The Clock Is Ticking

why “living like there’s no tomorrow” might be the best (and worst) advice you’ve ever heard

Live like there’s no tomorrow.

Live like you’re alive.

Live life to its fullest.

Most people hear those phrases and immediately think of reckless abandon. Partying, chasing pleasure, and ignoring consequences immediately comes to mind. It’s the motto of those who want to live for themselves, soaking up every thrill before their time runs out. Society glorifies this mindset through music, movies, and social media.

The message is clear:

Forget responsibility.

Forget morality.

Do what makes you happy now, because life is short.

But is this really how we should live? Should we live out our every day, acting like tomorrow will never come? Treating life like there are no consequences for our actions, no repercussions, no choppy waves ahead? Chasing every thrill, every pleasure, and every chance thing that looks like it might satisfy?

If we’re being honest, it’s the worst idea anyone ever had. This ruins people’s lives and brings entire societies to the very brink of ruin. Think about what would happen if everyone in the world was told that the world was ending tomorrow. Hence, no consequences for their actions in the present.

Nations would crumble in hours. Gangs of looters, rioters, and every imaginable type of criminal would fill the streets and overwhelm the small amount of police that still remained, trying to fulfill their duty.

No one would be safe.

No one.

Soooo……yeah……awful idea.

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But what if I told you that in a way…..it was also the best idea anyone ever had? What if I told you that you should live like there’s no tomorrow?

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Just….well….not the way the world says.

The Bible tells us explicitly that life is fleeting and comes to an end without any kind of warning.

“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.” —James 4:14

Death happens so fast, it’s unbelievable. No one has any way of knowing if their heart is going to decide to simply stop beating. Or if their brain is about to just stop functioning. They have no idea if their house is about to catch on fire. Or if the sleeping trucker ahead is about to cross over into oncoming traffic.

You, Reader, don’t know when or how you will die. It could happen in thirty seconds. It could happen in five minutes. It could happen tomorrow. Or maybe you are one of the lucky few who still have a long set of years ahead of them. Maybe you’ll pass away, contented, on a hospital bed, full of days. Or maybe you’ll bleed out, alone, on the side of a road, as the sirens close in. Only God knows the method and hour.

Every second, approximately 2 people die.

Every minute, 107 people lose their life.

Every hour, 6,390 people pass from this world to the next.

One day, that number will include you 🫵🏻

So who, or what, says that you won’t be one of those very soon? How do you know that you won’t stand before God tomorrow?

The answer is very simple. You don’t know. You have no way of knowing. And therefore, I suggest that you should live every single day like it is your last.

The logical next question becomes……what would that look like? Definitely not how the world sees it—gorging yourself on as much pleasure as possible for as long as possible. That’s nothing but a materialistic lie. There’s no real pleasure in that…..only fleeting, momentary happiness.

Think about it this way. Right now, in this moment, you have choices to make. You could sin in this very second in a multitude of different ways. Or you could devote this second to God, and use it for his purposes. If you knew you would stand before God tomorrow, would it change how you used that second?

Now expand that out. Would you still waste time chasing things that don’t matter? Would you still put off repentance, obedience, and the things you know you should be doing?

See, the problem isn’t in the idea of living like there’s no tomorrow—the problem is in how people define that phrase. The world tells you to live for pleasure. The Bible tells you to live for eternity. We have to store up gold in Heaven, where neither rust nor moth can destroy.

Jesus constantly reminded His followers to be ready, to live with urgency.

“Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” - Matthew 24:44

Living like there’s no tomorrow doesn’t mean recklessness. It means faithfulness. It means taking every second you’ve been given and using it for something that will last beyond this world.

So what does that look like?

• It means walking in obedience—not putting off holiness or excusing sin. If tomorrow is your last, today is the time to surrender fully to Christ.

• It means speaking the truth—sharing the gospel boldly, because the people around you might never have another chance to hear it.

• It means loving like Christ—forgiving, serving, and living selflessly, because eternity matters more than pride, grudges, or selfish ambition.

Most people waste their lives, assuming they have time to get serious later. But what if later never comes?

The call of Scripture is clear: Live ready. Not in fear, but in faith. Not for self, but for Christ.

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So I’ll ask you again: If you knew tomorrow was your last……how would you live today?

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Here’s the thing—you don’t need a countdown clock to start living for what actually matters. Because the truth is, you already have one. You just can’t see it. As you’re reading this, there’s a timer written on your heart. Only the triune God knows how much time is left on it.

So stop waiting. Stop putting it off. If you’re waiting for a wake-up call, this is it.

Write down the things you would change. And then change them.

Not tomorrow.

Not an hour from now.

Not ten minutes from now.

Do it now.

Because this moment might be the only one you have left. And eternity is just too real, too certain, and too long to gamble with.