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The Dangerous Duty of Delight: The Glorified God and the Satisfied Soul
This compact 96-page book, drawn from Piper's popular Desiring God, emphasizes the importance of strengthening our relationship with our Creator by enjoying Him and His creation. The author's now classic ideas are presented here in an accessible size that will allow readers to absorb and apply them quickly -- leading them to a dramatically different and joyful experience of their faith. Filled with biblical reasons for living a life of celebration, this life-changing read helps people discover not only why but how to delight more fully in the Lord.
Jesus is not safe, but He is satisfying!
Each of us has a restlessness, an inconsolable longing within. Some try to satisfy it with scenic vacations, creative accomplishments, huge cinematic productions, sexual exploits, sports extravaganzas, hallucinogenic drugs, ascetic rigors, managerial excellence, and more. Yet our longing remains. Why?
John Piper turns your heart towards the one true Object of human desire – God. He shows how fulfilling your duty to delight in Him can change your attitude toward worship, toward marriage, toward material goods, toward your very mission and purpose on earth! Join him on a journey from desperate desire to infinite delight!
Jesus is not safe, but He is satisfying!
Each of us has a restlessness, an inconsolable longing within. Some try to satisfy it with scenic vacations, creative accomplishments, huge cinematic productions, sexual exploits, sports extravaganzas, hallucinogenic drugs, ascetic rigors, managerial excellence, and more. Yet our longing remains. Why?
John Piper turns your heart towards the one true Object of human desire – God. He shows how fulfilling your duty to delight in Him can change your attitude toward worship, toward marriage, toward material goods, toward your very mission and purpose on earth! Join him on a journey from desperate desire to infinite delight!
91 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
106 people are currently reading
1246 people want to read
About the author
John Piper
609 books4,584 followersJohn Piper is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, he served as senior pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
He grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, and studied at Wheaton College, Fuller Theological Seminary (B.D.), and the University of Munich (D.theol.). For six years, he taught Biblical Studies at Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and in 1980 accepted the call to serve as pastor at Bethlehem.
John is the author of more than 50 books and more than 30 years of his preaching and teaching is available free at desiringGod.org. John and his wife, Noel, have four sons, one daughter, and twelve grandchildren.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
He grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, and studied at Wheaton College, Fuller Theological Seminary (B.D.), and the University of Munich (D.theol.). For six years, he taught Biblical Studies at Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and in 1980 accepted the call to serve as pastor at Bethlehem.
John is the author of more than 50 books and more than 30 years of his preaching and teaching is available free at desiringGod.org. John and his wife, Noel, have four sons, one daughter, and twelve grandchildren.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 137 reviews
September 10, 2013
For years I’ve pointed people to John Piper’s classic Desiring God, which is high on my list of all time favorite books. A year ago I told a friend that I’d love to see a “mini-Desiring God,” a short but sweet version of John’s message on joy and desire, which has touched so many lives, including mine. The Dangerous Duty of Delight is more than I asked for. Dynamic, joyful and lifechanging, this message is biblical, Christ-centered and desperately needed in the church today. I read the book last week and have already given away copies to family and friends.
June 2, 2020
Great little book about delighting in God.. We are too easily pleased - true joy and satisfaction come hand-in-hand with serving Christ. We’re only able to serve/glorify Him when we’re seeking joy IN Him.
August 29, 2017
"The Dangerous Duty of Delight" is essentially a short, well packaged and condensed version of Piper's classic, "Desiring God". It highlights well the solid, Biblical foundation of what Piper calls Christian Hedonism, of which I've come to find to be a massive asset in fighting sin. Christ must be sought after and enjoyed more than the desires of the flesh. It's not an easy fight, but Piper helps us see it a little more clearly, all throughout his ministry. This short book is well worth your time.
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February 28, 2025Makes me want to thank John Piper for everything.
July 8, 2025
Īsa un iedrošinoša grāmatiņa. Iedrošina pieķerties Dievam - ne tikai paklausīt Viņam, bet mīlēt Viņu, kā Viņš mums ir pavēlējis. Šī mazā grāmatiņa var mainīt dzīvi.
Concise and encouraging. Encourages to turn your affections toward God, not just thoughts or everyday obedience, but to love God as He has commanded. This little book could change many lives.
