As we approach the end of the year, I have been attempting to finish out my 2017 reading list. Included on that list is a wide variety of books, but one that has remained constant on my reading list for the past few years is Randy Alcorn’s “Treasure Principle.” This book is a quick read with only 120 pages, but the six principles discussed in the book are packed full of wisdom and truth. One principle that always stands out to me is Principle Four: “I should live not for the dot, but for the line.”

At first glance, you may be confused, as I was the first time I read the book, but Randy does go on to explain the analogy. Our lives have two phases: One a dot, the other a line extending out from that dot. The dot is our present life on earth – it begins, it ends, it is brief. But from the dot extends a line that goes on forever. That line is eternity, which Christians will spend in eternity.
If we truly believe this principle, then we have to ask ourselves a simple question: “Am I living, and managing my resources, for the dot or for the line?” The person who lives for the dot lives for treasures on earth that ultimately end up in junkyards. The person living for the line lives for treasures in heaven that will never end. You may be wondering how we store up treasures in heaven - Jesus speaks in detail about this in Matthew chapter 6. To summarize what Jesus shared – “Giving is living for the line.” We can keep earthy treasures for the moment, and we may derive some temporary enjoyment from them. But if we give them away, we’ll enjoy eternal treasures that can never be taken from us.

So as we enter the Christmas season, and we all consider what next year will look like, my prayer would be that you spend time reflecting “Your line.” Merry Christmas!