Some Reflections after reading portions of Desiring God by John Piper

For almost two weeks, I have been digging in to some odd, interesting, and amazing truths from the book, Desiring God by John Piper. I am currently reading the book, but I have only introduced to you, these interesting issues that I found worth discussing and posting, most of which are all found in the first chapter. I've lead many of the readers up to a point of questions, now finally I plan on finishing up this chapter and cover most of the answer to these questions : We've talked about God as the happiest being and as the most supreme sovereign being. And that His ultimate goal is to glorify Himself. So why create humans? Well, creation, all of it -including humans, is a spillover of God's excellence. Even in our sin and our evil. We still fit in God's design and we are a part of God's excellence.
Piper: "It is no argument of the emptiness or deficiency of a fountain, that it is inclined to overflow." So is God lacking in something, so He created us to fulfill something missing, Piper would say NO!What about the idea of love does not seek its own? Is God compensating for something He doesn't have or feeling better about insecurity via human praise? Piper also refutes this with the Bible. We know that there is nothing above God; we also know that God is not weak and has no deficiencies. Romans 11:36 tells us that "from Him and through Him and to Him all things are made." Everything that is in existence owes that existence to God Himself and no one can add something to God that is not already there. Therefore God's zeal for Himself and His desire to be praised by man is not because of any weakness or compensate for any deficiency.What about love not seeking its own? Does that apply to God? Think about it this way, if God were to turn His love away from Himself, the true source of infinite joy, then He would be implying that there is something greater than Himself, something above Him. And he would cease to be God. God is love precisely because He relentlessly pursues the praises of His own name in the hearts of man. So no that rules does not apply to God, for if it did, he would no longer be God. One last thought before I call it a blog, this piece puts things together in a different light. Our delight in something is never complete until it is expressed. Let me illustrate that idea: If you are in love with your wife/husband, you want to tell him/her all the things that you like about him/her. You do not feel obligated to do so, you just WANT to. Also in the same light, your lover cannot read your mind, although he/she knows that you love him/her, he/she WANTS also to hear you say that you love him/her.
It is the same with God and our delight in Him is also not complete unless we express that praise!

Some Reflections after reading portions of Desiring God by John Piper

The very thing that can make us happiest is what God delights in with all His heart and with all His soul, because we were created in God's image. We are to praise God with a sweet echo of His excellence. What is amazing about God is that with all His heart and all His soul, God joins us in the pursuit of our everlasting joy. He joins us in a relationship with Himself. Because He is the ultimate source of infinite joy.

Not everyone is bound to enter Heaven, this is why conversion is so important. "for the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." (Mt. 7:14)"There are those who are being saved and those who are perishing." (1 Cor. 1:18) This is hard to deal with because we do not like it. We do not want to hear it or deal with the fact that not everyone will be saved. This makes me want to live my life for God even more and evangelize more. I want more to come to know Christ and not perish without Him.

This Week's Laugh (from The DailyDilly)

This Week's Laugh

What happens at these Fahrenheit temperatures...

What happens at these Fahrenheit temperatures:

+65 — Hawaiians declare a two-blanket night.

+60 — Californians put on sweaters (if they can find one).

+50 — Miami residents turn on the heat.

+45 — Vermont residents go to outdoor concerts.

+40 — You can see your breath. Californians shiver uncontrollably. Minnesotans go swimming.

+35 — Italian cars don't start.

+32 — Water freezes.

+30 — You plan your vacation to Australia.

+25 — Ohio water freezes. Californians weep. Minnesotans eat ice cream. Canadians go swimming.

+20 — Politicians begin to talk about the homeless. New York City water freezes. Miami residents plan vacation farther South.

+15 — French cars don't start. Cat insists on sleeping in your bed with you.

+10 — You need jumper cables to get the car going.

+5 — American cars don't start.

0 — Alaskans put on T-shirts.

-10 — German cars don't start. Eyes freeze shut when you blink.

-15 — You can cut your breath and use it to build an igloo. Arkansans stick tongue on metal objects. Miami residents cease to exist.

-20 — Cat insists on sleeping in pajamas with you. Politicians actually do something about the homeless. Minnesotans shovel snow off roof. Japanese cars don't start.

-25 — Too cold to think. You need jumper cables to get the driver going.

-30 — You plan a two week hot bath. Swedish cars don't start.

-40 — Californians disappear. Minnesotans button top button. Canadians put on sweaters. Your car helps you plan your trip South.

-50 — Congressional hot air freezes. Alaskans close the bathroom window.

-80 — Polar bears move South. Green Bay Packer fans order hot cocoa at the game.

-90 — Lawyers put their hands in their own pockets.
(from The DailyDilly)

Thought of the day

Jesus didn't preach 3-point sermons, he preached 1-point sermons — and most of the time he didn't even tell people what that point was!Jesus rarely explained his stories, in fact only once in scripture are we told specifically why Jesus told a story (Luke 18:1), and only a couple of his story explanations appear. Jesus trusted his stories to do their work in the hearts of the people listening.

Maybe we should not go on to explain our illustrations and stories...but instead be like Jesus and trust in the story/illustration along with the help of the Holy Spirit to have its own impact. The more time you spend explaining the story, the less impact the story has. What do you think?