My dad loved to cook. This was a passion that began relatively late in his life after the kids had moved out. With an empty nest, my parents were able to live a slower-paced life and my dad began to dabble in cooking. He soon found that he loved it and that my mother was only too happy to pass the torch. He loved to freestyle and experiment, to forsake recipes to just see where his taste buds would lead him. It is one of the tragedies of his sudden and unexpected death that he had just treated himself to a new high-end range when he died. Never once did he get to cook upon it. Never once did he get to enjoy it. When I visited my parents’ home after he died, the range was resting in its place in the kitchen, but with the packaging still around it. He had never even opened it.

My son was in love. He had gotten engaged to a lovely young lady and together they had begun to plan their wedding. They had settled on a date and a guest list and begun to plan their ceremony and order their invitations. And then he, too, was taken every bit as suddenly and unexpectedly as my father. When I arrived at his college dorm room and opened his computer, I found his wedding planning documents open and active, the last tasks he had worked on before going to be with the Lord. He had died a fiancé but not a husband, his plans interrupted, never to be realized.

There is an element of tragedy in every death. Even the oldest among us has dreams and plans, ideas to try, and interests to explore. And if even the oldest, how much more the youngest? All of us leave something unfinished behind us, some dream interrupted or plan broken, some idea untried or interest unexplored. When we come to the end of our days we leave things begun but not ended, attempted but not accomplished, desired but not completed.

What becomes of all of this? What becomes of the passions we could not explore, the dreams we could not realize, the gifts we could not deploy for the good of others and the glory of God? Why would God give it only to take it away, bestow it only to have it go unused?

We would despair were it not for the promise of life that continues beyond the grave and extends into the world to come. We have no reason to believe that God will completely recreate us when he makes all things new. Rather, he will perfect us while leaving what makes us “us” intact. All those passions he conferred, gifts he bestowed, interests he assigned—surely they are not eradicated but simply carried over. There will be cooking in heaven, will there not—opportunities to express culinary creativity? There will be relationships in heaven, will there not—deep and abiding friendships, even if not marriage? The existence to come is within a new heaven and a new earth, but surely one that is very much like this one—or is, in fact, this one.

There is tragedy in every death, and it is not only the tragedy of bidding farewell to one we have loved. There is also the tragedy of so much that is left undone. But by faith we can believe that the things we have learned, loved, desired, and attempted will not be taken entirely away. The interests we have developed and passions we have explored will not prove to be wasted or eradicated. Rather, they will simply be carried over from here to there, from this place of interruption to that place where time will never end and death will never interrupt. As one pastor says, “One of the surprises of heaven will be our finding there the precious hopes, joys, and dreams which seemed to have perished on earth—not left behind—but all carried forward and ready to be given into our hands the moment we get home.” What a homecoming that will be!

Any time we consider the spiritual disciplines, or means of grace, it is crucial that we remember not only the great purpose of these habits but also the great blessing they represent. We were made to know God and to be known by God. We were made in the image of God to have a real and living relationship with God.
We were the ones who interrupted this relationship through our sin and rebellion, who declared God an enemy rather than a friend. What a blessing, then, that even though we rebelled against God through our sin, he made the way for the relationship to be restored. What an honor that he still invites us to join into that relationship, that friendship. The habits we practice are the keys to knowing God.
It is through the Bible that we learn about the nature of God and the acts of God; it is through prayer that we speak to God and share our hearts with him; it is through fellowship that we join into his body, serve his people, and demonstrate his love. It is because Christianity is intrinsically relational that Packer can say, “What is the best thing in life? To know God.” May we never lose the wonder of that great privilege.

The Lord be with you and bless you today.
Today’s Kindle deals include a reader-friendly and Reformed commentary on Revelation.
This week at Westminster Books you’ll find a deal on Mark Vroegop’s excellent new book Waiting Isn’t a Waste.
Book Brief A lot of people in Canada and beyond are wondering “Who is Pierre Poilievre?” (FYI, his surname is pronounced “poly-EV.”) Pierre Poilievre: A Political Life introduces him as an ambitious lifelong politician who is avowedly politically conservative but not socially conservative—important information to know about the leading candidate to become Canada’s next Prime Minister. (Poilievre may be most famous for this interview.)

Even from this side of the border, it has been distressing to see the GOP essentially declare itself to be pro-choice. Joe Carter does what he does so well and explains how it came to be this way. (Canada is similar in that the most conservative of our major parties—see Poilievre above—is pro-choice. Hence, we need to face the same issues and ask many of the same big questions.)

Jen Pollock Michel shares a moving piece of writing about death, sorrow, and forgiveness.

Christian movies are known for being cringy, but thankfully it’s not universally true. This list offers 10 examples.

I’m never sure how effective these apologetic tips actually are in practice, but knowing them certainly won’t do any harm. Robby Lashua explains how you can quickly and easily show Mormon missionaries that the Bible (which they profess to honor and believe) contradicts their gospel.

Ben Chow writes about one of those times when it was difficult to know whether or not he should share the gospel. I appreciate the way he thinks it through. It makes me think of people I have known who determined they would take just about every available opportunity, even if it risked their job.

I have known a good many Indian people who have had arranged marriages and have thrived within them. In fact, I have had Indian Christians in Canada ask if the pastors here will take on the role many take in India and help arrange marriages for them. This article from TGC India describes the practice and offers some biblically-based thoughts on it.

They are independent, but not too distant. They are connected, but not suffocating. They’ve got room to grow but also room to spread their leaves.

God brought Jesus into the world through messed-up people. God saves messed-up people through Jesus. And God makes Jesus known to messed-up people using the messed-up people he saves.
—Aaron Armstrong