Concise and encouraging. Encourages to turn your affections toward God, not just thoughts or everyday obedience, but to love God as He has commanded. This little book could change many lives.
June 21, 2020
“The great problem with human beings is that we are far too easily pleased. We don’t seek pleasure with nearly the resolve and passion that we should. And so we settle for mud pies of appetite instead of infinite delight.”
“I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not only expresses but completes the enjoyment.”
Piper, once again, drops golden nuggets all over these pages. What a beautiful reminder that enjoyment and praise is a God-given desire, and commandment! And how much we have before us to enjoy!
(Side note: Chapter 3 is possibly the best description I’ve come across of how emotions play into Christianity.)
“I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not only expresses but completes the enjoyment.”
Piper, once again, drops golden nuggets all over these pages. What a beautiful reminder that enjoyment and praise is a God-given desire, and commandment! And how much we have before us to enjoy!
(Side note: Chapter 3 is possibly the best description I’ve come across of how emotions play into Christianity.)
January 8, 2023
Distilled version of Desiring God. Very good and short read on Christian Hedonism. This is Piper writing about something that he absolutely loves to write about. I enjoyed it and it stirred my soul to pursue obedience even when my heart is delighted in God. I am learning to pursue the discipline and pray for the delight. Both are truly necessary for the Christian life!
December 31, 2021
This clinches it: short-form Piper is my favorite Piper. While I was aware of Piper's main message of Christian Hedonism, I had never heard it as well as he said it here, and consequently I have never savored it like I did here.
While the other presentations of Christian Hedonism I've encountered have begun by (rightly!) focusing on the goal of God's glory, which led my weak faith in God's goodness to think of myself as a mere pawn, this book began by strongly linking God's glory with my own pleasure and good. I saw more clearly what Piper had always been saying (but what my own misconceptions had always twisted). I honestly don't know whether this is because my own assurance and understanding has grown, or because this was actually a clearer presentation. Either way, I was tracking with him all the way through, and I saw how the idea of Christian Hedonism makes sense of much Scriptural teaching. Scriptural promises and commands are better than I thought or assumed--again! Always!
While the other presentations of Christian Hedonism I've encountered have begun by (rightly!) focusing on the goal of God's glory, which led my weak faith in God's goodness to think of myself as a mere pawn, this book began by strongly linking God's glory with my own pleasure and good. I saw more clearly what Piper had always been saying (but what my own misconceptions had always twisted). I honestly don't know whether this is because my own assurance and understanding has grown, or because this was actually a clearer presentation. Either way, I was tracking with him all the way through, and I saw how the idea of Christian Hedonism makes sense of much Scriptural teaching. Scriptural promises and commands are better than I thought or assumed--again! Always!
November 19, 2024
For those who didn't make it through Desiring God by John Piper... The Dangerous Duty of Delight is the short-and-sweet cliff notes version. =) I'm a big fan of John Piper's resources like Ask Pastor John, so I've been familiar with Christian hedonism for a long time. But this little book helped me dive into what Christian hedonism means on a deeper level: Why should we treat joy as a duty? What does that mean when we aren't feeling it? How does this duty affect the way that we perceive ourselves and others? What does it mean for worship?
November 12, 2017
Es una pequeña versión de Sed de Dios, es una defensa sobre el controvertido hedonismo cristiano, tiene un mayor énfasis sobre lo fácil que nos complacemos en las cosas de este mundo y la maravillosa y gran recompensa (todo lo que es Dios para nosotros en Cristo) que nos estamos perdiendo por ser tan fáciles de satisfacer con cosas vanas y pasajeras, en especial me gustaron los capítulos sobre el dinero y las misiones fueron grandemente confrontantes.
February 25, 2022
super good, tiny little book on what John Piper calls christian hedonism… basically piper’s manifesto. super short summary of “don’t waste your life” and “desiring God”
he emphasizes the importance of pursuing joy, which i find interesting since most theologians emphasize duty rather than desire/feeling. he says duty for duty’s sake does not glorify God
according to piper (and lewis), our issue is not that we seek pleasure too much, but that we are too easily satisfied…. controversial right?
he emphasizes the importance of pursuing joy, which i find interesting since most theologians emphasize duty rather than desire/feeling. he says duty for duty’s sake does not glorify God
according to piper (and lewis), our issue is not that we seek pleasure too much, but that we are too easily satisfied…. controversial right?
