you know, it’s just not the way things work out. Sometimes we hit turbulence. Sometimes we hit turmoil. And what we need is God’s wisdom in the middle of that turmoil.

How much of each day do you spend, investing in tomorrow. Just as with money, there are two things that we can do with our time. We can spend it or we can invest it.

There’s good spending, and then there’s wasting. It’s the same with our time. We can spend our time on good things – on relationships, on work, on rest – or we can fritter it away on this and that, answer emails that don’t need answering, endlessly scrolling through Facebook or whatever form of social media you happen to be addicted to at the moment.

So, how much time to you invest in your future? Because there are things that you can do today, that will protect you tomorrow.

Wisdom cries out in the street; in the squares she raises her voice. At the busiest corner she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?” (Proverbs 1:20-22)

In other words, God’s wisdom is crying out to you, here and now. His Word is choc-a-block full of His wisdom that He wants to give freely and generously to each of us. But all too often, we’re too busy to receive it – frittering our time away as we so often do.

There was a huge research project done by the Center of Bible Engagement in the US, asking Christians why they didn’t read their Bibles. The number one reason, it won’t surprise you, is that they didn’t have the time.

Really? Too busy … but time to watch the fifth rerun of their favourite sitcom on TV! Come on!

There’s a reason that God wants to give you His wisdom:

Because I have called and you refused, have stretched out my hand and no one heeded, and because you have ignored all my counsel … I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when panic strikes you, when panic strikes you like a storm, and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but will not find me. (Proverbs 1:24-28)

You see when disaster strikes, it’s too late. The time to get God’s wisdom into your heart is now while the going is good, before the turmoil strikes. It’s about investing in the future. Or … are you too busy?

God loves you more than words can say. And like any good father, He wants to impart His powerful wisdom into your life. He knows what’s coming. He knows what you need. And He has given you His Word, and His Holy Spirit to pour out His wisdom in abundance.

And here is one of the pieces of wisdom that I believe that God wants to tuck away in your heart, for when calamity strikes.

Often when we’re going through difficult times, God intervenes in ways that we simply don’t expect. We expect a conventional intervention. He on the other hand, steps in, in an unconventional way. We expect a natural intervention, but He has something supernatural in mind.

And that can be so unsettling, so fearful. God wants you to be ready for the unexpected.

Israel had been in captivity in Babylon for seventy years and it was time for God to set them free and return them to the promised land. Sure, that’s what they all wanted, but when God stepped in, it wasn’t what they expected.

Instead of just changing the King of Babylon’s heart – which would have been so much more convenient – He raised up Cyrus, the King of Persia to take on the Babylonians in war and ultimately it was Cyrus as the victor in that war, who allowed God’s people to return to the promised land.

Now, we can sit back in the comfort of our armchairs and think to ourselves, “Well, that’s fine. At least they made it home again.” But put yourself in their shoes. They were slaves. Completely powerless. And a war is raging around them. That’s pretty scary.

But before the battle begins, God speaks to His people through the prophet Isaiah. You see, God always wants to give us His wisdom before the battle begins. Before the calamity strikes.

Who has roused a victor from the east, summoned him to his service? He delivers up nations to him, and tramples kings under foot; he makes them like dust with his sword, like driven stubble with his bow. (Isaiah 41:2)

In other words, I’m behind this calamity. I have the power to raise up kings and cast them down.

But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”; do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. (Isaiah 41:8-13)

So don’t be afraid, God is saying, because I am on your side? Do you see how important it is to get this sort of wisdom into your heart before calamity strikes, before God intervenes in a situation in a way that you don’t expect?

Often, when God is up to something really good, things get worse before they get better. And without the Word of God, without the wisdom of God in your heart, you’ll have no idea.

God is on your side so don’t be surprised, don’t be alarmed, when He acts in a way that you didn’t expect.

Now, whilst sometimes God intervenes in our turmoil to bring peace, other times, He has something different in mind.

Have you ever found yourself in a situation of uncertainty, of turmoil or conflict or fear … and no matter how much you prayer, God hasn’t stepped in to change your situation? It’s unsettling isn’t it, because we’re left wondering, “Well, is God ever going to show up? Does God even care?”

