More Precious than Life

As we get closer to the end of the book, it seems like the topics are becoming harder and harder. What I mean by this is Piper mentions things that are important, no, CRUCIAL, to not wasting your life, but they seem to be some of the hardest things for me. For example, chapter 7 talks about living life like Christ is more precious than all of it. I mean, I understand it with my head, but I feel as though my heart is a little slow on things of this magnitude. It's been really great to read and really see on paper the things that I know I struggle with from time to time. It really gives me something to think about during the day/week. Thanks Piper! lol

OUR BEST FOR HIS GLORY

Chapter 8 goes into great lengths to emphasize that as children of God and people willing to not waste their lives we must not be idlers and neither should we be lazy. I believe that this reading was timely in the sense that school begins soon and for us to really represent God in all fronts we must appreciate work and use it to give God the glory. As christians, it is safe for me to assume that we will have slightly more stretched schedules than non-christians but am hoping that we all get inspired by Dr. Piper's words. That whatever we do we ought to do it with all our best for the Glory of God.

A risk I'm willing to take

I really like how Piper talked about risk and taking risks. I for one am not too keen on risk-taking. I like playing it safe. I don't like to fail, I don't like to look stupid, and I don't want others to see me fail or look stupid. The thing is, a life lived for Christ is one that is filled with risk. If we keep playing it safe, we are not going to go out there and try our best to win souls for Christ. I can see this now even in my life. Just being on the track team and trying to keep a bible study for my teammates is a risk. I don't know if they like it or not. Not just that, but I can't guarantee that I'm not making a fool of myself. I don't know if I'm saying the right things, or going about it in the right way that will give them the best opportunity for knowing God. It's a risk, but for the sake of their souls, its one i'm willing to take. I love them more than I love myself and I want them to know and experience God's love as I have. However, from time to time I question myself and question whether I should even be doing this, but I know its what God wants me to do, so I will continue doing it.

I like Piper's paraphrase of Paul's mission: "My life is devoted to producing in you that one great experience of the heart by which Christ is magnified—namely, being satisfied in him, joyfully treasuring him above all else. That’s what I mean when I say, ‘For me to live is Christ.’ That is, for me to live is your Christ-magnifying faith."

Would it be great if we could convince Cornell students to find their joy in Christ rather than their idols?

Of risks and forgiveness

I cannot despise what i enjoy about God. God has taken so many risks in investing so much in my life. He always has a chance for me even though i do not deserve it.
God's perfect will for me is that i maybe a real image that depicts his likeness. My life must portray "Godlikeness."
How can i do that if i continue shielding myself from risks, how can i live his purpose if i avoid the risky paths of Christianity.
How can i be like God, if i do not forgive and forget.
I really hope that in this year i can build my faith and deeds to be like God. If i live with the full likeness of God in me, i certainly will not lose out in achieving his will and purpose for me. And consequently i will not waste my life.

Taking risk and decision making.

After reading chapters 3-6, I found out that I have been an indecisive and impatient person. Instead of being so impatient about knowing what he has in store for his life, I am now going to be impatient about getting to know him better. He knows the outcome to every situation that I am in and since has already planned something for me to do with this life that he has given me. While I read, I kept asking myself one question after another. The book answered some but not all. This book is helping me to look back at the way I've been living in the past, the life that I'm living now, and the life that I can live in order to magnify him and show his goodness and mercy in everything that I do. Knowing that we have to serve him through life and death, I will magnify him through the good and the bad times and take the risks to show other people his unconditional love and compassion. Lastly, in everything that I do and every decision that I make, I hope God has a say in it.

