Giving Up the 1%

40 Days of Prayer

Giving Up the 1%

  
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21 NIV

"We do not believe Jesus when He says there is more blessedness, more joy, more lasting pleasure in a life devoted to helping others than there is in a life devoted to our material comfort. And therefore, the very longing for contentment that ought to drive us to simplicity of life and labors of love contents itself instead with the broken cisterns of prosperity and comfort." John Piper, Desiring God

As I prepared to preach at a funeral for a faithful Christian young woman, one of her friends made a comment, "I heard that heaven is eternal where just one day there is like 10,000 years here." Although you can't put any measure against eternity, but going with this concept, if I live 100 years then that is 1% of one day of my endless days in glory. Tim Keller quoted someone in his sermon saying, "A life filled with constant trial and struggle here on earth will find in glory that it seemed like one night at a bad hotel."

And yet all our struggles are focused on that 1%. Our desire for prosperity and comfort war against our desire for eternal things. Solomon said it best:

I said to myself, "Let's go for it - experiment with pleasure, have a good time!" But there was nothing to it, nothing but smoke...Then I took a good look at everything I'd done, looked at all the sweat and hard work. But when I looked, I saw nothing but smoke. Smoke and spitting into the wind. There was nothing to any of it. Nothing. ... And I hated everything I'd accomplished and accumulated on this earth. I can't take it with me - no, I have to leave it to whoever comes after me. Whether they're worthy or worthless - and who's to tell? - they'll take over the earthly results of my intense thinking and hard work. Smoke. That's when I called it quits, gave up on anything that could be hoped for on this earth.  Ecclesiastes 2:1,11,18-20 MSG

Jesus, who left immortality to enter our world of time, knows better than anyone the brilliance and never fading glory of eternal heaven. Our future with Grace Redeemer will call us to sacrifice prosperity and comfort in pursuit of eternal things. We as flawed sinful people can never accomplish this on our own. It is only the power of our eternal and mighty God working within us that accomplishes any good work. Earnestly pray that He will work in and through the people of Grace Redeemer to accomplish His good work in the here and now of today in Crestview that results in eternal benefits to many.