Last week, I mentioned that the staff at Calvary have been reading a book together called Crazy Love by Francis Chan. I said that this book contains some of the simplest, but most powerful theology that I’ve encountered.
One of the reasons for this is that Francis’ writings have a deep scriptural truth to it. He just doesn’t use scripture to back up what he’s saying, he also sometimes quotes other Christian thinkers and theologians. One of them is C.S. Lewis. I came across a powerful quote from Lewis when Francis quoted him in a chapter: “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought the most of the next [heaven]. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.”
This quote is taken from C.S. Lewis’ book Mere Christianity, a famous piece of Christian apologetic literature. I highly recommend it.
So, do you think about Heaven often? Why not? It is, after all, the place that we will spend most of our life. I know, it’s so easy to fall into the trap of thinking that this world is all we’re going to know and experience, but no, this world with all of its wonders and surprises, pains and sorrows is a blip in our existence, a place that we’re visiting on our way to our final destination.
We need to stop paying attention to what our bodies are telling us and start remembering that you and I are eternal beings. Our life has begun and it will not end any time soon. As Christians, if we know that this is just a stopover on our way to Heaven, why do we behave as if this is our final stop? Worse still, why do we think that it’s OK to neglect the work that God has for us in order to prepare ourselves for a short-term future?
What would be better: invest our money, time and talents to ensure that many others learn and get to know Christ OR invest our money, time and talents on ourselves to gain a comfortable lifestyle that will be upended and left behind anyway when we move through the door of death to the other side?
So, this week, I challenge you to deeply think about how you’re spending your time here. Are you living as God’s worker or are you living for yourself? In short: Are you living as an eternal being with eternal consequences?
-Matt
C.S. LewisCrazy LoveeternalFrancis ChanheavenMere Christianityspendtime
Living For Tomorrow
November 21, 2013
Calvary
Comments Off on Living For Tomorrow
Matt
Last week, I mentioned that the staff at Calvary have been reading a book together called Crazy Love by Francis Chan. I said that this book contains some of the simplest, but most powerful theology that I’ve encountered.
One of the reasons for this is that Francis’ writings have a deep scriptural truth to it. He just doesn’t use scripture to back up what he’s saying, he also sometimes quotes other Christian thinkers and theologians. One of them is C.S. Lewis. I came across a powerful quote from Lewis when Francis quoted him in a chapter: “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought the most of the next [heaven]. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.”
This quote is taken from C.S. Lewis’ book Mere Christianity, a famous piece of Christian apologetic literature. I highly recommend it.
So, do you think about Heaven often? Why not? It is, after all, the place that we will spend most of our life. I know, it’s so easy to fall into the trap of thinking that this world is all we’re going to know and experience, but no, this world with all of its wonders and surprises, pains and sorrows is a blip in our existence, a place that we’re visiting on our way to our final destination.
We need to stop paying attention to what our bodies are telling us and start remembering that you and I are eternal beings. Our life has begun and it will not end any time soon. As Christians, if we know that this is just a stopover on our way to Heaven, why do we behave as if this is our final stop? Worse still, why do we think that it’s OK to neglect the work that God has for us in order to prepare ourselves for a short-term future?
What would be better: invest our money, time and talents to ensure that many others learn and get to know Christ OR invest our money, time and talents on ourselves to gain a comfortable lifestyle that will be upended and left behind anyway when we move through the door of death to the other side?
So, this week, I challenge you to deeply think about how you’re spending your time here. Are you living as God’s worker or are you living for yourself? In short: Are you living as an eternal being with eternal consequences?
-Matt
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C.S. LewisCrazy LoveeternalFrancis ChanheavenMere Christianityspendtime