Tomorrow is Not Promised

I remember like it was yesterday. I was a junior at Fordham University where I was studying dance with the Ailey School when I got the phone call that my grandmother had passed away. In that moment my entire world turned upside down and I fully realized that tomorrow is not promised to anyone, old or young. I'm not one to cry often but the tears fell for hours. This was the first time that death had hit so close to home for me. I had cousins, family friends, even both my great-grandmothers had passed but this was my grandmother. The only grandmother I had ever known. The same one that came over ever Sunday after service to bring us her church bulletin. The same woman that brought us the "Our Daily Bread" devotionals that we used to read almost every day. The same woman that used to babysit me when I was younger. The same woman that used to always have graham crackers, peppermints, and butterscotch candies ready for my sisters and I to consume when we went over her house. The same woman that gave me my first car. The last time I had seen her was at Thanksgiving dinner. She looked happy, peaceful, was wearing her favorite colored shirt and was progressing greatly from the stroke she had the year before. Now here it was December 3rd barely even 2 weeks since Thanksgiving and I was finding out that she was gone. 

To be honest, this time of the year can be a little hard for me. Even though that was 4 years ago every once in awhile I find myself still wanting to breakdown and cry.  Right now I'm sitting here writing this and trying to hold back tears. I miss her dearly but I know in my heart that she had a relationship with God and I will see her in heaven one day. But I recognize that's not always the case for everyone.

Many of us have classmates, friends, or have heard of young people in our communities that suddenly passed away. Those people planned for days they never got to experience. Our lives on this earth are but a vapor and so many people are dying every day who don't know Jesus. So many people are dying everyday who didn't have a relationship with Him. So many people are dying everyday and going to hell. Young people, old people, rich people, poor people, white people, black people, educated people, illiterate people, famous people, ordinary people. When a person dies everyone is always so quick to say cliche phrases like "heaven gained another angel" but that's not always the truth. 

You might be reading this and think that's harsh but the reality is that not everyone is not going to heaven. The Bible clearly states in 1 Corinthians 6:9 " Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality,  or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God."

I didn't make this up. It's written in the Word of God. We can't continue to act like God doesn't have a standard of holiness, purity, and righteousness that we are called to uphold. We can't continue to dance around this issue and act like God doesn't care if we sin against Him or that there aren't any earthly and eternal consequences for our behavior. We can't continue to claim to be Christians but still make a habit of practicing the very things that offend God. He is the same today, yesterday, and forever and will always detest sin. Now don't get me wrong as Christians we will still sin (we were born into sin-Psalm 51:5) but we don't make a practice of sinning. When we sin against God we confess our sins, repent (turn away from sin), and find forgiveness from our merciful and loving Father.

 1 John 3: 6-10 "Anyone who continues to live in Him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know Him or understand who He is. Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God."

You can't claim to be a Christian but remain the same. You can't keep on indulging in the same sin.  When you come into a relationship with the Almighty God you are changed. Some of the very things you used to love you now hate and some of the very things you used to hate you now love. Your eyes are opened to the truth and you begin to see just how corrupt, sinful, and fallen this world truly is. You begin to see how your everyday actions are offensive and violate God's holy, righteous, and pure standards. Either we are living for Him or living against Him. We read in James 4:4 "Don't you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. When we try to fit in with this world we literally place ourselves in opposition to God. 

As young people, the world tells us to live however we want, party, drink, smoke, have random sex, etc. while we are young and then get serious about life later. The problem is that most people never grow out of that mindset and end up becoming enslaved to that type of lifestyle or worse they never live to see "later". Tomorrow is not promised, you never know when your life will end. The time to get right with God is now!! Don't allow this world to deceive you into thinking otherwise. Waiting until you are in your 30's, 40's, 50's is not an option. The decisions you make and habits you develop today will affect you for the rest of your life!!! Seek God and His purposes for you life now and allow Him to use you while you are young and full of life to bring honor and glory to His Kingdom.

King Solomon, one of the wisest men in the Bible, tells us in Ecclesiates 11:9, 12:1 "Young people, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do...Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.”

We will one day have to answer to God for the decisions that we made throughout our lives. The goal in this lifetime is not attain a bunch of material possessions, a certain economic or social status, or even to satisfy our own selfish desires. One day we will face death and we can't take our money, cars, house, fancy clothes, titles, etc. to the grave with us. Only what we do for God will last. Everything else will fade away.

There's a chance that you are reading this and you have never heard what I've mentioned before or maybe you recognize that you don't have a true relationship with God. You might even be straddling the fence trying to live with one foot in the world and one foot in the kingdom. Whatever the case the day to fully and wholeheartedly submit your life to God is today. To let go of that sinful lifestyle and to get in right standing with God. Not tomorrow, not next week. Not next year but today. Sin is what separates us from God and what gives us the need for a Savior. In Romans 6:23 we read "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. We deserve to die for our sins of the past, present, and future and be sentenced to eternal destruction but “...God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.  God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son."-John 3:16-18. 

God literally allowed His only Son, Jesus, to die for our sins so that we could live and receive eternal life. Why? Because He is a loving, just, and merciful God. Your good works won't save you. Being a "good person" won't save you. Only being born again and entering into a relationship with Jesus can.  John 3:3 "Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” John 14:6  Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. He offers us the opportunity to choose to live for Him or for the world. To pursue our own selfish pursuits or to fulfill His purposes and plans for our lives. To live recklessly or to live in accordance to His commands and decrees. To pursue sin or to pursue righteousness. God will not force us to chose Him, we have free will, but nonetheless the offer to receive His gift of salvation is on the table. Will you step out of the darkness into the light before it's too late? You are still here for a reason. God created you on purpose and for a purpose. You aren't truly living until you start living for God. In our current society, living for God may not be the "popular thing" to do but it's the best decision that we could ever make. Nothing this world has to offer is better than what our Heavenly Father offers us. He knows what is best for us because He created us! His holy and righteous standards aren't in place to ruin our "fun" but to protect us from the harm and evil that comes from living in sin.

Was I always so committed to God and keeping His standards? No! Neither am I perfect. I still fall and make mistakes. All I am is a woman who was born into sin and saved by grace that is now determined to spend my life serving the God who so lovingly and graciously thought I was worthy enough to sacrifice His Son for. I haven't by any means "arrived" and am learning and growing more as each day passes by. I'm just a young woman who got tired of living life on her own terms. Who got tired of getting her heart broken by the world and truly believes that whatever God has in store is exceedingly above and beyond anything that I could ever imagine. Because of that I will forever strive to bring honor and glory to Him through my life!!!

Until next time,

Cierra 

P.s. If you need prayer, encouragement, or have questions feel free to email me at cierracotton@gmail.com! Blessings xoxo