One of my favorite books that has made a huge impact on my life is John Piper's Desiring God. The subtitle is "Meditation of a Christian Hedonist." It would be difficult to summarize the whole book but to highlight a few points I would encourage you with these.
Christian "Hedonism" sounds suspect on the surface and Piper describes it on p.28, (revised edition), as a philosophy of life built on finding our happiness or pleasures in God. It might also be called a theology of life in finding our happiness in God. A small difference perhaps but it helps in discovering a theocentric view of life, and, that God seeks our pleasure in him.
Hedonism by definition is a philosophy of seeking self-directed pleasure for ourselves. Is it inherently sinful? For selfish reasons alone I believe it would be. But Christian Hedonism by definition is seeking joy and pleasure in God. Our sinful natures however can easily twist this pleasure in God to become pleasures from God.
Desiring God is not the same as just desiring pleasure though. From God, and in Christ, we not only can receive our joy and pleasure, we also can receive - strength, wisdom, peace, reconciliation, redemption, purpose, dignity, hope, eternal life, and even life abundantly here and now, life indeed! It's much more than just pleasure.
But hedonism is a good term in one sense, in that we can connect pleasure with God. Often we cannot see the connection but believe God wants to take away our happiness. Piper shows us this connection in Scripture and that this is a central doctrine and truth from God. He shows us that finding our pleasure in God drives out our desire for sin. It's purifying when we develop a thirst for God that cannot be compared to anything this world has to offer. And this is redemptive, it brings us back to who we were created to be, and it sanctifies us in the image of Christ.
The world however shows us the emptiness of seeking pleasure from temporal things. This pleasure does not last and it does not satisfy our souls because we were made to find our happiness with God. But we can find joy in all things that God has created when we see God as the source and Giver of all good gifts and Christ as the Redeemer of our souls. The world severs the gifts from the Giver. The Christian hedonist connects the gifts and the Giver, and because of this, we seek to glorify God as the Creator and Giver of all good gifts.
Football? Sports? Music? Romance? Jurisprudence? Academics? Yes, indeed! The sport, competition, fun, fellowship, teamwork, purpose, drive, goals, commitments, justice, mercy, hunger for significance, missionary work, all this can glorify God when we use our talents for him. But the Christian should never sever these from God and for his glory. And in a broken world, we must not forget his commandments, which are not burdensome when we have his joy.
A biblical faith drives us to desire God in all things. God has created all the universe for the good of knowing him. God is the Creator and Redeemer and he seeks our praise, he seeks our fellowship and our glory in him. This theocentric perspective of life is exactly what Desiring God is all about. To desire God and to know him and glorify him in all things is exactly what God is seeking. He seeks our praise, and in fact, he delights in his glory above all. And this is amazing.
FAITH TODAY: Psalm 37:4 - "Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart."
Christian "Hedonism" sounds suspect on the surface and Piper describes it on p.28, (revised edition), as a philosophy of life built on finding our happiness or pleasures in God. It might also be called a theology of life in finding our happiness in God. A small difference perhaps but it helps in discovering a theocentric view of life, and, that God seeks our pleasure in him.
Hedonism by definition is a philosophy of seeking self-directed pleasure for ourselves. Is it inherently sinful? For selfish reasons alone I believe it would be. But Christian Hedonism by definition is seeking joy and pleasure in God. Our sinful natures however can easily twist this pleasure in God to become pleasures from God.
Desiring God is not the same as just desiring pleasure though. From God, and in Christ, we not only can receive our joy and pleasure, we also can receive - strength, wisdom, peace, reconciliation, redemption, purpose, dignity, hope, eternal life, and even life abundantly here and now, life indeed! It's much more than just pleasure.
But hedonism is a good term in one sense, in that we can connect pleasure with God. Often we cannot see the connection but believe God wants to take away our happiness. Piper shows us this connection in Scripture and that this is a central doctrine and truth from God. He shows us that finding our pleasure in God drives out our desire for sin. It's purifying when we develop a thirst for God that cannot be compared to anything this world has to offer. And this is redemptive, it brings us back to who we were created to be, and it sanctifies us in the image of Christ.
The world however shows us the emptiness of seeking pleasure from temporal things. This pleasure does not last and it does not satisfy our souls because we were made to find our happiness with God. But we can find joy in all things that God has created when we see God as the source and Giver of all good gifts and Christ as the Redeemer of our souls. The world severs the gifts from the Giver. The Christian hedonist connects the gifts and the Giver, and because of this, we seek to glorify God as the Creator and Giver of all good gifts.
Football? Sports? Music? Romance? Jurisprudence? Academics? Yes, indeed! The sport, competition, fun, fellowship, teamwork, purpose, drive, goals, commitments, justice, mercy, hunger for significance, missionary work, all this can glorify God when we use our talents for him. But the Christian should never sever these from God and for his glory. And in a broken world, we must not forget his commandments, which are not burdensome when we have his joy.
A biblical faith drives us to desire God in all things. God has created all the universe for the good of knowing him. God is the Creator and Redeemer and he seeks our praise, he seeks our fellowship and our glory in him. This theocentric perspective of life is exactly what Desiring God is all about. To desire God and to know him and glorify him in all things is exactly what God is seeking. He seeks our praise, and in fact, he delights in his glory above all. And this is amazing.
FAITH TODAY: Psalm 37:4 - "Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart."
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