It has become clearer that God being glorified and God being enjoyed are not separate categories. They relate to each other not like fruit and animals, but like fruit and apples. Apples are one kind of fruit. Enjoying God supremely is one way to glorify him. Enjoying God makes him look supremely valuable.
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God created me -and you – to live with a single, all embracing, all-transforming passion – namely, a passion to glorify God by enjoying and displaying his supreme excellence in all the spheres of life. Enjoying and displaying are both crucial. If we try to display the excellence of God without joy in it, we will display a shell of hypocrisy and create scorn or legalism. But if we claim to enjoy his excellence and do not display it for others to see and admire, we deceive ourselves, because the mark of God-enthralled joy is to overflow and expand by extending itself into the hearts of others. The wasted life is life without a passion for the supremecy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples.
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We waste our lives when we do not pray and think and dream and plan and work toward magnifying God in all spheres of life. God created us for this: to live our lives in a way that makes him look more like the greatness and the beauty and the inifite worth that he really is. [...] This is what it means to be created in the image of God. We are meant to image forth in the world what he is really like.
- taken from Don’t Waste Your Life, by John Piper
As I started reading the excerpts, I thought “these quotes sound so familiar, like some of John Piper’s work.” I was pleasantly surprised to find that they actually are excerpts from one of his books that read last year! Excellent material, that I seem to need to be reminded of every once in a while. Thank you for sharing!
Oh, that is so good! I’m so blessed by that encouragement… and CHALLENGE to NOT waste my life, but make it count for God’s glory. I don’t want to waste it! Thanks so much for sharing!
I haven’t been here in a while – but have enjoyed catching up on your blog, Hannah, – I LOVE the picture of you at the tea party with your mom, – it shows your soft side! – When I read your blog entries, some of the content reminds me of journal entries I wrote in the before marriage days, when I had more journaling time… of course blogs were not as common then, or easy. I know you must hear this all the time…. but do enjoy this time of singleness and freedom to spend your time loving, learning and serving the Lord… at some point serving the Lord will mean caring for a husband and child(ren) and those long endless devotions will be shorter, tho no- less sweet. Tell the rest of your family hi, – I just need to call and chat sometime. – love ya
I love, love, love your picture at the top of your site!!! Did you take it, or if not, where did you find it???
“We waste our lives when we do not pray” — that got me. Your blog is SO good!! (I found your blog through Britt’s blog Aletheia Liberty)