Throughout the Bible we are told to take heed, considering the way we are living, how we are fulfilling the ministry God has given us, and how we are living for God. The passage of time makes many people stop and do just that. Looking back and comparing our plans with the reality of how life has unfolded serves a useful purpose. It is a good reminder that a full appointment calendar does not guarantee us tomorrow; it does not even guarantee us the rest of today.

This point was brought home to me in a painful way many years ago. For several years I had been witnessing to a young man who was very special to me. One night I felt compelled to go talk to him again. I went to his home even though it was late, and we ended up talking for some time about the reality of eternal life and the consequences of life without Jesus. I tried to impress upon him the risk of not receiving Jesus, and I told him that we are not guaranteed any minute of life.

He said that that was a chance he’d have to take. "I don’t want to do it right now," he told me. Two weeks later he was killed in a motorcycle accident. His opportunity had passed, and my heart was broken—he was my brother.

Proverbs 17 warns us not to boast about tomorrow, because we don’t know what it is going to bring. Life is uncertain at best and time is the currency that we are given to spend. We don’t know how much we are given.

Ephesians 5 says "see that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil." The New Living Translation says "Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days."

I want to encourage you to make the most of your days. Remember, neither you nor the people you encounter are guaranteed tomorrow. Take nothing for granted. I want to encourage you to make the most of your time and make it count for eternity today.