November 10, 2020
El propósito de la vida, que Dios sea glorificado en la vida de Cristo a través de su gracia y en nosotros la satisfacción que encontramos en la misma, a Dios sea la Gloria por los siglos de los siglos. Nuestro bien mayor no es el bien material que poseemos, sino los tesoros como recompensa en el reino de Dios a través del evangelio.
December 11, 2024
If you have read Piper’s other books or heard him quoted, you have probably heard everything in this short book before. It is a very short book and a perfect choice if you need rapid fire truth without fluff.
December 3, 2021
Like an abridged version of Desiring God; good and needed, but Piper doesn't elaborate and explore implications in all the same ways in this shorter work.
December 1, 2023
Read this over thanksgiving break. Will probably read this once or twice a year.
June 16, 2024
"Missionaries are the ultimate Christian hedonists."
Great lil book- go read it
Great lil book- go read it
November 15, 2021
Recomendación para encontrar o reencontrar el deleite en el único objeto verdadero del deseo humano: DIOS.
March 23, 2025
Debemos recordar que ser cristianos va más allá de solo ser intelectuales conocedores de las Escrituras, debemos amar a Dios con toda nuestra, mente, alma y corazón y eso a su vez se verá reflejado en cada aspecto de nuestra vida de forma que vivamos con pasión para la gloria de Dios.
December 25, 2009
Really enjoyed this fresh look at desiring God. These are some of my favorite quotes:
“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” by CS Lewis
“The great hindrance to worship is not that we are pleasure-seeking people, but that we are willing to settle for such pitiful pleasures.”
“God is not glorified when we keep for ourselves (no matter how thankfully) what we ought to be using to alleviate the misery of unevangelized, unmedicated and unfed millions.”
"Life is war. All talk of a Christian's right to live luxuriously 'as a child of the King' in this atmosphere sounds hollow - especially since the King Himself stripped for battle.”
"The great incentive for throwing our lives into the cause of missions is the 10,000 - percent return on the investment."
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Jim Elliot
“In the pursuit of joy through suffering, we magnify the all-satisfying worth of the Source of our joy.”
“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” by CS Lewis
“The great hindrance to worship is not that we are pleasure-seeking people, but that we are willing to settle for such pitiful pleasures.”
“God is not glorified when we keep for ourselves (no matter how thankfully) what we ought to be using to alleviate the misery of unevangelized, unmedicated and unfed millions.”
"Life is war. All talk of a Christian's right to live luxuriously 'as a child of the King' in this atmosphere sounds hollow - especially since the King Himself stripped for battle.”
"The great incentive for throwing our lives into the cause of missions is the 10,000 - percent return on the investment."
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Jim Elliot
“In the pursuit of joy through suffering, we magnify the all-satisfying worth of the Source of our joy.”
August 26, 2025
I think I prefer the non-abridged version of Desiring God. I listened to this on audio (have read in the past) and I found it somewhat hard to follow along. Still a good primer on Christian Hedonism and the role of joy in the life of a Christian.
February 28, 2009
Short little book that shows how God is glorified when we delight in Him.
July 7, 2009
Amazing little book packed with wisdom and insight regarding the Biblical reality and freedom of Christian Hedonism.
March 27, 2011
A very readable summary of Christian hedonism for folks who aren't ready to tackle Desiring God.
April 12, 2016
Condensed from Piper's seminal "Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist", this is a book anyone can read, and everyone should read.
August 2, 2025
This small book was such a comfort to me. “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him” is John Piper’s main point in this book. Dangerous Duty of Delight highlights the biblical significance of the pursuit of joy and the practical workings of seeking our full satisfaction in Christ alone.
Here are some quotes I saved and want to think on further:
Cs Lewis- “We are far too easily pleased.”
“If it is true that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him, then look at what is at stake in our pursuit of joy. The glory of God is at stake! If I say that pursuing joy is not essential, I am saying that glorifying God is not essential. But if glorifying God is ultimately important, then pursuing the satisfaction that displays His glory is ultimately important.”
