All Things New With John EldredgeSample

Friends—don’t you let anyone or anything cheat you of this hope; it is your spiritual lifeline. You have barely begun to take hold of it. Do not let anything diminish the beauty, power, and significance of this hope above all hopes. Jesus lived the way he did in this world, for this world, because his hope was set beyond this world; that is the secret of his life. “Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God” (Hebrews 12:2 THE MESSAGE).

Oh yes, we need to make this practical. We need to take this hope so seriously we sell everything to buy this field. We must make this utterly real and tangible, so that over time our souls are truly anchored by it. Of all things we could do that would be the most practical, that has the most staggering implications. . . .

Friends, it is as simple as this: if you do not give your heart over to the renewal of all things, you will take your kingdom heart to something in this world. You will do compulsive things, like collecting way too many shoes. You will be tempted into far darker things. It is inevitable.

But if you will begin to choose the kingdom—“seek ye first” (Matthew 6:33   KJV)—if you consciously and deliberately give your heart to the renewal of all things, you will notice the effects immediately. So much pressure will be lifted off your current hopes; when things don’t go well, you’ll find yourself less angry, less dejected. As your heart and soul become anchored in the Renewal, you’ll find yourself freer to risk, especially love. You can love people, because God will do everything in his power to make sure you will not lose them; the good-byes of his children are only momentary. You can   love beautiful places and cultures and things like wilderness because even though it looks like they may be vanishing, they will be restored.

For nothing is lost. He renews all things.