Recovering Rest: A Christian Exploration of the Sabbath

We are busy year round in our fast-paced Western culture, despite all our “time-saving” technologies. But we’re particularly rushed during the Christmas season; the short days are filled with Christmas parties, shopping, church activities, and fun family traditions. Many of these are great things, but the frenzy and stress tend to crowd out opportunities to cease and celebrate our Savior’s coming. So it seems an appropriate time to consider God’s vision for the Sabbath (which simply means, “to cease”). God sets apart this day for sacred rest right at the beginning of the story, on day seven of creation:

The heavens and the earth were completed with everything that was in them.  ² By the seventh day God finished the work that he had been doing, and he ceased on the seventh day all the work that he had been doing.  ³ God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it he ceased all the work that he had been doing in creation (Genesis 2:1-3  NET).

God’s rhythm of work and rest is built into creation and covenant. He commands his people:

Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  ⁹ You have six days each week for your ordinary work,  ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the LORD your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work (Exodus 20:8-10  NLT).

To observe the Sabbath is not just to cease all activity and reflect on God. It is to follow God’s example and live in God’s creation pattern of work and rest.

But how do we keep a day holy? First, we must consider the concept of holiness. To be holy is to be unique or set apart, like God. In the Old Testament, a variety of things are holy:

• Places: tabernacle and sanctuary – places for worship and fellowship with God
• Objects: sacred items used in the service of the tabernacle
• People: priests and Levites who serve in the tabernacle

Each of these is set apart, or “consecrated,” for unique tasks. They are holy for the purpose of worship, service and fellowship with God. Holy time is no different. It is set aside for worship, service and fellowship with God. Like all consecrated things, holy time can be desecrated, profaned, made common. How?

• By ignoring its sacredness, treating it like any other day, continuing regular work (Nehemiah 13:15-22)
• By ignoring God, giving no time to worship and no gratitude for God’s gifts
• By making it part of a false show of holiness to hide a life of injustice (Isaiah 1:10-15)
• By cutting rest short out of a greedy desire to make profit (Amos 8:4-5)

So, how do we keep the Sabbath holy? God commands us to rest and remember. 

We must cease from normal work. In resting, we imitate God, who rested from his work of Creation (Genesis 2:2-3; Exodus 20:11)

We rest to remember God’s deliverance. “Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, but the LORD your God brought you out with his strong hand and powerful arm. That is why the LORD your God has commanded you to rest on the Sabbath day” (Deuteronomy 5:15).

Failing to rest is like returning to Egypt, where the Israelites were enslaved to unceasing toilsome labor (Exodus 5:5). God saved them from that. The Sabbath prevents re-enslavement to relentless work and gives the gift of refreshing rest to the whole community, including slaves and animals.

Rest involves trusting God to meet our needs even if we don’t run ourselves ragged. We must acknowledge our human limitations and realize that we cannot go non-stop for 16 hours a day, seven days a week. Such a pace is unsustainable.

Rest reminds us that we worship God, not the wealth we acquire through our work (Matthew 6:24). Sabbath gives us time to refocus our priorities and remember that God is the only reward worth pursuing.

We rest so that our work can be properly directed. Sabbath offers a chance to remember Who we work for and the kingdom purpose and goal of our work; we rediscover that our work in the world, if it is to be worthwhile, must participate in his work in the world (as Jesus’ work did; John 5:17). We join God’s rest so we can join God’s work!

Eugene Peterson expresses this truth well in his book, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places (117-18):

If there is no Sabbath – no regular and commanded not-working, not-talking – we soon become totally absorbed in what we are doing and saying, and God’s work is either forgotten or marginalized. Un-sabbathed, our work becomes the entire context in which we define our lives. We lose God-consciousness, God-awareness, sightings of resurrection…

This is a most difficult command to keep, a most difficult practice to cultivate. It is one of the most abused and distorted practices of the Christian life…

But I don’t see any way out of it: if we are going to live appropriately in the creation, we must keep the Sabbath. We must stop running around long enough to see what God has done and is doing. We must shut up long enough to hear what God has said and is saying. All our ancestors agree that without silence and stillness there is no spirituality, no God-attentive, God-responsive life. . .