But you see whilst sometimes God calms the storm, other times He allows it to rage on so that He can calm your heart instead. Because having victory in the midst of turmoil is a beautiful gift that He wants you to have.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7)

Now that’s a nice theory I guess, but it becomes so much more than a theory, when you realise that the Apostle Paul wrote those words, chained to a Roman guard, in a dungeon awaiting execution. Now all of a sudden it becomes a shining light, a beacon if you will, in your dungeon and mine, when we’re going through tumultuous times.

Joy in the face of suffering is victory. Peace which surpasses all understanding, in the face of a death sentence, is victory.

It’s the same peace that Jesus had in the Garden of Gethsemane after He prayed. And it’s the very same peace that God wants you to have, in the midst of your turmoil and trials.

In many cases, we will never know or understand, at least not in this life, why God allows us to suffer and another person to be delivered. Or why last time He delivered us quickly whilst this time it seems to be going on and on.

When Job asked God those questions from the midst of his suffering, God replied pretty firmly by saying, “Well, actually Job, it’s none of your business.” God is, after all, God.

But I can tell you this: that God wants you to have victory in the midst of your turmoil. That’s a piece of wisdom that the Holy Spirit will tuck away in your heart, and pull out the next time you need it.

So that instead of worrying and fretting, you go to Him with thanksgiving in your heart, right in the middle of the turmoil, pour out your heart to Him and receive the promise of a peace beyond all understanding, a peace that in natural terms doesn’t make sense, a supernatural peace that will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.

What a gift. And by the Spirit, it’s a gift that has been written on your heart today.

Don’t you hate it when there’s conflict in your life? Just one relationship where the harmony’s been, I don’t know, disrupted because of a harsh word, or a misunderstanding, and it doesn’t matter all the other great things you have going on in your life … it robs you of your joy.

One of the reasons that we have conflict in our lives – not the only reason by any means – but one of the main ones, is because we brought it on ourselves.

Let’s do a quick stocktake of your relationships – the ones that aren’t going so well at the moment. The one’s where the harmony of the relationship has been disrupted by conflict, by a misunderstanding, by a harsh word. And the longer it goes on, the more entrenched our positions become, right?

Okay, so thinking about those relationships, honestly, how much of it is your fault? And even if up front, it didn’t start out as your fault, what opportunities have you allowed to slip buy without stepping out and resolving the conflict?

Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. (Psalm 34:14)

Short and sweet but actually, it’s a verse that is jam-packed with wisdom. The first bit, actually, is pretty obvious. Depart from evil, but all too often, we use it as a bit of an excuse when it comes to conflict.

Well, it wasn’t my fault. I didn’t start it. It’s up to THEM to say sorry!

But God doesn’t give us that luxury. Depart from evil AND do good. Doing good is a proactive step. Doing good is grabbing a hold of a situation and resolving it, even if in your mind, you weren’t the one who started it.

Doing good is about seeking peace and seeking involves getting up off your behind, figuring out a way through and making it happen. Peace, I mean real peace, only happens when both parties are happy with the outcome.

But whilst seeking peace is about being proactive, God takes it even one step further. He doesn’t just want us to seek it out, He wants us to pursue it. The original Hebrew word there for ‘pursue’ carries this sense of chasing it down, to harass in a sense to get it, to aim to secure it, to be ardent and persistent about it.

I wonder when you consider just this one short verse and what it really means, the different light that it casts on your relationships and their conflicts.

I love this. Just eleven words in that verse and yet powerful wisdom that can last you for a lifetime. Jesus said:

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (Matthew 5:9)

So being the one who brings peace into a relationship, even though it requires humility and sacrifice and not getting your own way all the time, is a powerful witness of the love and the reconciliation that is available in Jesus Christ.

Peacemakers, through their peacemaking, speak the love of Christ into the hearts of their enemies. And that, after all, is exactly what you and I are on this earth to do.

But beyond being the proactive peacemaker, there’s another way in which you and I can apply God’s wisdom to our relationships.

Sometimes the things that we do – albeit that they’re innocent, albeit that they’re not wrong, per se, bring conflict and strife to a situation. Have you been there? And when the other person gets upset with you, you’re left wondering: “Hang on, what did I do wrong?”

