Does that mean that’s it? This is it, the best life you’re ever going to get is now?

I first heard of the ‘live your best life now’ marketed by US preacher Joel Osteen on Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), an international religious television network. I was drawn to its positive message, as it seemed logical that God would want us to enjoy a good life now. Only much later did I realise that I’d been misled. It was psycho-babble and unbiblical.

Living your best life now means all the best of life is now, as in, the here and now. Nothing good or ‘best’ is coming later. Nothing ‘best’ is coming after this. Which makes one wonder, what about the afterlife?

Where does that leave heaven? What about the promised eternity with God? Isn’t that a good thing? Isn’t spending eternity with God the very best one could ever want or dream of?

If you’ve lived your ‘best’ life now, once you’re done, that’s it, you are done. There’s nothing else. There’s nothing more. There’s no hope.

So, why have faith? Or, is faith supposed to carry you through the wanting, dreaming, wishing for things you want to have in this life? You know, the house, car, money, wealth, maybe fame.

Is that all that hope is for? That you hope for things, and your faith carries you through just enough to sustain you until you get those things. And then what?

What’s next?

What now?

While it’s okay to want things and to want to have a good life now, God wants more and better for us. He wants us to grow our faith as He deepens our relationship with Him. Faith that trusts God implicitly. Trusts that He knows best what is good for us. He knows what we need now and when our lives here are done.

And we will be with Him for all eternity.

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