If we are not to simply contribute a religious dimension to the disintegration of our world, join company with the mobs who are desecrating the creation with their hurry and hype in frenzy and noise, we must attend to what we have been given and the One who gives it to us. One large step in the renewal of creation today, this field upon which the resurrection Christ plays plays with such exuberance, is to not take the next step: stand where we are, listen to our Lord: attend . . . adore.

Rest gives us time to delight in God and his work. When God stopped working, he sat back and looked over his work; he enjoyed its beauty and appreciated its order and function; he pronounced it “very good” (Genesis 1:31-2:3). We, too, should stop and stand in awe of God’s world. We should pause our technology and virtual reality and praise God for his creation reality.

Maltbie D. Babcock beautifully expresses the benefits of this creation awareness in his famous hymn, This Is My Father's World:

This is my Father's world

And to my listening ears

All nature sings and round me rings

The music of the spheres

This is my Father's world

I rest me in the thought

Of rocks and trees of skies and seas

His hand the wonders wrought

This is my Father's world

The birds their carols raise

The morning light the lily white

Declare their Maker's praise

This is my Father's world

He shines in all that's fair

In the rustling grass I hear Him pass

He speaks to me everywhere

This is my Father's world

O let me ne'er forget

That though the wrong seems oft so strong

God is the Ruler yet

This is my Father's world

The battle is not done

Jesus who died shall be satisfied

And earth and heaven be one

As appealing and life-giving as all this sounds, we must guard against missing the point. Jesus’ response to Sabbath-observance in his own day warns us against extremism.

First, rest does not mean ceasing to do good. Sabbath observance should not keep us from blessing others and giving life, healing and wholeness. Human needs are more important than strict Sabbath observance (Matthew 12:10-13). The law is not meant to prevent the hungry from eating (Matthew 12:3-5). Nor is it meant to restrict God’s work.

Second, Sabbath is not about a big “not-to-do list.” To focus on forbidden activities is to see only the rule and miss the gift. “The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). It was given to keep our lives in a healthy rhythm, not to bury us under burdensome restrictions. When we follow the Lord of the Sabbath, we need not be burdened by a heavy yoke of rules, for his yoke is easy and his burden is light (Matthew 11:30).

The Sabbath, then, is holy time set apart to remember who we are and who God is. We remember that he is Creator and we are Creature (Exodus 20:11), he is Redeemer and we are redeemed (Deuteronomy 5:15). In rest, we join God’s creation rhythm. In rest, we stop and adore God. In rest, we refocus our lives so we spend them in his service for the sake of his kingdom.

So as you go through this Advent season, when will you pause to wonder at the glory of Emmanuel? How could you rest in God’s creative and redemptive blessings? When could you stop to savor the peace and joy Messiah brings and share them with a world that needs his rest?

Why Should God’s People Be Good?

What will motivate us to keep loving and living for God when it’s not easy, when counterfeit goods look more real or rewarding, when people challenge our lifestyle or urge us to join their party, trials come and blessings seem absent, when we are alone for Christ without support, when God seems distant, when we lose our joy, when life is unfair, painful, discouraging or hopeless?

When we consider the Bible’s ethical teaching, we find that three key factors should stimulate and motivate our love for God and neighbor.

Memory: God’s love compels us. His prior love, grace and goodness inspire our love, grace and goodness (1 John 4:11, 19; see also Exodus 20:2 (// Deuteronomy 5:6); Deuteronomy 6 and 8; Psalm 78; Romans 12:1-2)

This reality is built into human nature. When we receive love and grace, we want to respond to its giver – not to earn what is already given, not to repay, not to earn more – simply to express our gratitude and love. God knows we can neither save ourselves nor repay him; that’s why he saves. He says, “I love you. You need me. I have compassion on you.” We respond with grateful, joyful service and love.

We love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19).

Identity: God’s grace changes us. He gives us a new nature and identity that we grow into (1 John 4:7; see also Ephesians 4-5; Colossians 2:6-3:17; 1 Peter 1-2; 1 John 2:28-3:18; 4:7-21).

Through the work of Christ, God makes us new, and his Spirit empowers us to live our new identity. As we trust and submit to God, he makes us the people we already are in Christ. As God’s children, we learn to bear the family traits; as rescued slaves, we learn to live in freedom, as new creatures, we learn to bear God’s image and reflect his glory; as royal priests, we learn to worship and serve God; as forgiven sinners, we learn to forgive; as saints, we learn to live holy lives; as beloved sons and daughters, we learn to love.

