4/21/2010

Some Reflections after reading portions of Desiring God by John Piper

John Piper says that God is the happiest of all beings. This is hard to contemplate because it leads us to many questions in our faith. One thing that sticks out to me is this:If God is not the happiest being, then there are a lot of negative consequences that follow that.For one thing if God is not the happiest, then we would not relate to God the same way that we do. We would relate to Him as like He was a frustrated, irritated, angry father. We would not be able to enjoy God and His presence. Fortunately the Bible makes it clear that God created all things for His glory. And everything man does is also to glorify God. Okay Alex, you might be thinking, I hear all this about glorifying God, but I still have question, that you are brushing off. You might not be fully satisfied with all the answers (and the lack of answers) that I have been giving so far. But not to worry, it will all come around eventually. Things we will be looking at: There is not force above God.Evil and sin fits within God's design.Is God for us or against us?Does God go against His own teaching? These issues are real and tough. A lot of them are topics we typically do not like to think about much, it hurts are brain trying to understand. Sometimes the truth behind some of these topics go against the things that we like to hear and the things that that we might have even been taught in our past. These discoveries in the Bible are some times eye opening. I will leave you with some Scripture:Isa. 46: 9, 10"Remember the former things long past,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me,
10Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, 'My purpose will be established,
And I will accomplish all My good pleasure'