Risk

From reading chapter 5, I finally understood the meaning of the verses like Romans 8:37 “we are more than conquerors through him that loved us”, Philippians 4:12-13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” “My God shall supply all my needs according to his riches….” In these verses God is saying that he will keep my faith in him strong in the difficult circumstances that I face in life. The difficult situations he allows me to go through are there to increase my faith in Him and not to bring me to renounce it and God will therefore not put me in a situation that I will give up on Him or He will give me the strength to stay focused on Him. Understanding the meaning of these verses helped me see how people such as Paul and Esther in the Bible were able to risk their lives for the God. They knew that that God would be right there with them even if it meant death. Also, they knew that if they died, their cause increased the glory of God therefore achieving their purpose in life. As I was reading the chapters, I was thinking about the kind of risks I would have to take for Christ’s sake because they are somewhat different from the life threatening ones that Paul and Esther faced. It also got me thinking about whether I am willing to take such risks because it’s always scary putting yourself in such situations. But yet again feeling more secure by not taking risks is false security. I then looked at the life of Paul and saw that he had no fear in losing his life for Christ and asked myself why. Looking back on the life of Paul, his encounter with God and the years he spent seeking God before he began his ministry explained why he was willing to die for Christ. He saw the power of Christ and understood who God was in the time he spent seeking him, and experienced the Joy and peace of living for Christ. This is how he was able to put his life in danger multiple times. So for me to be able to take risks for Jesus, I have to seek him first to become more like him and experience the joy and power of Knowing Christ, increasing my faith, because I can’t take a risk for something I don’t strongly believe in.

What is Your Passion?

I can see that it's getting harder and harder for people to post. It's the same for me as well. I feel like this has a lot to do with the very first page of the 3rd chapter. Honestly, I say this also because that is all I've read so far. I don't mean to make excuses, but things have been pretty hectic with my family, and the time to read hasn't really been there. In addition to that, I would say another issue is the "passion" Piper speaks of. We are supposed to "live life by a single God-exalting, soul-satisfying passion." I feel as though I don't really have that. It's been a while since I've felt truly passionate about something. Maybe for a day or two I'll be extremely zealous in prayer and other things, then it is just followed by a huge slump and I get really upset about it.
I continue to pray for God to give me that passion for Him. To love Him with ALL my heart instead of just a little tiny piece. I don't want to waste my life. I want to live for Him and to do what He wants me to do and  TAKE JOY IN DOING IT. But without that passion, without that love, nothing I do will truly be glorifying to Him because as His word says, He looks at our hearts. Please pray for me that I will continue to seek Him tirelessly even when I really don't feel like it.
Oh and I will have ch.3,4,5 and 6 read by next week! Hopefully lol. It's tough. Thank you to all who have kept it up! And for your encouragements :)

Surrender

After reading chapters 3 and 4, I looked at my life and the costs of being a disciple of Jesus. Reading the verses on dying to self and giving things that I have comfort in and find security in really were hard to read and take in because I do not do that regularly. It really made me think about whether giving up what I want for Jesus is worth it. At times it felt unreasonable and too much to do but then I looked at the joy and peace of people who chose to live for Christ and saw the value in the sacrifice. Also the chapters talked about being a Christian for the benefits of Christ without the costs is still a life wasted. To fully experience the benefits of peace and joy, you have to go through hard times because they bring you closer to God. The chapters made me think of what I would live for if I decided that the Christian life is too demanding and I saw an easier life but it was not satisfying and was filled with many empty promises. Comparing this to the promises of a life lived for Christ makes me desire Jesus more and challenges me to trust in His plans and purposes and to completely surrender my life to Christ.

This is the point when it gets tough

Chapter 3 and 4 are sincerely speaking tough chapters, i loved reading them as much as i feared the demands they were making of me. Worldly speaking, these chapters present some paradoxical demands, but take or leave it this is the life we must learn to embrace. Glorifying God in life or death. This is not an easy fete, many Christians in the world are in Christ for gain. This selfless nature portrayed in these chapters is limited, completely limited. Why? because this kind of lifestyle requires a passion, and with the word passion we stretch its classical meaning to incorporate some new level of courage, ambition and firepower.

The opposite of wasting life is living it by a single God glorifying passion. Honestly, very few people in the world per capita can make this cut. This explains why we must count our blessings to be in this moment in time to ingest and digest these truths. But it will not be easy to live a cross centered life. A lot must die, a lot must come to being. Yes, i dislike having to say these things but as i read this book time and again it is getting clear to me that if i want it, it will be costly. It was costly for Paul, it was costly for all examples used by Piper but all of them found joy in it, it was their passion, it was their firepower. In fact chapter 4 is all about magnifying God in pain and death. When it is all done we will have fought the fight, we will have ran the race.. and God will have received all the glory. I pray that we all find this firepower