Those who have been born into God's family do practice of sin, because God's imparted nature is in them. They can't keep on sinning, because they are children of God (1 John 3:9).

Hope: God’s vision and victory motivate us. We believe in a just God, hope for his renewed creation and we join him in making it happen (1 John 3:2-23; see also Psalm 73; Matthew 6:10; 1 Corinthians 15; 2 Corinthians 4:1-7:1; James 5:1-11; 2 Peter 3).

We see God working to redeem and renew our hopeless, broken and dying world. We see him bringing heaven to earth and healing people to the wholeness and harmony they were created for. We recognize this restoration as glimpses of God’s grand work of redemption, glimpses of his glory piercing the darkness. We catch the vision and join the cause to make his kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.

We know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he truly is.  All who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure (1 John 3:2-3).

Navigating Life with God

If life is like a sea voyage:

• God is like a lighthouse; he defines the boundaries and he is the source of guidance for making our way on open seas, up coastlines and through narrow straights
• Jesus is like another ship; in a sea of chaos and confusion, he points us toward our destination offering a real historical example of a righteous life
• The Holy Spirit is like the wind; he fills us and enables us to live the life God demands and Jesus demonstrates

So the triune God defines, displays and empowers our lives as his people.

We could put it another way:

Biblical Ethics Begin with God

Biblical Ethics Live in Jesus Christ

Biblical Ethics are Empowered by God’s Spirit

Biblical Ethics Begin with God[1]

What do we mean by “God”? God is a loaded term. Many say the same word and mean different things. Any Christian definition of God, must be informed by what God says about himself.

So what does the Bible mean by God? It is not just any god; it’s YHWH, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who created, called and commissioned the people of Israel.  Who is YHWH and what is he like? The question is crucial because YHWH’s identity and character are the basis of our ethics. We become like what we worship. We must strive to know and worship YHWH as he truly is. Who is YHWH?

• YHWH is the God who reaches out in grace. Ethics are our response to his action (Exodus 6 5-8; 19:4-6; 20:2; Deuteronomy 7:1-9). Obedience follows redemption (Deuteronomy 6:20-25; John 15:12; 1 John 4:19).
• YHWH is the God who gave his people true and trustworthy words (the Law) to reveal his character and will and to give them life, guidance and correction (Psalm 119, esp v. 105; Micah 6:8).
• YHWH is the God who is on mission. His gracious redemption and instruction has a purpose: he will use in his mission to conquer evil and restore goodness, peace and blessing to his creation. Our ethics are the means to God’s goal (Genesis 18:18-19; Deuteronomy 4:6-8; Ps 67).
• YHWH is the God whose ways are good, righteous, just and holy. He desires his people to walk in his ways and reflect his character (Leviticus 19:2; Deuteronomy 10:12-19; Psalms 111-112; Jeremiah 9:23-24; 22:15-16).
• YHWH is the God who blesses his people individually and corporately. He’s not just good; he’s good to us. So we thank him in worship and by extending his love and goodness to others (Leviticus 25:35-55; 26:1-13; Deuteronomy 15:14-15).

Biblical Ethics Live in Jesus Christ

Like God, Jesus is the subject of much confusion and debate. Culture often tells us we can take what we like of Jesus and leave the rest. But Jesus calls his followers to emulate his love and self-sacrifice, to follow him in death, and to obey everything he commands. NT authors also hold him up as the supreme example of how to live.

• Jesus lives the life that all people, including God’s people fail to live (Matthew 3:13-4:11).
• Jesus holds himself up as an example to his followers. We are to love as he loved and obey everything that he taught us in word and deed (John 13:34; Matthew 5:17-20; 28:18-20).
• Jesus is our example of right attitudes (Philippians 2:1-11).
• Jesus is our example of righteous actions (Hebrews 12:1-3; 1 Peter 2:21-24; I John 1:16).

Biblical Ethics are Empowered by God’s Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the subject of great misunderstanding, debate and unfortunate neglect within much of the church.  But the Bible makes a few things clear.