Yah! We’ve all had that experience. And believe it or not that very situation is something that God’s Word has some wisdom on. I love this. I love it how God has thought all these things through and poured out His wisdom through His Word.

Back when Christianity was being birthed out of Judaism in the first century, there was some conjecture and dispute over what people could eat and not eat. Was pork in or out. Were shellfish in our out. We take that for granted today, but back then, it was a big deal.

Those who understood the grace and freedom they now had in Christ, understood that they were free to eat anything, but were prone to criticise those who still thought the old way. But the Apostle Paul turns around and says to them:

Let us therefore no longer pass judgment on one another, but resolve instead never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of another. (Romans 14:13)

So, don’t use your freedom, to be a stumbling block to others. He goes on to say that if what we do is going to be a stumbling block to others in their faith, we should curb our freedoms for their sake.

In a world that’s so focussed these days on individual freedoms, what a powerful message that is! When you think of it, much of the conflict in our lives arises out of our assertion of our individual rights. But I’m entitled … is what we so often think.

And yet, according to God’s wisdom, there is something more important to the things that we think that we’re entitled to. And that thing, is preserving peace in our relationships. Because, after all, when you boil it all down:

… the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17)

How many times have you and I disrupted the peace, when, all along, we could not only have kept the peace, but built up and encouraged those around us.

Let us therefore pursue what makes for peace and for mutual building up. (Romans 14:19)

So beyond just peace, you and I have the opportunity, through the things we choose to day and do, and, importantly through the things we choose not to say and do, to build others up.

To encourage them. To strengthen them. To serve them by helping them to grow. What a privilege to be put in a position where we can sacrifice our entitlements, to serve others like that.

When it comes to dealing with sinners, peace always comes at a price. And let’s face it, we’re all sinners. We all get it wrong – pretty much never a day goes by where we don’t think or say or do something that’s not honouring to God.

And even when we’re doing the right thing, sometimes, especially because we are doing the right thing, other people, other ‘sinners’ take offence and cause strife.

I mean there was Jesus healing this man with a deformed hand and the religious leaders criticised Him because He was healing on the Sabbath.

But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the Sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the Sabbath day.” But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the Sabbath day?” When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing. (Luke 13:14-17)

Do see how easily God’s wisdom, a wisdom born out of his great love for us, is used by sinners to criticise. Because what was going on here was that the power of God in Jesus was upsetting the entrenched power structures of the religious leaders. Sometimes … sometimes it is important to stand up for what is right. The thing you notice about Jesus though, is that He never stood up for Himself, only for other people.

Every morning we get up out of bed and we have to face yet another day. Some days, it’s going to be a good day. Other days … not so much. So what wisdom does God have for you, today?

I don’t know how it is for you, but for me, wherever I happen to be, every morning starts of pretty much the same way. I wake up, shave, clean my teeth, shower, get dressed, have breakfast … and then it’s off to work or if it’s a weekend, mostly, it’s time for a rest.

As at today, I have lived 21,163 days on this earth and, other than the fact that I didn’t have to shave when I was young, and I went to school rather than to work, each day has started, pretty much the same way.

It’s a bit scary when you think of it like that isn’t it?

But for each and every day that you and I have left on this earth God has some powerful wisdom ready and waiting. The first piece of that, that I’d like to share with you is this:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23)

That was written at a time of complete devastation. Jerusalem and the temple had been destroyed, and God’s people had either been killed or taken into captivity to Babylon.

Sometimes our lives feel like that too. Complete devastation. Either because something bad has happened to us, or because we, through our own stupidity, through our own sin, have brought it on ourselves.

But each and every morning, no matter how bad things were yesterday, no matter how dark it was during the night for you, the sun comes up, right? Nothing stops the sun from coming up.

And it’s exactly the same with God’s steadfast love for you. It never ceases. When you open your eyes each morning you can be certain of two things. Either the sun has or soon will come up, and the steadfast love of the Lord for you hasn’t failed. In fact just as the sun does its thing each and every day for you, so the mercies of the Lord are new for you, each and every morning.

But … but … I don’t deserve it. Nope. Neither do I. But that’s the whole point. Mercy is only mercy when it’s undeserved. And the completely undeserved favour of God, the mercy of God, the forgiveness of God, the steadfast love of God is new for you, each and every morning.

