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In our Bible study, our “Care Group” is reading Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper. I would encourage all Christians to read this book. Even non-Christians would be wise to read this book because Piper is a very gifted writer and provides such clarity about what really matters in this vapor we call life.

The main point is this… (from here)

“God created us to live with a single passion: to joyfully display his supreme excellence in all spheres of life. The wasted life is the life without this passion. God calls us to pray and think and dream and plan and work, not to be made much of, but to make much of him in every part of our lives.”

You can read more about this book and Piper’s thesis here.

But this post is specifically about Chapter 7 of the book… (the book you can download for free)

In Chapter 7, titled Living to Prove He is More Precious Than Life, Piper writes (pg. 119):

“Oh, how many lives are wasted by people who believe that the Christian life means simply avoiding badness and providing for the family. So there is no adultery, no stealing, no killing, no embezzlement, no fraud - just lots of hard work during the day, and lots of TV and PG-13 videos in the evening (during quality family time), and lots of fun stuff on the weekend - woven around church (mostly). This is life for millions of people. Wasted life. We were created for more, far more.” (emphasis added)

This really spoke to me and I remembered the way a friend of mine (a Christian friend) would have described his life (as I would have mine) just a short time ago. He said, “I tried to sin as much as I could and still call myself a Christian.” I was wasting my life. I was trying to live a ‘good’ life and went to church on Sunday, but no one would ever described me as ‘joyful’. And given what I believe, that Jesus Christ died for me and provided a justification for my entry into the eternal presence of God, I should be extraordinarily joyful. What do I have to worry about…He provided a way to heaven for this sinner, surely He will provide for everything else I need until I get to heaven.

And this is where this book is extremely powerful. There is a vast expanse between what I think I need and what I truly need for this life. Chapter 7 specifically speaks to the issues of money and possessions. What I think I need is usually just a want to be comfortable…a vacation, decent clothes, a bigger house, recognition in my career, a nice car, or a solid retirement portfolio. There is nothing wrong with any of these things and having them doesn’t indicate some sort of sin in one’s life, but when I truly examine my heart in regards to these things, I find that I have put my hope in these things to make my life better. This is wrong…this is wasted…especially for the Christian. My hope is Christ. Instead of asking myself, “How do I get these things”, I should ask the questions Piper lists on page 119…

“…How will this help help me treasure Christ more? How will it help me show that I do treasure Christ? How will it help me know Christ or display Christ? The Bible says, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). So the question is mainly positive…How can I portray God as Glorious in this action? How can I enjoy making much of him in this behavior?”

This really brings clarity to the ’stuff’ of life. I find myself not worrying so much about my business…the Lord will provide, I don’t need to plan for a vacation, but if the Lord blesses us with that, how will our time away from home glorify Him…how much money can I save for retirement…God may want me to work for a long long time, and how and where does He want me to serve.

This way of thinking, this way of living actually relieves me of “wasting” so much of my life. Thanks to Dr. Piper for calling me out. My goal in life is no longer to strive to do good and make my life comfortable, but to live my life so people ask, “Why is it that you have so much hope?”