I have two windows that are in front of me as I work at the computer. Looking through one of those windows, I see trees that are completely bare and cry out, “Winter is here.” Looking out the other window I see an oak tree that still has all of its beautiful red leaves clinging to the branches and crying out, “Fall is not over.”
Both of these statements cannot be true. In spite of what these trees have to say, my heart of hearts is saying, “Spring is coming.” Each season is the prelude to the next one that is coming. We cannot live in the past with the oak tree. We cannot live in the future with the wishes of my heart. We have to live in the present which is not only the bare trees but also the cold thermometer which tells us, “This is where we are today.”
What is the danger of living in the past? The danger is that it is past. We can neither relive it or change it. At the same time, we cannot live in the future because we only know that we have today. Tomorrow is a potential but it is only a hope and not a guarantee.
This does not mean that we cannot live today with tomorrow in mind. I recently heard a very impressive lady say that she lived each day in such a way that she could sign her name to the day when it came to an end. That is a great thought. Think of it. Just before you lay your head on the pillow tonight will you be able to sign your name to the day? Signing your name means that you don’t care who sees that signature because you have lived your life for God in such a way that He will be pleased.
There are a lot of people who are affected by the way that each of us lives his/her life. The way that we live our lives is only important in what it means to God. Since that is the case, then the way that we live our lives is important in every way possible. The way that we spend our time, the way that we spend our money, the way that treat our friends, the way that we treat our enemies, the way that we use our resources, and all the other ways that we treat God’s Laws (written, implied, and unspoken) are important in this day.
We cannot go back and undue what we did yesterday. We can live it so that we can sign the day tonight, and tomorrow know that it is another day waiting for our signature.
Each day that you sign gives you the ability to say to every person that you meet, “God loves you and He can make a change in your life today.’ The world around us needs to know what it means to be a part of God’s family. They are looking for the reality of life which only comes from faith in Jesus Christ and being born into the family of God. Signing the day means that we lived it as members of God’s family and others have seen that.
Peter wrote about our testimonies in this way,
1 Peter 3:15, 16 “ But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.”
He is saying that if our days are signed, then those who say they were evil days will be lying and will be ashamed of their words. Down in their hearts they will know the truth. Well, what will today be for each one of us? Will it be a signed day or a day of shame. It doesn’t matter which window we look out because we only have the ability to sign this day. This is the day that the Lord has made. We are accountable to Him for the way that we live it.
