After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” Revelation 7:9-10
“We will not wish we had made more money, acquired more stuff, lived more comfortably, taken more vacations, watched more television, pursued greater retirement, or been more successful in the eyes of this world. Instead, we will wish we had given more of ourselves to living for the day when every nation, tribe, people, and language will bow around the throne and sing the praises of the Savior who delights in radical obedience and the God who deserves eternal worship.”
David Platt in Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream (Colorado Springs: Multnomah, 2010) 217.
At the CBMC president’s council weekend, one of the speakers, Bob Doll, shared a quote from David Platt’s book, Radical, so I turned my attention back to that classic book this morning.
It’s fitting to re-visit Radical at this time of year because I have watched a few MLB postseason baseball games. After each half inning (and pitching change), the TV commercials tell me to buy more stuff, store up more money, and spoil myself in luxury.
The commercials are genius! They promise people precisely what they are looking for — peace, security, love, and happiness — except the things the merchants are selling do not satisfy, so people keep looking. This strengthens our resolve that one of the most generous things we can do is live with radical obedience and point people to Jesus.
What about you? Are you living for the day?