The Leaning Tower of San Francisco
Melia Robinson, with Business Insider, reports:
Millennium Tower is a luxury residential high-rise that has sunk 17 inches and tilted 14 inches since it was completed in 2008. Though an inspection by the city showed it's safe to occupy, the situation has sparked an exodus from the building. Residents say they're selling multimillion-dollar condos at a loss, with the value of their homes tumbling $320,000 on average.
... One disgruntled resident told producers that with so many lawyers involved, it takes the court 30 minutes just to take attendance during legal proceedings.
... Some critics blame the city of San Francisco for allowing Millennium Partners to anchor the building 80 feet into packed sand rather than 200 feet down to bedrock.
... Residents now say they are "stuck with nearly worthless condos," according to NBC Bay Area.
... As Millennium Tower keeps on sinking, its fate remains unclear.
Jesus said, “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash” (Matthew 7:24-27, NLT).
There’s nothing unclear about Jesus forecast for those who choose to build their lives on sand rather than solid rock. Apparently, the ancient principle still holds true, even in this modern age. And so does the application that He gave to it. Trust in His teaching is the bedrock on which we must build our lives. Otherwise, all that we purpose to do in the New Year is certain to sink, tilt and collapse.
Relax Or Die!
Here's TIME's take on the 10 most "Commonly Broken New Year's Resolutions":
- Lose Weight and Get Fit
- Quit Smoking
- Learn Something New
- Eat Healthier and Diet
- Get Out of Debt and Save Money
- Spend More Time with Family
- Travel to New Places
- Be Less Stressed
- Volunteer
- Drink Less
Follow this link and click on the individual resolution for an article on each one.
But there's one very important resolution that TIME missed. It's a moral imperative we break all of the time without giving it much thought. Yet, according to the Bible, it's not just a matter of losing a few pounds, but of life and death!
From Exodus 31:15 we read, "You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day must be a Sabbath day of complete rest, a holy day dedicated to the LORD. Anyone who works on the Sabbath must be put to death."
"Relax or die!" Isn't that what God is saying here? Forget about the lists of things you need to do better, what about the resolve to rest from all of your doing?
"Anyone who works on the Sabbath must be put to death" seems like a gross and bizarre overreaction on God's part. In what universe does this punishment fit this crime? It makes sense that doing the wrong things should be a crime, but should failing to do nothing be a punishable offense?
Add to these questions the extreme lengths that some people have gone in their attempts to satisfy the Sabbath laws, and we see how, without an understanding of Jesus, the law quickly becomes absurd. Absent of an understanding of the promised Messiah, the law presents what appears to be a bizarre, rigid, and condemning religion.
"Relax or die!" makes no sense without Jesus; with Jesus, it makes perfect sense.
That's because Jesus IS the Sabbath rest we all so desperately need! The free gift of God's grace demands that we place our complete trust in Jesus for salvation, or die in a futile attempt to earn it ourselves. God spoke of observing the Sabbath as a life and death issue because knowing Jesus, the source of real Sabbath rest, is a matter of life and death to the soul.
Once we understand we can't possibly keep God's laws, (we can't even keep our own New Year's resolutions!) our need for Jesus becomes evident.
Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith (Galatians 3:24, NASB).
So, before you concern yourself with all of the things you could do better, make sure you have learned how to do nothing.
Let us therefore give diligence to enter into that rest, that no man fall after the same example of disobedience (Hebrews 4:11, ASV).
A New Year's Prayer
May God make your year a happy one!
Not by shielding you from all sorrows and pain,
But by strengthening you to bear it, as it comes;
Not by making your path easy,
But by making you sturdy to travel any path;
Not by taking hardships from you,
But by taking fear from your heart;
Not by granting you unbroken sunshine,
But by keeping your face bright, even in the shadows;
Not by making your life always pleasant,
But by showing you when people and their causes need you most,
And by making you anxious to be there to help.
God’s love, peace, hope and joy to you for the year ahead.
"For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13, NLT).