Scripture: Philippians 3:17-4:1
“If you read history you will find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next…It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth “thrown in”: aim at earth and you will get neither.”
CS Lewis, Mere Christianity, on “Hope”
“Honestly, I want to be like Christ. But honestly, I want to be like the Christ who turned the water into wine, not the Christ who thirsted on the cross. I want to be the clothed Christ, not the one whose garment was stripped and gambled away. I want to be the Christ who fed the five thousand, not the one who hungered for forty days in the wilderness. I want to be the free Christ, walking through the wheatfields with his disciples, not the imprisoned Christ who was deserted by them.”
Ken Gire, The Reflective Life
“Just because we will not ultimately succeed in restoring shalom in our lifetime does not mean we should throw up our hands in despair. We may not be able to correct every slight and meet every need, but we can still make headway. We can bring a slice of shalom to our corner of the planet, to our sphere of influence, and so become a sign or firstfruit of the kingdom that Christ is bringing. We must wait for Christ’s return, but it can be an active rather than passive waiting. While we wait, why not choose to participate in the activities that herald the coming shalom? Simply put, regardless of our prospects for immediate success, we who follow the Prince of Peace must seek to increase the net gain of shalom in the world.”
Michael Wittmer, Heaven is a Place on Earth
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