• God’s Spirit makes our hard hearts tender so we can obey God’s law (Ezekiel 11:16-21; 36:22-36).
• God’s Spirit gives us power to overcome our sinful nature and embody God’s character in our lives (Romans 8; Galatians 5:13-25).
• God’s Spirit empowers us to show humble love to one another (1 Corinthians 12-13).
• God’s Spirit empowers our witness to Jesus in the world, even when we face hostility (Acts 1:8).

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[1] This section is drawn from Christopher J. H. Wright, Old Testament Ethics for the People of God (Downers Grove: IVP, 2004), chapter 1, “The Theological Angle.”

Gospel through the Portal of Death

I was recently invited to speak at a memorial service for a family member. The whole service was a wonderful testament to his character. Family and friends recalled his devotion to them and to his work and how they were privileged to have known him. I was asked to offer a word of hope and some theological perspective on the occasion. I was honored but also somewhat intimidated by the unfamiliarity, sensitivity and the gravity of the occasion. I am grateful that the message God gave me blessed many who heard it. The following is a slightly edited version of what I said (omitting some of the personal reflections with which I began).

Remembering:

We’re here to remember.

We’re here to celebrate life.

We’re here to grieve our loss.

All of these are okay. All are good and necessary.

We all have memories that demonstrate the beauty of our friend’s life.

We are here to celebrate that beauty.

For the loss of that beauty, we come together to grieve.

We grieve because we know, deep in our bones, that death is an intruder.

When we turn to the Scriptures, this is the first thing we learn:

Death Intrudes Life.

God created a world that was good. In that good world, people lived at peace with each other and with God. Life was fruitful. Work was productive. God’s blessing rested on people as they lived in his presence. The Garden of Eden was a sacred place of shalom: peace, health, wholeness, and human flourishing.

Evil, sin and death intruded this paradise. Humans opened the door by failing to trust God’s provision and obey his command. So evil snuck in and sunk in; but from whence it came, we are not told. It is a mystery. The ultimate origin of evil and pain, suffering and death is not explained. It just is. As we say, “That’s life.”

Joy is mixed with sorrow. Pleasure is tempered by pain. Satisfaction mingles with longing as we sojourn on earth and live out our days. All along we know, this was not meant to be. We know this because it’s true. This was neither God’s desire, nor his dream. He grieves over the sin, sorrow and suffering in our world, and he invites us to grieve too.

He even offers us words to give voice to our grief and confusion, our protest and pain. God’s own people, who love and trust him, are often heard asking “Why?”

Job says, “God has wronged me!” (Job 19:6)

Jeremiah asks, “Why is my pain unending and my wound grievous and incurable?” (Jer 15:18)

The author of Lamentations confesses, “My eyes fail from weeping; I am in torment within.” (Lam 2:11)

The Psalmists ask again and again, “How long, O Lord?”

Chris Wright comments: “It surely cannot be accidental that in the divinely inspired book of Psalms there are more psalms of lament and anguish than of joy and thanksgiving. These are words that God has actually given us. God has allowed them a prominent place in his authorized songbook. We need both forms of worship in abundance as we live in this wonderful, terrible world…

Lament is the voice of faith, struggling to live with unanswered questions and unexplained suffering.” (C. Wright, The God I Don’t Understand, 52-3)

Often these songs bring us back to trust-filled hope. Listen to King David’s declaration:

² Let all that I am praise the LORD;

may I never forget the good things he does.

³ He forgives all my sins

and heals all my diseases.

⁴ He redeems me from death

and crowns me with love and tender mercies.

⁵ He fills my life with good things.

My youth is renewed like the eagle's!

…

¹³ The LORD is like a father to his children,

tender and compassionate to those who fear him.

¹⁴ For he knows how weak we are;

he remembers we are only dust.

¹⁵ Our days on earth are like grass;

like wildflowers, we bloom and die.

¹⁶ The wind blows, and we are gone—

as though we had never been here.

¹⁷ But the love of the LORD remains forever with those who fear him.

His salvation extends to the children's children

¹⁸ of those who are faithful to his covenant,

of those who obey his commandments! (Psalm 103 NLT)

God is gracious and compassionate to us when we endure suffering. He is patient when we cry out in the midst of pain. He can handle – he even welcomes – our confusion, our questions, and our cries of distress. For he knows that sin and death intrude life.