“I am often asked what a Christian should do if the cheerfulness of obedience is not there. It's a good question. My answer is not to simply get on with your duty because feelings don't matter. They do! My answer has three steps. First, confess the sin of joylessness. ("My heart is faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I," Psalm 61:2.) Acknowledge the coldness of your heart. Don't say that it doesn't matter how you feel. Second, pray earnestly that God would restore the joy of obedience. ("I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart," Psalm 40:8. Third, go ahead and do the outward dimension of your duty in the hope that the doing will rekindle the delight.”
“The soul would have no rainbow if the eye had no tears.”
Saint Augustine- “Command what you wish but give what you command.”
“Nothing makes God more supreme and more central than when people are utterly persuaded that nothing—not money or prestige or leisure or family or job or health or sports or toys or friends-is going to bring satisfaction to their aching hearts besides God. This conviction breeds people who go hard after God on Sunday morning.”
“If the focus shifts onto our giving to God, instead of His giving Himself to us, one result is that subtly it is not God who remains at the center but, instead, the quality of our giving. ‘Are we singing worthily of the Lord? Are our instrumentalists playing with quality fitting a gift to the Lord? Is the preaching a suitable offering to the Lord?’ This all sounds noble at first. But little by little the focus shifts off the utter indispensability of the Lord Himself and onto the quality of our performances. And we even start to define excellence and power in worship in terms of the technical distinction of our artistic acts. Nothing keeps God at the center of worship like the biblical conviction that the essence of worship is deep, heartfelt satisfaction in Him and the conviction that the pursuit of that satisfaction is why we are together.”
“Instead, the point is that if you are deprived of your earthly family in the service of Christ, it will be made up a hundredfold in your spiritual family, the church.”
“Yes, but what about the solitary missionaries who labor for years without being surrounded by hundreds of sisters and brothers and mothers and children in the faith? Is the promise true for them? Yes it is. Surely what Christ means is that He Himself makes up for every sacrifice. If you give up a mother's nearby affection and concern, you get it back one hundred times in the affection and concern from the ever-present Christ. If you give up the warm comradeship of a brother, you get back one hundred times the warmth and comradeship of Christ. If you give up the sense of at-homeness you had in your house, you get back one hundred times the comfort and security of knowing that your Lord owns all the houses and lands and streams and trees on earth. To prospective missionaries, Jesus says, I promise to be with you (Matthew 28:20). I will work for you and be for you so much that you will not be able to speak of having sacrificed anything.”
“Christ chose suffering as the way to create and perfect the church.”
Johnathan Edwards- “self denial destroys the very root and foundation of sorrow.”
‘We do not choose suffering simply because it is the right thing to do. But because the one who tells us to, describes it as the path to everlasting joy. “
“He beckons us into the obedience of suffering not to demonstrate the strength of our devotion to duty, nor to reveal the vigor of our moral resolve, nor to prove the heights of our tolerance for pain; but rather to manifest, in childlike faith, the infinite preciousness of His all-satisfying promises.”
Here are some quotes I saved and want to think on further:
Cs Lewis- “We are far too easily pleased.”
“If it is true that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him, then look at what is at stake in our pursuit of joy. The glory of God is at stake! If I say that pursuing joy is not essential, I am saying that glorifying God is not essential. But if glorifying God is ultimately important, then pursuing the satisfaction that displays His glory is ultimately important.”
“I am often asked what a Christian should do if the cheerfulness of obedience is not there. It's a good question. My answer is not to simply get on with your duty because feelings don't matter. They do! My answer has three steps. First, confess the sin of joylessness. ("My heart is faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I," Psalm 61:2.) Acknowledge the coldness of your heart. Don't say that it doesn't matter how you feel. Second, pray earnestly that God would restore the joy of obedience. ("I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart," Psalm 40:8. Third, go ahead and do the outward dimension of your duty in the hope that the doing will rekindle the delight.”
“The soul would have no rainbow if the eye had no tears.”
Saint Augustine- “Command what you wish but give what you command.”
“Nothing makes God more supreme and more central than when people are utterly persuaded that nothing—not money or prestige or leisure or family or job or health or sports or toys or friends-is going to bring satisfaction to their aching hearts besides God. This conviction breeds people who go hard after God on Sunday morning.”
