Your Best Life is yet to Come!

Some years ago, I penned a post about the perilous position of Joel Osteen in his book “Your Best Life Now”—so focused on earthly attainments as to negate eternal values. Unfortunately, many lean toward a ‘prosperity’ mindset which can diminish the value of a righteous response to a rough road.

Many people presume that Romans 8:28, “all things work together for good…” is our right to a ‘good’ ride right now: good job, good spouse, good house, good health and good long life (tell that to the persecuted Christians in China). Tim Keller, of NYC’s Redeemer Church, translates ‘good’ into the phrase, “Your best life is yet to come,” focusing us on eternal 'good.'

Since we are true travelers on the highway to Heaven, you can count on collisions with earth-bound trekkers claiming to be following Jesus in this life, but are really “lovers of self… following their own desires…” Paul says they are “headed for destruction… only thinking about life on earth.” (2 Tim 3:2; 2 Peter 3:3; Phil. 3:19, edited). In the language of my 'highway' analogy, it seems like Paul is telling us to avoid sharing the road with them, “stay away from people like that.” (2 Tim. 3:5) Like what? - people going the wrong-way!