That means that you can roll out of bed, put your feet on the ground, open your eyes and rejoice. You can live each moment of today … the good, the bad and the ugly … filled with the joy of the Lord.

Because the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning.

And that’s why, before the day begins, I want to tap into those mercies.

After my morning ritual of shave, teeth, shower and make a cup of coffee … the very next thing that happens for me, is that I wander into my study, I close the door and I spend a half an hour or so with God.

But the big temptation is to get distracted. What’s come in on the email overnight? How many likes did I get on Facebook? What’s in the news? These days, technology being what it is, the whole world is ready and waiting for you in the palm of your hand.

And I think it’s because of that, that we’ve forgotten how to settle down, quietly, and spend some time with God. To, in essence, wait on God.

The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. (Lamentations 3:25-26)

The concept of waiting for anything these days is almost, like … Hang on, wait? Why do I want to wait for something?

We live in an instant world. Hey, most of get touchy when the internet’s running a bit too slow, or if there are two people ahead of us in the ATM queue. Wait? Wait? But … just let these words sink into your heart.

The Lord is good to those who wait for him, the soul that seeks him.

How do you kick your mornings off? Is there any time there for waiting on the Lord?

Just yesterday, I was having a conversation with a man about exercise. And he said, “Well, I don’t really have time.” So, I asked him, “Do you have time to get sick? Do you have time to be tired and drowsy? Because they’re some of the consequences of not getting enough exercise.

So if perhaps you find yourself ‘too busy’ to wait on God, let me ask you, “Do you have time to miss out on the goodness of God?” Because that’s the full effect of this Scripture here. God is good to those who wait for Him.

And that word ‘wait’ means to look for eagerly, to hope, expect, anticipate … to linger in that place. I think in this world of 24/7 connectivity and instant gratification, so many people are missing out on the goodness of God in their day, because we’ve forgotten how to wait on Him.

So here’s the challenge that I believe God is setting before you today. Build in just a bit of time, ten, fifteen, twenty minutes of quiet time alone with Him … and spend some of it just waiting on God. Reading His Word, yes. Praying, yes. But also waiting, quietly. Hoping, expecting, anticipating the goodness of God. Because He is good to those who wait for Him. And that goodness is something that never, ever leaves you, the whole day long.

Sometimes you read a story in the Bible and you kind of gloss over it without realising how powerful and profound it is. Here’s a great example.

The Israelites have just escaped from slavery in Egypt and Pharaoh and his army – the greatest army on the earth at the time – are about to chase them and destroy them. Scary times.

But here’s something interesting that we’re told about how God behaved in this situation:

The Lord went in front of them in a pillar of cloud by day, to lead them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people. (Exodus 13:21-22)

Well, that’s not quite true, because in the next chapter, we read that God positioned this pillar behind the Israelites, between them and the pursuing Egyptian army to protect them.

That being said, for the next 40 years, that pillar of cloud and fire never left them in the wilderness.

Well, okay, I guess most of us have heard that story a hundred times. Yeah sure … pillar of cloud by day, pillar of fire by night. I get it. But do you? Really?

You see what’s so powerful about this is that back in that day – and in fact, still today – all the other gods that other nations worshipped, lived in temples that had been built on hilltops. The gods didn’t come to the people, indeed they couldn’t, so the people had to go to their temples to worship them.

But the God of Israel went on the journey with His people. Back then, that was a mind-blowingly radical concept. In fact if you travel to countries where there is a lot of idol worship, it’s still a mind-blowingly radical concept.

This idea that God is on the journey with you, to protect you from your enemies, to give you shelter from the harsh sun by day, to give you warmth and light by night.

But that’s exactly what’s going on in your life right now. If you believe in Jesus, the Presence of God never leaves you. God is on your journey with you to guide, protect, shelter and love you every step of the way just as He was with Israel.

Only now, now He’s put His Spirit in you … and He will never leave you or forsake you. So … the upshot of all that is that every step you take, you can take in the confidence that your God, your mighty, loving, powerful, wonderful God, is on your journey with you.

You can actually live your life as though it’s true. Because it is.

If only we could see into the future. If only we knew what was coming so we could prepare for it. And yet, would you really want to know what’s coming? Would you really want to know the day and the hour of your death? I don’t think so. What we need you and I is some real wisdom, when it comes to our futures.

