What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away. 1 Corinthians 7:29-31
“Even the godly themselves are too lazy seekers of their everlasting rest. Alas! what a disproportion is there between our light and heat, our profession and prosecution! Who makes such haste as if it were for heaven? How still we stand! How idly we work! How we talk, and jest, and trifle away our time! How deceitfully we perform the work of God! How we hear, as if we heard not! And pray, as if we prayed not! And examine, and meditate, and reprove sin, as if we did it not! And enjoy Christ, as if we enjoyed him not! as if we had learned to use the things of heaven as the apostle teacheth us to “use the things of the world!”
What a frozen stupidity has benumbed us! We are dying, and we know it, and yet we stir not; we are at the door of eternal happiness or misery, and yet we perceive it not; death knocks, and we hear it not; God and Christ call and cry to us, “Today, if ye will hear my voice, harden not your hearts; work while it is day, for the night cometh, when none can work.” Now ply your business, labor for your lives, lay out all your strength and time now or never! and yet we stir no more than if we were half asleep.
Richard Baxter (1615-1691) in The Saints’ Everlasting Rest (Grand Rapids: CCEL), Excerpt from Ch. 7 “The Necessity of Diligently Seeking the Saints Rest, 71.
I’ve shifted from one Puritan voice to another: from Thomas Watson to Richard Baxter. I am finding that the Puritans really leaned into the idea of “examine” so I will be reading them for a few months.
And I shot the new header photo at Bear Creek yesterday morning shortly after sunrise. Sammy and Emily, my son and daughter-in-law, have two dogs so we enjoyed the view and the trek together.
The biggest challenge for me spending half my time in the undeveloped world and half in the developed world is summed up in today’s post which employs a record number of exclamation points.
The undeveloped world is riddled with poverty and corruption. There, I find great joy helping multiply faithful stewards and bringing standards and structure to churches and ministries so they flourish with local support.
The people in these majority world settings literally struggle to survive. They have few luxuries, lack many basic necessities, and demonstrate an unexpected willingness to share their food and resources.
Then I return to the West. People have lost focus on the value of Christ and the relevance of His teachings for bringing life, help, and hope. In the words of Baxter, all I see is frozen stupidity. Frozen stupidity has benumbed us.
God forgive us. May this Lent be a season of rekindling the fire of the gospel of Jesus Christ in each of us. Through giving, prayer, and fasting, may we heat up the flames of our faith. Hear my prayer Lord.