Desiring God

Posted by ericgmorgan

January 23, 2007

I am currently reading the John Piper book ‘Desiring God‘. It is a slow read and requires really wrapping your mind around it. It has taken me a couple of weeks to get into chapter 3. For me it is a ‘mind job’.

The first chapter sets up the idea of God has complete sovereignty. For me, that doctrine was not very well developed in my ‘Baptist’ upbringing. The whole concept it that God is in complete control and has everything mapped out with a plan. When I stop to look back over the last several years it is mind blowing that God’s plan, desire, and will is woven in through some of the mess I have been in and through.

The second chapter breaks down ‘conversion’ like I have never been exposed to. One of the things that stands out to me is Jesus did not die to give us health or wealth or even for us to go to heaven or keep us from hell. Jesus total purpose for death was to give us God. One of the things that is mind blowing is that often times we delight and enjoy God’s gifts yet don’t know what it is to delight, enjoy, and know God. Would it be enough if knowing God was the only thing we got at salvation? What if there were no spiritual gifts to receive, no blessings, no benefits, no ‘things’, just God. Man, is heavy to meditate on.

1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

Eph.2:18-19 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

This is why the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, strength. (Deut. 6:4, 13:3, 30:6, 30:16, Jos. 22:5, Mat.22:37, Mk.12:30, Lk.10:27) We are told in Mat.6:33 to “seek first the kingdom of God”… When we seek God’s kingdom we are seeking something spiritual (Rom.14:17). God is a spirit (John 4:24) and is in a spiritual kingdom. We have to look beyond the ‘physical’. Just a Col.3:1-3 teaches “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” The story of Mary sitting at Jesus feet play in with this concept. Mary had chosen the “needful thing”. It is ultimately necessary to sit at the feet of Jesus who is our connection to God.

I am just now getting in to chapter 3. The teaching is on worship. Jesus teaches us about worship through the life of a whore!!! Just as he teaches us about forgiveness through a slut who was ‘knocking boots’ with someone else’s husband. Worship is about ’spirit’ and ‘truth’. It is God’s spirit connecting with out spirit and God’s truth (his word Jn 17:17) connecting with our mind and heart. True worshippers are ones who are “deeply emotional”, “love deep”, and who know “sound doctrine”. This is the balance. Sound doctrine with no love or emotion creates dead orthodoxy. Emotion and love with our sound doctrine creates “empty frenzy” and “shallow people” when it comes to biblical truth. There is still more in chapter 3…

Time to read.

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