If the truth be known, our past is completely out of our control. Of all the things in our lives that are out of our control, the past is the biggest one. Because no matter what you do, you can’t change the past.

And so what many people do, is they turn their attention to the future. What’s going to happen? What’s next? Will it be something good or something bad? I mean, we’re always hoping for good things.

Our default position is that life should be a bed of roses 100% of the time. But, you know, there are little things that niggle away at us. A dark cloud emerging over there. An ill wind blowing here. And before you know it, you’re worrying about your future.

In fact if you took stocktake of your thoughts over just the next twenty-four hours, you might well be surprised just how much of your time, you spend worrying about your future. So if you perhaps have those negative thoughts swilling around in your head and in your heart, here’s a Word from God, to set you free – because that’s what God’s Word does. It sets us free in a way that nothing else, in a way that no one else can do.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? (Matthew 6:25-26)

Good question there Jesus. Who by worrying can add a single hour to their life? In other words – worrying doesn’t produce a single positive outcome. Not a one. In fact, these days, doctors will tell you that worry causes stress and stress can actually cut your life short.

Do you believe that God loves you or not? Well if you do, then you can get on and live your life as though that’s true, because it is. He does love you. According to Jesus – not me you understand – according to Jesus, He will provide your every need. And that means that you no longer need to worry about anything.

So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today. (Matthew 6:34)

There’s absolutely no point in worrying about tomorrow. There are no surprises there for God. There’s nothing there that He can’t handle. Keep your eyes on today … and be the best you that you can be, today.

Because your ultimate tomorrow, your ultimate destiny is a heavenly prize that is beyond anything that you or I could imagine.

When we think about the future, mostly we just think about our future here on this earth. That’s what appears so important at the moment. What’s going to happen to my health? My finances? My marriage? My children? Where am I going to live if things don’t go the way I’d planned?

We have plans you see and anything that looks like it’s going to disrupt those plans – even if, actually, God has something much better for us than we’d planned – we get all touchy and we worry about it.

But let’s lift our eyes for a moment, and look at the eternal destiny that God has for you and me. Because eternity, compared to our days here on this earth, is an incredibly long time. Right?

Yes, we suffer on this earth. Yes, there are tears, there’s pain, there are things in your life right now that you wouldn’t have wished upon yourself. But they’re there and that’s it.

And in the middle of that reality, in the middle of your reality, God has this to say to you today:

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. (Romans 8:18)

There’s just no comparison between then and now. Because one day, one day in the not too distant future,

… the home of God will be among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things [will] have passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4)

That’s where your life is headed if you believe in Jesus. That’s the ultimate destiny. That’s the certain hope, the rock–solid, certain hope that God is giving you today and I believe that He wants you and me to accept that certain hope into our hearts right now. Whatever suffering you are travelling through right now, you have a future that is beyond anything that you can ever imagine, ready and waiting for you.

And Jesus has gone ahead to get things ready:

In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. (John 14:2-3)

So, my friend, take courage today. Your life is headed towards an eternity in the Presence of God. An eternity where you will worship Him, enjoy Him, be with Him … without end.

And the sufferings o this time are not worth comparing with that glory that will be revealed to you. Soon.

God has such an amazing future planned for you and me. It’s a future that Jesus died to purchase for us on that cross. It’s a future that He rose again to give us so that we could have the gift of eternal life.

When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labour is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:54-58)

You see the eternal future that’s coming our way is meant to make a powerful difference to the way we live our lives no. Therefore, be steadfast and immovable. Therefore, because of the eternity that’s coming your way, excel in the work of the Lord because you know that it’s not in vain.

So many people worry about their futures, when in fact, in Christ, their future is secure. So many people believe in Jesus, they believe that they’re saved, but they don’t let that faith impact the certainty with which they live. The hope with which they love. The power with which they live. The joy with which they live.

Friend if you believe in Jesus you have such a future … such a future ready wand waiting for you today. Live your life with that future in mind. Life your life with the certainty of that future filling your heart. When you shed this earthly body of sickness and sin, you will put on eternal, imperishability and spend that eternity in the Presence of the Living God for ever and ever and ever Amen! Hallelujah!