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News and views from the German-language region of Europe

February 10, 2012

Christian sustainability

Filed under Sabbath Thoughts

In the last 40 years or so the term "sustainability" has gained importance relative to the earth’s natural resources, the global economy and individual business undertakings.

The original sense of the word means a long lasting effect. In recent years the emphasis has also been on the ability to continue, i.e. sustain that long lasting effect.

Sustainability might be talked about a lot in recent years, but the principle has been recognized for many years. In forestry management, for example: You should not cut down more trees than can be replaced. Otherwise the amount of available wood will be gradually depleted and the “sustainability” of the forest threatened.

Nearly 2000 years ago Jesus Christ exhorted those who want to be His disciples to consider whether their desire was sustainable or not. Today we might say: If you start down this path, will you be able to continue on it for a long time?

Jesus used the analogy of building a tower. We should count the cost and be sure that our resources will be sufficient to complete the project.

In our case this "building project" will last until the end of our life. That is how long Jesus has promised to be with us in this life, helping us through trials and the difficult periods in our life: "I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). As the Word, Jesus was the one who said to Joshua: "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:8)

Jesus’ intent in telling us to count the cost is not to scare us. Instead, he wants to impress upon us that our walk with Him will not be sustainable if we are relying on ourselves. We need to tap into the source of power and endurance so our walk with God will be a success as we reach the end of the path in this life. "God is my rock," and with His help the sustainability of our Christian walk is guaranteed.

With these thoughts I wish us all a rewarding Sabbath!

Paul Kieffer's blog with personal insights and news from the German-language region in Europe.

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