Forever: Why You Can't Live Without It [Kindle Edition]

Paul David Tripp (Author)

Book Description

The here and now is simply not able to bear the weight of our expectations. We've lost an eternal perspective, and it hurts us every day. Job disappointment, relationship struggles, and quiet feelings of disillusionment all signal that something is not quite right. Life only makes sense when you realize that all of the situations, locations, and relationships of your life were not designed to be a final resting place for your hopes and dreams, but tools of preparation for a destination to come. Living without eternity puts pressure on the here and now to be what it cannot be and to deliver what it cannot deliver. Countless people deal daily with the frustration of a life that has no 'forever.' In Jesus Christ the hope of eternity is restored and, with it, a radical new way of understanding and facing the normal struggles of life in a world broken and waiting for restoration.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Paul Tripp is a gifted and sought after speaker and the author of many popular books, including What Did You Expect? Redeeming the Realities of Marriage, The Age of Opportunity, and Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands. President of Paul Tripp Ministries, he also serves as Professor of Pastoral Life and Care at Redeemer Seminary in Dallas, Texas, and as the Executive Director of the Center for Pastoral Life and Care in Fort Worth, Texas. He and his wife, Luella, have four grown children.

Product Details

• File Size: 1857 KB
• Print Length: 208 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Up to 5 simultaneous devices, per publisher limits
• Publisher: Zondervan (October 4, 2011)
• Sold by: HarperCollins Publishing
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005KAD11U
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #54,931 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #26 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Theology > Eschatology

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Typical Tripp - Biblical, Christ Centered, Very Practical September 26, 2011

By David P. Craig TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you have ever asked yourself questions like: Why is it so hard to find satisfaction? Why is it so hard to find a good relationship? Why do I keep getting myself more and more into deeper debt? Why does it seem like life keeps getting more difficult? Why am I suffering so much? And many other questions like these - than this is a fantastic book for you.

Paul Tripp writes with theological acumen, numerous biblical examples, brilliant illustrations, and practical insights in showing how we were made for eternity and that we need to factor in our lives the fall and the future in order to live in the now. Our current life is simply preparation for our ultimate destination. He shows how we typically view current realities without an eternal perspective and how devastating these consequences are and then shows on the flip side how we were designed to live with Christ at the center of all of life and how living with a forever mindset has gracious overtones leading to great peace and joy.

Tripp delineates specifically how having an eternal mindset makes a substantial difference in our lives in our relationship to God, those closest to us, at work, in our priorities, etc.

I highly recommend this book as "must" reading and an excellent choice to give as a gift to those who are disillusioned, deceived, discouraged, and without hope in this life. The gospel is clearly articulated here over and over in masterful brilliance shows how Christ is our only satisfaction in the now and how all our dreams will be satisfied in eternity through a personal relationship with Him.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Forever in a Fresh Perspective January 14, 2012

By Sheep23

Format:Paperback

Paul David Tripp, author of many books on parenting and counseling, has written a timely book on the perspective of forever from both a biblical and practical perspective. The books is designed to give the readers a longing for eternity with God but also to put in proper perspective the way we should live here on earth. Too often, as Tripp points out the first chapter, we set ourselves up for failure by having unreal expectatios, focusing too much on our self and expecting or asking too much of people (24-25). If we live without eternity in mind, then we on a course for disaster not only personally but spiritually.

In chapter two, Tripp recognizes that we often try to pack eveything into our day, our lives in order that we don't leave any stone unturned (in our dreams, desires and hopes). Yet, we live as if this was the only destination for us. He writes, "He knows that this is a terribly broken world that, in its present state, does not function they way he intended" (34). The present world is marred but sin in such a way that it doesn't function in reflecting the glory of God in proper way. Because we live as if this life is all that matters, we place such lofty expectations upon people, experiences, and relationships that we are often disappointed. Tripp points us to see this present life as preparing for life in the presence of God, not as living like now is our final destination. This book is amazing because Tripp combines examples of people facing difficulties and their lack of an eternal perspective that reflects much of my own thinking. Secondly, he uses the Scriptures to point out the plan of God for his people (the story of God's redemption also).

