day 4.

TPDL, chapter 4

made to last forever.

this life is not all there is.

"...God has planted eternity in the human heart..."

- ecclesiastes 3:11, NLT.

you have an inborn instinct that longs for immortality. this is because God designed you, in His image, to live for eternity. even though we know everyone eventually dies, death always seems unnatural and unfair. the reason we feel we should live forever is that God wired our brains with that desire!! (interesting. i seriously have never thought about that before!!...and considering how reflective/over-analytical i am, that is actually rather rare.)

when you fully comprehend that there is more to life than here and now, and you realize that life is just preparation for eternity, you will begin to live differently. you will start living in light of eternity, and that will color how you handle every relationship, task, and circumstance.

when you live in light of eternity, your values change. your priorities are reordered.

the most damaging aspect of contemporary living is short-term thinking. to make the most of your life, you must keep the vision of eternity continually in your mind and the value of it in your heart.

frankly, the capacity of our brains cannot handle the wonder and greatness of heaven.

"no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him."

- 1 corinthians 2:9, NLT.

we will enjoy unbroken fellowship with God. (so awesome.)

it's more than the opportunity of a lifetime; God offers you an opportunity beyond your lifetime. the Bible says, "the Lord's plans stand firm forever; His intentions can never be shaken."- psalm 33:11, NLT.

there is more to life than just here and now.

"and this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. but anyone who does what pleases God will live forever."

- 1 john 2:17, NIV.

book's question:

since [you were] made to last forever, what is the one thing [you] should stop doing and the one thing [you] should start doing today...??

my answer:

hmm...one of my biggest flaws is worrying. i think about things to the nth degree, instead of just giving it to God. (which we all know...worrying is completely pointless.) one of my favorite quotes-that i need to constantly think of is: "if you pray, why worry...?? if you worry, why pray...??" (if anyone knows who said that, i cannot seem to find it.)

Genesis 21-50

(to be cont...don't worry, i am not using the purpose driven life as my Bible, people. ;) my scheduled-monday will help get back on the 40-day guide track.)

(i guess, i wrote my own sort of purpose driven life synopsis here a little over a year ago...many things in my life have changed since then; these thoughts have not.)