There is one case of death-bed repentance recorded, that of the penitent thief, that none should despair; and only one, that none should presume.   

-Augustine  

Presuming we can deal with Jesus some other day is something that we do.  Admit it or not—we have done it. 

And we still presume that Jesus can wait. 

Jesus comes and presents us with himself—plain and simple—in his majesty and splendor.  He can be dramatic, but more often than not he’s almost subtle about it.  Unlike us, he’s not  pushy or overbearing.  While we can be sure he is strong—he is gentle in his approach.  And he doesn’t make us come—although, he does have his ways to help make us willing.  It’s a rather stark contrast between Jesus and our other choices you know.  I will confess that I deal with this daily—so if you were looking for company—you have it.  If you were looking for good company—don’t push it. 

You see, Jesus always calls us to follow him today rather than putting him off until a rainy day.  I think we presume that following Jesus means joining the local convent or taking an oath of celibacy—and I suppose it could.  But I think often times we make following Jesus—not easier—but much more complicated than it actually is.

Buechner writes in Beyond Words,

For the best to happen, the worst must stop happening—the worst we are, the worst we do.  But maybe it isn’t as difficult as it sounds.  It was a hardened criminal within minutes of death, after all, who said only, ‘Jesus, remember me,’ and that turned out to be enough.  ‘This day you will be with me in paradise’ was the answer he just managed to hear.

The unrepentant thief missed Jesus entirely while the believing one realized the urgency in today—he knew he couldn’t presume he had tomorrow. 

 4  Show me, O LORD, my life’s end
       and the number of my days;
       let me know how fleeting is my life.                              (Psalm 39:4, ESV)

Teach us Lord—to presume not that our days are not somehow numbered.

‘This is the day which the Lord has made,’ says Psalm 118.  ‘Let us rejoice and be glad in it’ (v. 24).  Or weep and be sad in it for that matter.  The point is to see it for what it is, because it will be gone before you know it.  If you waste it, it is your life you are wasting.  If you look the other way, it may be the moment you’ve been waiting for always that your missing.

All other days have either disappeared into darkness and oblivion or not emerged from it.  Today is the only day there is.    

-Frederick Buechner (Beyond Words)

Betting that tomorrow will come is not a safe bet.  It’s not like you are betting $5 and if you lose—Oh Well, I will win the next one.  Assuming that we will have tomorrow to solely trust Jesus for salvation—or with our future and concerns—can turn out to be like betting your life and losing.  The issue is never Will God be merciful or will God still love me tomorrow?   The question in front of us is: Do we have tomorrow?  And we can’t answer that with a definite Yes!  Will we be able to make that call to an estranged wife or a wayward child tomorrow?  Will we have another chance to talk to our son about the unfathomable love of Jesus or will we have another moment to hug our mom?  Will we have another opportunity to reach out to our hurting neighbor who just lost his wife to cancer? 

Jesus is the Savior for today. 

 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.’ 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.  7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, ‘He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.’ 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, ‘Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.’ 9 And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.   (Luke 19:4-9, ESV—italics mine) 

The little man Zacchaeus came down out of that tree and had Jesus over for a fish-fry that day—he didn’t wait another day to act in response to Jesus’ request.  And on that day—God had his way with the shady tax man and he made him a saint.  The stakes are too high to bank on tomorrow, because if we don’t have tomorrow and we don’t do what we can do today—we’ll never get to do those things at all.  

God’s going to be merciful tomorrow, he’s going to be loving forever—but what will  you have missed out on by not trusting in his mercy and his loving-kindness today?

Life I’d say.