Parenting is such a great task that I found his wisdom on parenting to invaluable. In one part, Tripp writes, "I have found a series of five questions to be very helpful in stimulating this kind of conversation. What was going on?...What were you thinking and feeling as it was happening?...What did you do in response?... Why did you do it; what were you trying to accomplish?...What was the result?" (150). Often we talk at our kids, telling them what to do, how to behave instead of talking with them (149). These questions I thought were important because using them helps in drawing the child's own understanding of what was going in their rebellion and leading them back to God. When disciplining my own child, I often find that if I bark at her, she only feels disappointed, hurt, and unresponsive. Yet, when I use parts of these questions with her, she sees her action and wants to do right.

The chapter on Forever and Work was the best. I often fall into the trap of seeing work as a necessary evil, but Tripp points us to a more robust biblical and theological picture. "Adam and Eve were designed for work, and they were commisioned by God to work before sin and death ever entered the world" (161). No, work is not inherently bad or evil. Work is actually part of the created order in which we live. Yet, as Tripp points out, since the fall work is painful and toilsome in many ways. Working for God's glory with eternity in mind is part of God's calling for our lives, seeing work not as just another paycheck, but as being made for work.

This book was a marvelous work at getting readers to seek God from an eternal perspective. Even more, Tripp calls his readers in every area of life to forego the destination mentality of life and look at God's fashioning us for a purpose as a preparation for the next life. This is definitely one of those books that I will go back time and time again to think about its wisdom.

Thanks to Zondervan for the the review copy of this book.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Practical & Useful Tool from Paul Tripp October 18, 2011

By William D. Curnutt TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Paul Tripp again delivers a book that is not only readable but it is highly relevant to our culture today. We are a culture that is motivated to cram as much into our day as possible and if necessary go to work. We work so that we have the money to do the things that we really want to do.

But as our culture gets more involved we are finding that the soccer moms are more stressed out than ever. They spend their day, cleaning, doing laundry, taking the kids to school, soccer practice, ballet lessons, piano lessons, after school events, church events and then family events. By the end of the day or the end of the week everyone falls into bed totally exhausted to grab a few hours sleep before starting the routine again.

Why do we do that?

In "Forever" Tripp is trying to help us sort out why we do what we do and what is the meaning of life for each of us. He believes that Christians have especially lost sight of `Forever.' We are supposed to live our lives with the hope of Eternity in our hearts. If that is true why don't we slow down enough to look at our lives and ask this question, "What impact does this event have on eternity?"

Now granted some events have little or no impact on eternity yet God is happy we do them because they bring joy to our present life. But often times we strive to gain more money to buy more things to impress more people when with eternity in mind they have no impact on our Eternal Life.

Many people today are seeing counselors because they can't say no. Or they don't see any value in their lives.

Dr. Tripp wants us to stop and ask this question, "What did God have in mind for us when he planted the hope of Eternity in our hearts?" Wasn't it to give us some perspective of what value we ought to place on present day activities?

My favorite chapters in his book were;
Chapter 2, "The Pack-it-all-in Mentality"
Chapter 7, "Hope Can't Live Without Forever"
Chapter 8, "Suffering is Harder When You Have No Forever"
Chapter 9, "Forever and Your Relationships"

For me the most impacting was Chapter 8, "Suffering is Harder When You Have No Forever." I think Dr. Tripp does a great job of helping us to understand why bad things happen to good people and then to further understand why some people handle suffering better than others. With the hope of "Forever" in your heart you can see that present day suffering pales in comparison to our Eternal Future with the Lord. It helps us to have a different outlook on life.

This book is going to be one of the best tools you can put in your library to help you in processing today's hectic lifestyle with our hope for the future.

More About the Author

Paul Tripp is the president of Paul Tripp Ministries (www.paultrippministries.org), a nonprofit organization, whose mission statement is "Connecting the transforming power of Jesus Christ to everyday life." This mission leads Paul to weekly speaking engagements around the world. In addition to being a gifted communicator and sought after conference speaker with Paul Tripp Ministries, Paul is the Executive Director of the Center for Pastoral Life and Care in Fort Worth, Texas, and has taught at respected institutions worldwide. As an author, Paul has written many books on Christian Living that are read and distributed internationally. He has been married for many years to Luella and they have four grown children.