Next on my list of people who have inspired/influenced/motivated/encouraged me:
John Piper
I was first introduced to him when I was a senior in high school. I read "God's Passion for His Glory" which I guess I still haven't finished because "The End for Which God Created the World" by Jonathan Edwards was the second half of the book which I only got about half way through with. I did finish John Pipers part and it was through it that I found out about Christian Hedonism. If you've never heard of it it's basically summed up in this:
“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.”
At the age of 14, I can remember asking myself and looking for why I was living/what was the purpose of life. At 18, God revealed this to me and I was fully satisfied.
So what is the end for which God created the world? "That end, Edwards says, is, first, that the glory of God might be magnified in the universe, and , second, that Christ's ransomed people from all times and all nations would rejoice in God above all things. But the depth and wonder and power of this book (The End for which God Created the World) is the demonstration that these two ends are one. The rejoicing of all peoples in God, and the magnifying of God's glory are one end, not two."
Here are some implications of that:
#1 God's passion for His own glory and His passion for my joy in Him are not at odds.
#2 Therefore, God is as committed to my eternal and ever-increasing joy in Him as He is to His own glory.
#3 The love of God for sinners is not His making much of them, but His graciously freeing and empowering them to enjoy making much of Him. (if God would do us good, He must direct us to His worth, not ours)
and later . . .
#15 If the exhibition of God's glory and the deepest joy of human souls are one thing, then, as C.S. Lewis said, "It is a Christian duty, as you know, for everyone to be as happy as he can be.
Sometimes people ask: should we pursue obedience to God or joy in God? Edwards would answer: The question involves a category confusion. It's like asking: should I pursue fruit or apples? Obedience is doing what we are told. And we are told to delight ourselves in the Lord. Therefore pursuing joy in God is obedience."
"The steadfast love of the Lord is better than life" Psalm 63:3
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