Archive for Shalom Tips
Get Organized or De-Clutter?
Posted by: | CommentsI count myself blessed a thousand times over to have a wife who is very orderly and organized. It no doubt contributes to the joy of our home and the joy of those who enter our home. But I know that one of her secrets is that she isn’t afraid to get rid of stuff. In that respect, I told her that she will love this post called “Eleven Myths of De-Cluttering.”
Swearing to our Hurt
Posted by: | CommentsI so promise to get back to the white guys and the NBA, but I came across another article in the New York Times concerning the trend of homeowners walking away from their homes and mortgages. If you remember, I linked to an article a bit back about the same thing.
One of the things I mentioned regarding the other article was the minimal attention paid to the fact that people are failing to keep their word. The same holds true for this article, but the author is a bit clearer about the problem of banks looking to maximize their profit without seeking the good of those who borrow from them.
It seems that because many banks are not willing (or at least do not appear willing) to renegotiate the terms of their agreement with the borrower, many people choose to walk away. Though I agree that banks should do a better job seeking a win/win situation, the folks walking away from their homes and mortgages are still in the wrong for doing so (especially the folks who can afford the payments). They still have a contractual obligation to pay up. And the reality is that they are walking away simply because it seems financially advantageous for them to do so. They are only thinking about themselves.
A verse from Scripture comes to mind. I can’t remember where it is (maybe Proverbs), but it says something about a righteous man ‘swearing to his own hurt.’ That is, keeping his word even if it leads to greater difficulty for himself.
We are desperate for more people who believe in such a thing. In the banks and in the homes. Among lenders and borrowers. It’s not overstating the case to say that for the good of the whole world, we should let our ‘yes’ be yes and our ‘no’, no. Even or especially when it hurts.
Cultivating a Holy Longing
Posted by: | CommentsIn his book, The Gospel for Real Life, Jerry Bridges writes,
Generally speaking, believers who have the least benefits of this life have the most vigorous hopes of heaven.
He’s right, right? I believe so. After all, if you have nothing here and God promises you a New Heaves and New Earth in which perfect righteousness dwells, you should have easier time focusing on the future. If all is going well for you here, your relative blessing oftentimes will obscure the perfect blessing that is soon to come.
So what do we do if life is going along quite well? If we are enjoying the benefits of this life in greater measure than many others, must we forgo them in order to long more for heaven?
Lest we think it doesn’t matter whether we long for the life to come, check out Hebrews 9:27-28,
And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
Did you catch that last part? ‘To save those who are eagerly waiting for him.’ That’s no joke huh? Though salvation is solely through faith in Christ, those who faith will eagerly wait.
And yet, we are so apt to feel quite at home here. Life gets going and we think little of the perfect life to come, where those who believe in Christ will live with Him and enjoy life as it ought to be and a thousand times better.
So back to our question: what do we do if our life here is pretty nice? Here’s two suggestions I have probably mentioned before.
1) Read the Bible and good books until you figure out what Heaven is really like and going to be like. Most of us aren’t as clear about the life to come as we may think we are. Do you think Heaven is singing hymns in the clouds with angels? Well then, you are way off and need to read up. Heaven by Randy Alcorn is a great place to start.
2) Cultivate a holy longing for the life to come by diligently seeking the Lord and asking Him for it. Word and prayer. It’s tough to get too much of these.
There is more that we can do, no doubt, but that is a good place to start. For no matter where we are or what is going on in our lives, we will do well to cultivate a holy longing for Christ and the life to come. Believe it or not, it will enable us to live much better here.