And he doesn’t merely know. He experiences. He comes down to do something about it. He shares our pain and sheds our tears – even at the graveside of his friends.

God suffered evil and death in the person of Jesus Christ.

God absorbed evil and death into himself when he died on the cross – when all the evil of all the ages was unleashed upon him and he traded his innocence and life for our sin and death.

And God defeated evil and death by raising Jesus from the dead! Jesus’ resurrection offers hope and life to people living in the land of death.

If the cross proclaims God’s compassion, to suffer death by the power of love, the resurrection proclaims his supremacy, to overcome death by the power of life.

Death Intrudes Life. Jesus Defeated Death.

This is the Good News that the Church proclaims. This is the Good News that saves us if we believe it and rely on the God who raises the dead. As Saint Paul tells us: Jesus is merely the firstfruits of the resurrection, the first produce, which guarantees a great harvest to come. Paul explains:

²¹ So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. ²² Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. ²³ But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back. (1 Corinthians 15:21-23 NLT)

We live in the tension between the two resurrections. Jesus’ resurrection was a pivotal victory. But the war rages on. The kingdom of life is advancing, reclaiming from the clutches of death those who trust and follow the risen King Jesus. But grief and death still plague us, as we know all too painfully today.

Before the final harvest comes, Paul says,

Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. [He must destroy every evil authority and power] ²⁶ And the last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15:25-26 NLT)

Jesus resurrection assures this ultimate triumph! That is why Paul can joyfully proclaim

When the [final resurrection] happens, when our perishable bodies are clothed with imperishability and our dying bodies are clothed with immortality, then the Scripture will come true: Death has been swallowed up in victory!

Where, oh death, is your victory?

Where, oh death, is your sting?

For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. ⁵⁷ But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:56-57)

Death Intrudes Life. Jesus Defeated Death. God Will Destroy Death.

So, we look and long for the day when death will be no more, when God’s victory will be final and complete. It is difficult to imagine from our standpoint in this world where disease, disorder and death still steal life.

But thankfully, God gives us glimpses. The Bible’s final scene is a glorious picture of the world made new, of the place we all long for deep in our bones, the place where life flourishes, as God always intended, and where sin, suffering and death are gone for good!

¹ Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had passed away…

³ I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, "Look, God's home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. ⁴ He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and all its evils are gone forever."

⁵ And the one sitting on the throne said, "Look, I am making everything new!" …To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. ⁷ All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children. (Revelation 21:1-7 NLT)

So, in this world intruded by death, God offers hope and renewal. By taking our suffering upon himself and rising from the grave, he defeated death and opened the way to life. Those who trust him will return to the paradise that was lost by our first parents. In a renewed Eden, we will live with him, nourished by the tree of life and quenched by the living water that flows from his throne.

So on a day like today, when sorrow threatens to swallow hope, we grieve. But we also celebrate and remember. We remember the grace, goodness and power of God. We cry out to the God who enters our pain – even our death – trusting his tenderness. We worship the God who defeats death and paves the way to resurrection life!

Almighty Father, thank you that you are near to the brokenhearted. Thank you that you entered our world, endured our suffering, shed our tears, died our death. And because of that you hear our confusion and questions with deep compassion. Thank you for your hope-giving promise to make all things new – even us. We need your touch. We need your strength. We need your comfort today. Be near to us, we pray, so we might find shelter and rest in the shadow of your wings. Gentle Shepherd, lead us to springs of peace where the water of life flows freely. Amen.

Escaping the Idolatry of Books

Considering that as a teenager I did not enjoy reading, and I struggled in literature classes, it’s somewhat surprising that I turned out to be a bibliophile. But I am. Libraries, bookstores, Amazon.com – I love them all! And I love scout and scrutinize their volumes of collected wisdom.

Love is a powerful and dangerous thing. God’s good gifts become insidious idols when grateful enjoyment of things mutates into devoted service to things. Knowledge is not exempt. It, too, can seduce us to worship.

