Then [Jesus] said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:15-21
“It is the way to cause God either to deny the mercies we ask, or to take from us those we enjoy, or at least imbitter them to us. God is nowhere so jealous as here. If you had a servant whom your wife loved better than yourself, would you not take it ill of such a wife, and rid your house of such a servant? So, if the Lord see you begin to settle in the world, and say, “Here I will rest,” no wonder if he soon, in his jealousy, unsettle you.
If he love you, no wonder if he take that from you with which he sees you are destroying yourself. It hath long been my observation of many, that when they have attempted great works, and have just finished them or have aimed at great things in the world, and have just obtained them; or have lived in much trouble, and have just overcome it; and begin to look on their condition with content, and rest in it; they are then usually near to death or ruin.
When a man is once at this language, “Soul, take thy ease,” the next news usually is, “Thou fool, this night,” or this month, or this year, “thy soul shall be required, and then whose shall these things be?” What house is there where this fool dwelleth not? Let you and I consider whether it be not our own case.”
Richard Baxter (1615-1691) in The Saints’ Everlasting Rest (Grand Rapids: CCEL), Excerpt from Ch. 7 “The Necessity of Diligently Seeking the Saints Rest, 113.
The time to rest is not now.
Don’t get me wrong. In Washington State, on Whidbey Island, between some great meetings, I took a nap yesterday afternoon. I am all about self care. That’s not the focus of Baxter’s remarks or mine.
As saints we will enter everlasting rest. But, if you are alive and reading this, that day is not now!
Daily, we get to attempt “great works” with the ability and resources available to us. I will speak at a missions conference for 20 Russian and English speaking youth in Tacoma this morning, and then to 80 people at a leadership dinner tonight in Vancouver.
I will rally them to pursue great works!
I want you to do the same thing. And with Baxter, I would add these words. “What house is there where this fool dwelleth not? Let you and I consider whether it be not our own case.”
It is not your job to determine when your work is done. Leave that decision to God.
Dr. Michael Cherenkov and I have had and indescribably meaningful time yesterday on Whidbey Island with Rob, Bev, and Jessie Martin. Now we have great works to pursue in service to groups.
Meanwhile my wife flies to Pennsylvania to facilitate a retreat. God be with her. What about you?