What I've Been Reading

I was roaming around on Facebook one night, just checking on some of my friends and I came across the profile of J.D. Whitlock. He's married to my dear friend, Jane. As I looked at his profile he described his religious views as "Christian hedonist." Now I was intrigued. What is a "Christian hedonist"? So I began exploring this idea and found a book called Desiring God by John Piper. I ordered the book and that is what I recently finished reading. I intend to share some ideas and quotes from the book here over the next few days. I was afraid if I posted it all at once I would scare off some reluctant readers.


The famous old tradition says:
The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

The Christian hedonist changes this to say:
The chief end of man is to glorify God BY enjoying Him forever.

So the premise of this book is that God is most glorified when we seek our own happiness and find it in Him.

The first section was about how God is the happiest being of all because he accomplishes everything He sets out to do. None of His purposes is ever thwarted. Just think how happy that would make a person!


Ps. 33:10-11 The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.

“And if none of His purposes can be frustrated, then He must be the happiest of all beings."

“Can you imagine what it would be like if the God who ruled the world were not happy? What if God were given to grumbling and pouting and depression, like some Jack-and-the-beanstalk giant in the sky? What if God were frustrated and despondent and gloomy and dismal and discontented and dejected? Could we join David and say, “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you. My soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water”?
“I don’t think so. We would all relate to God like little children who have a frustrated, gloomy, dismal, discontented father. They can’t enjoy him. They can only try not to bother him, or maybe try to work for him to earn some little favor."
(I'm so thankful that we don't have to feel this way about our heavenly Father.)

“The foundation of the happiness of God is the sovereignty of God…He does all that He pleases…He makes all things work together for His glory."

“He has designed from all eternity, and is infallibly forming with every event, a magnificent mosaic of redemptive history. The contemplation of this mosaic (with both the dark and bright tiles) fills His heart with joy.”

I like thinking about this happy Father. I like serving a God like this.

More later...