The Clock of Life Does Not Wait for Tomorrow
There's an old poem that's outlived every man who's ever read it. It's called "The Clock of Life," written by Robert H. Smith.
The clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power
To tell just when the hands will stop
At late or early hour.
To lose one's wealth is sad indeed,
To lose one's health is more,
To lose one's soul is such a loss
That no man can restore.
The present only is our own,
So live, love, toil with a will
Place no faith in "Tomorrow"
For the clock may then be still.
Read that last stanza again. "Place no faith in Tomorrow." We do it anyway. We plan our repentance for some month down the road, when things settle, when it's convenient. Tomorrow has become the most trusted lie in the church.
The Lord Jesus already answered it — with a question:
"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" — Matthew 16:26
You do not own tomorrow. You never have. The soul the Lord gave you is not yours to spend on the world and buy back later. Once it's gone, it's gone. No deal gets it back.
Most of us won't fall all at once. We drift. An hour with the Word gets traded for an hour of noise. A conviction gets softened because it's inconvenient. "Later" gets said so many times it becomes how we live. The clock doesn't ring a bell when it's about to stop. It just stops.
So lead your household today. Get right with God today. Don't wait for a crisis to make you serious about your soul.
You do not own tomorrow. Spend today on what lasts.
Pastor Fortunato
Founding Pastor & Preacher of the Word.
Pilgrim Baptist Church — Cookeville, Tennessee