Do not boast about tomorrow,
Proverbs 27:1
for you do not know what a day may bring.
Benjamin Franklin is credited with saying, “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.” The intent of this quip seems to be time management, and not getting behind by delaying what can be done now.
I think the warning of Proverbs 27:1 is something a little different, though. It seems to be aiming less for time management and more for being aware of the twists and turns of life. “Do not boast” suggests a certain measure of assurance, which the following clause – “you do not know what a day may bring” – warns against.
One clear conclusion the reader should come to is that he/she is not nearly as much in control as he or she might assume.
The New Testament has something to say to this point, as well. See James 3:13-16.
“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.”
James 3:13-16 ESV
Obviously, some things are more critical than other things; and leaving certain things undone – even forever – will not matter in the big picture. But, critical things should not be left undone or unsaid until later … because later may not come. Some examples of things that shouldn’t be left undone until tomorrow may include, among other things, repenting of sin, complimenting a spouse, encouraging a friend, or sharing the gospel.
Perhaps improving in this area would make a good 2021 goal for all of us.
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