I’ve often struggled with loving books too much and buying too many. This was especially challenging during seminary. The library hosted used books sales. The bookstore was truly a bookstore, with a book-merchandise ratio quite opposite most so-called “bookstores,” which carry a surplus of gifts and music and a small selection of books. (I’m distressed whenever I wind up in one!) The first shelf in the seminary bookstore displayed all the enticing new releases. The rest of the shelves were jam-packed with weighty tomes from every theological discipline. Each semester’s academic sale offered tables full of deeply discounted commentaries. And in the absence of a sale, the store usually rewarded my patronage by offering me the best deal they could. Needless to say, I visited often, invested a lot and built a terrific library.

I was rarely rash in buying. Money was tight, so I thought carefully about each purchase. I kept a prioritized list. I consulted annotated bibliographies. I planned long and hard before each academic sale, considering how to get the most bang for each buck on the most purposeful purchases. At times, it was consuming. Sometimes I literally lost sleep.

As a result, most of my buys were wise. A few were stupid. In the years since seminary, I’ve made a concerted effort to buy less and read more of what I already own, to fulfill the unspoken agreement I made with myself that I was buying these books to read! Prudent purchasing is hard with the plethora of new publications and the alluring recommendations of friends, bloggers and my personal Amazon page. (Just today, two “new for you” titles caught my eye!) In my effort to buy and read more wisely, I’ve refined the questions I subconsciously ask myself to guide my purchasing. I think the following are worth considering.

1.       How important is the book? I want to buy and read the best, most influential books, so I ask questions like these:

·         Is this a classic that has stood the test of time and proved its power to shape culture (Plato’s Republic)?

·         Is this book already, or will it likely become, a seminal work in my field (Sanders, Paul and Palestinian Judaism)? Or does it significantly advance a discussion (Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God)?

·         Does this book apply truth to current realities with wisdom, precision and passion (Willard, The Divine Conspiracy; Peterson, The Contemplative Pastor)?

·         Or, is this merely a distillation or re-expression of others’ ideas that adds little to the discussion (West, TOB for Beginners; Boyd, The Myth of a Christian Nation).[1]

I should read and consider purchasing books in the first three categories. Those in the fourth category are only valuable insofar as they present crucial and complex ideas with exceptional clarity or beauty, apply them in fresh ways, and/or make them accessible to a new audience (as do the two cited above). They may also summarize recent research. These books are useful when diving in, or introducing others, to a new subject (so they make good textbooks). But we must be careful to find the best ones and consider whether we need to own them.

2.       Will I return to this book? Various books suggest a negative answer:  insignificant books that catch my fancy while I’m browsing through a store; obscure (and often expensive academic) works meet a short-term need or popular books that are making a splash in the church or the broader culture (Brown, The Da Vinci Code; Young, The Shack; recent works by Malcom Gladwell). None of these need empty my wallet or fill my shelf. On the other hand, if it’s clearly tied to my research and teaching, it may be worth owning (C. Wright, The Mission of God).

3.       Is it smarter to borrow or buy this book? The answers to the first two questions suggest the answer to this third. If it’s not influential or enduring, or if it is expensive, borrowing may be the better bet. It was easy to borrow books in seminary, where my daily work was carried out in a world-class theological library, just steps from my home. It got harder when I moved, but I’m learning to think ahead and request titles from my local library. They haven’t yet turned down a suggestion for purchase! Their budget is bigger than mine. If they’ll buy the titles I want to read but not own, I’ll have more resources for the best books.

4.       When should I buy this book? If I’m not ready to read it today, I don’t need to buy it today. This is a tough principle to follow. Sometimes a great deal may override this rule, but a deal must not trump questions 1-3. A bargain won’t make a bad book better or give me any more time to read it. I bought many books in seminary with good intention to “read them eventually.” I’m working through the stacks, but some of the best deals I scored may never reach the top of my list. Unless it’s a classic, it may be outdated, updated or replaced by the time I get to it. The point is, I can make the most informed choice when I’m actually ready to read the book.

If we don’t prioritize, we’ll end up with shelves full of words rendered worthless through negligence.  A wealth of wisdom would sit silent. A wealth of money would be wasted. This would be tragic, considering Jesus’ call to stewardship and the poverty of many of our brothers and sisters throughout the world. Recognizing the proclivity of our hearts to idolatry, let us not displace devotion to God with veneration of knowledge.

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[1] Some people “Wright” books to summaries their own work; sometimes I’m guilty of buying these (Surprised by Hope) for the sake of expedience: I can read the digest to get the main ideas and read go back later to tackle the monster(s).