Scriptural Reference:
Pride:
"Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring."
Proverbs 27:1

"Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and
spend a year there and trade and make a profit” yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring.
What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you
ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance.
All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin."
James 4:13-17

Fear:
"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.
Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."
Matthew 6:34

Commitment:
"Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established."
Proverbs 16:3

"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be
added to you."
Matthew 6:33

Reflection: There are many who are obsessed with their plans. They can tell you what they will be doing not just tomorrow but also nest year. Their plans are so well established. That any upset to those plans can have deep and profound repercussions to their mental health. I know a woman who regularly travels to Italy to study art and enjoy the culture. Yet when the Wuhan virus was let loose on the world things changed. She was not able to jump on the plane and journey to Italy as she had planned. This caused such a drama within her that for several weeks after the cancellation she was distressed. She has since been able to travel there and has been able to do as she had planned. Yet what if she was never able to go to Italy? What if something stopped her from doing something she had planned on for so long? How will this affect her faith in God and her faith in her own ability to do what she desired without hindrance? Sadly she has what she expressed as 'Woofly Faith'. A faith that is flexible and could accommodate anything and everything. So I imagine she would just complain God had got it all wrong.

Pride:
What did Jesus tell His disciples and even us today? What messages about tomorrow and the future can we learn from reading the New Testament? Thomas a Kempis said once "Man proposes, but God disposes" when discussing the well made, and some time ill made, plans of humans. It's all very good for people to make plans for the future. But if God is not considered when making those plans we will see many plans never fulfilled. With the words of Proverbs 27:1 telling us that we may well brag about our epic plans. But they may well fade away as we really don't know the future. Each day will happen. True there are things we can set in place. Setting times to meet someone and agreeing on the place and what we might do. But the events that take place around us will always be seemingly random and out of our control. I know someone who regularly travels from one small town to another to meet with and assist clients with their personal handicaps. His work is regular and well planned. Yet all it took was a heavy rain and flooding for him not to be able to follow through. The plan was there yet the conditions were not favourable. If the Lord wills it than it will come to pass. We read this in James 4:13-17. Like mentioned, if we leave God out of our plans and out of our calculations we will be working in the dark. With only hopes and not really plans for what is to come.

Fear:
So what about the affects, as mentioned with the woman who travels to Italy, of ill made plans on our healthy and well being? Matthew 6:34 tells us that each day has its' own reasons to be anxious. That when we focus so heavily on the future placing such high expectations we can start to become physically sick with anxiety. How many sleepless nights have you suffered worrying about something that would take place the next day? How many family and friends have you watched struggle to stay relaxed while stressed about something that they would have to face the next day? So much stress and so little time. Each day has enough stress why add to it the stress of another day.

Commitment:
If, as mentioned, we commit our work and our plans to the Lord we will find He will be there for us. Proverbs 16:3 assures us that He will help establish them for us. Just be careful of your intent. This doesn't make Jesus a friendly Genie who grants our every wish. Jesus will look deeply into the reasons behind the plan. He will assist those who have altruistic motives and will ignore those who desire plans that may hurt others. As we read Matthew 6:33 we see that we are to seek first the Kingdom of God. As we have read in the Bible only good things are to be found through seeking "kingdom of God and his righteousness". Our motives when aligned with Gods Holy designs will indeed become a blessing for us and others.

So work on not becoming so focused on tomorrow and the future that you forget about the blessings of today. And when making plans always make sure that Jesus is at the centre of those plans and that they or made in a way that they will edify God and His Son Jesus the Christ in all things.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Tomorrow can wait.
Today is sufficient for me to,
Share the Gospel,
Seek your guidance,
Breathe the Holy Spirit,
And live for you in the now.

I pray this commitment,
In the name of your Son,
Jesus the Christ,
My Lord and Redeemer.
Amen