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The Folly of Tomorrow “You fool! This very night your soul is required of you.” - Luke 12:20 These words fell like thunder upon a man who thought he had mastered his own future. He was not a thief, nor a murderer, nor a tyrant. He was a planner. A successful man. A man whose barns were full and whose plans reached far. Yet heaven called him a fool, not because he worked hard, but because he lived as though God did not own his breath. This verse is not about wealth; it is about ownership. The rich fool in Luke 12 believed that because his fields produced plenty, his future was secure. He said to himself, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry” (Luke 12:19). But in the very next verse, God interrupts his illusion, “You fool! This very night your soul is required of you.” Notice that word required. It means demanded back. Life was never his to keep, it was only entrusted for a time. Man is not the master of his tomorrow but the tenant of God’s mercy. And this is where the verse strikes us all. Like that man, we plan as though eternity waits politely for our schedule. We stress about retirement, status, and tomorrow’s comfort, while neglecting the reality that eternity might begin tonight. Our calendars are full, but our souls are empty. We worry about tomorrow as if God owes us one. This is not exaggeration, it’s truth. Every day, thousands step into eternity without warning. Their plans remain on the table, their phones keep ringing, their dreams stay half-built. Yet heaven’s decree echoes, “This night your soul is required of you.” The rich fool’s sin was not that he was wealthy but that he was self-sufficient. He measured life by possessions and time by opportunity, never realizing both belonged to God. And isn’t that what defines our age? We build, consume, and accumulate, yet give little thought to the Giver. Man’s greatest illusion is control. We worry about the future because we believe we own it. But worry itself is evidence of unbelief, it assumes God might fail in doing His job. Jesus asked plainly, “Which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (Matthew 6:27). The answer is none. And yet, we spend our fleeting hours acting as if anxiety could lengthen them. To live for tomorrow without surrendering today is to repeat the fool’s mistake. He planned years ahead and lost eternity in a night. The barns he built became his coffin. This parable, and the tombstone in the image, preach the same sermon: life is fragile, eternity is near, and tomorrow is not guaranteed. We are all standing on borrowed ground. Every heartbeat is a reminder that God still grants time to repent. So, if heaven were to call your name tonight, would you be ready? Would the plans that fill your mind mean anything in the light of judgment? Would Christ find you trusting Him, or trusting your tomorrows? Because when the hour comes, there will be no tomorrow left to worry about. Only eternity to face. But here is the mercy of God - though you cannot change your past, He can change your destiny. The same Lord who said “You fool” to the man who trusted himself also said “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). He calls you not to plan better but to bow lower. To stop chasing the next day and to cling to the One who holds every day. Christ does not promise us a longer life but He promises eternal life. And the man who dies in Him has not lost a single thing worth keeping.