LEADERS KNOW THAT TODAY IS THE DAY:  James 4:14 “You do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life?  It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”  You have probably heard the phrase, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.”  This is a true statement that we usually gloss over and live our lives as if we will live forever.  While we should always plan ahead in every way, we have no guarantee that we will live even through today.  So, make the most of today for God and thank Him for it as you ask Him how you are to live it.  When compared to eternity, our lives and time on earth are really like a vapor that vanishes away. There are no exceptions. However, we were created by God to live forever in one of two places.  Today is the day to live in preparation for eternity and to lead others at home and work toward that eternal home.  We cannot always count on tomorrow, so we must take advantage of today.  Yesterday is now a canceled check.  Tomorrow is a promissory note.  Today is the only cash you have, so spend it wisely.

I often ride in the golf cart with my pastor who drives the golf cart like Bo and Luke Duke drove the General Lee car in Dukes of Hazard.  I see my life as a vanishing vapor as I hold on for dear life and pray for the next tee box to temporarily stop the ride.  Then, the unrehearsed adventure begins again.   I often wonder, “Is this golfing day the last day of my life?”  When I say something, his reply is always the same, “You gotta die of something.”  That’s not much consolation because it’s my life and I do want to see tomorrow.  I am fully aware that I will someday die and leave this earth, but please Lord not on the golf course in a run-away golf cart.  However, it points out that we should live each day in obedience to God’s call on our lives.  We do not know what tomorrow will bring, even life or death.  So, live knowing that today is “the first day of the rest of your life.”  Make it count for your family and God’s family.  Today is the day!