Today, Tomorrow, and Eternity

“Do not be anxious…”
Matt 6:31

Well, we have almost made it. The end of 2020 is in sight. As the tobacco farmers would say, “We are in the short rows now”. This has been a year like this generation has never seen. Who would have ever thought a virus would practically shut the world down? Who could have imagined the great toilet paper famine of 2020? Most of us have never seen grocery stores limiting families to one pack of meat, regardless of how many children you had to feed. Many people enjoy going out to a restaurant on the weekend and sitting down to a nice meal. For a while, that was done away with. We saw a year when many people were told not to come in to work and we shouldn’t spend Thanksgiving or Christmas with our families or even visit loved ones in nursing homes and hospitals. The sad thing is that many of these inconveniences, restrictions and infringements on our American freedoms may be coming back.

So what will 2021 hold for us? Will the New Year be any different? Can we expect a change just because we hung up a new calendar? I wish I knew. I wish that I could type in these 600 words or less what we can expect. I can’t do that, but I can tell you where to put our focus in 2021. Put your eyes on the Messiah of the world. Remember Him? We just celebrated His birthday yesterday. Focus your heart on the One that lived here on this earth, walked among humanity and knows what it is to face problems and tribulation.  We need to put our hope in Jesus Christ.

As we get to Mathew Chapter 6, Jesus’ public ministry is in its early days. We see that John the Baptist has baptized Him; He has faced the 40 days in the wilderness and has called His 12 disciples.  Jesus has begun to heal every kind of sickness and ailment that the world had known and word of His miracles had spread wide and far.  Now the crowds are following Him. As Jesus turns around and sees the multitude, He stops on the hillside and gives the Sermon on the Mount. He tells them not to worry about the physical things of life. He wants them to know that it is easy to get distracted with the temporal things. Jesus told them and tells us, “Do not be anxious.” Don’t worry. Don’t allow the things of this world bother you. Jesus then says in verse 32, “For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek…” He is saying only the lost worry about those things. Only those that don’t have a relationship with Me get distraught over the temporary things of life. Jesus also says in verse 30”… O men of little faith…” Can you imagine Jesus looking at you and asking, “Where is your faith? Why don’t you trust Me? Do you not believe that I love you?” Our hearts would fall into the pits of our stomachs if Jesus ever questioned our faith in Him. Jesus wants us to know that only those that don’t have a relationship with Him need to worry about anything. No matter what 2021 may bring, trust Jesus. Know that He cares for you. Put your faith in Him. Trust Him with your today, tomorrow and eternity.