“If the focus shifts onto our giving to God, instead of His giving Himself to us, one result is that subtly it is not God who remains at the center but, instead, the quality of our giving. ‘Are we singing worthily of the Lord? Are our instrumentalists playing with quality fitting a gift to the Lord? Is the preaching a suitable offering to the Lord?’ This all sounds noble at first. But little by little the focus shifts off the utter indispensability of the Lord Himself and onto the quality of our performances. And we even start to define excellence and power in worship in terms of the technical distinction of our artistic acts. Nothing keeps God at the center of worship like the biblical conviction that the essence of worship is deep, heartfelt satisfaction in Him and the conviction that the pursuit of that satisfaction is why we are together.”
“Instead, the point is that if you are deprived of your earthly family in the service of Christ, it will be made up a hundredfold in your spiritual family, the church.”
“Yes, but what about the solitary missionaries who labor for years without being surrounded by hundreds of sisters and brothers and mothers and children in the faith? Is the promise true for them? Yes it is. Surely what Christ means is that He Himself makes up for every sacrifice. If you give up a mother's nearby affection and concern, you get it back one hundred times in the affection and concern from the ever-present Christ. If you give up the warm comradeship of a brother, you get back one hundred times the warmth and comradeship of Christ. If you give up the sense of at-homeness you had in your house, you get back one hundred times the comfort and security of knowing that your Lord owns all the houses and lands and streams and trees on earth. To prospective missionaries, Jesus says, I promise to be with you (Matthew 28:20). I will work for you and be for you so much that you will not be able to speak of having sacrificed anything.”
“Christ chose suffering as the way to create and perfect the church.”
Johnathan Edwards- “self denial destroys the very root and foundation of sorrow.”
‘We do not choose suffering simply because it is the right thing to do. But because the one who tells us to, describes it as the path to everlasting joy. “
“He beckons us into the obedience of suffering not to demonstrate the strength of our devotion to duty, nor to reveal the vigor of our moral resolve, nor to prove the heights of our tolerance for pain; but rather to manifest, in childlike faith, the infinite preciousness of His all-satisfying promises.”
November 20, 2025
Feels weird to rate this book but really solid & quick intro to Christian Hedonism for me. So Christ-centered and biblical/scripture based, quite literally brimming and encouragingly filled with verses. Definitely going to need to dig more into this. Perhaps just dwell more on the implications of what it means to apply these principles since I’m familiar with these ideas but have never put a label to them? Some highlights I noted:
•God is glorified not only by His glory’s being seen, but
by its being rejoiced in.
•Christian Hedonism says that not only must we
pursue the joy that Jesus promises, but also that God Himself is glorified in this pursuit.
•Christ is praised in death by being prized above life. And Christ is most glorified in life when we are most satisfied in Him even before death.
•Love is the overflow and expansion of joy in God, which gladly meets the needs of others.
•Put the glory of Christ on display by pursuing your joy in the holy joy of your beloved.
•God’s glory is the radiance of his holiness. It is the out-streaming of his infinite value. And when it streams out, it is seen as beautiful and great. It has both infinite quality and infinite magnitude. So we may define the glory of God as the beauty and greatness of God’s manifold perfections.
•“I saw more clearly than ever, that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord.” -George Mueller
•God is glorified not only by His glory’s being seen, but
by its being rejoiced in.
•Christian Hedonism says that not only must we
pursue the joy that Jesus promises, but also that God Himself is glorified in this pursuit.
•Christ is praised in death by being prized above life. And Christ is most glorified in life when we are most satisfied in Him even before death.
•Love is the overflow and expansion of joy in God, which gladly meets the needs of others.
•Put the glory of Christ on display by pursuing your joy in the holy joy of your beloved.
•God’s glory is the radiance of his holiness. It is the out-streaming of his infinite value. And when it streams out, it is seen as beautiful and great. It has both infinite quality and infinite magnitude. So we may define the glory of God as the beauty and greatness of God’s manifold perfections.
•“I saw more clearly than ever, that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord.” -George Mueller
October 24, 2022
Within all of this book, the basis of it is Christian Hedonism- if you find all joy and contentment in Christ alone, then we should pursue our own joy by seeking Christ. This approach can seem selfish, and yet it glorifies God in the most!
I love this perspective. It reworks my thought process to the actions that I do:
Are they giving me maximum joy?
In this line of thought, we can’t let suffering lead us astray, as that is a vital element of following Christ. However, if we are truly abiding in Him, then our greatest joy should be obedience in Him, and thus, if suffering comes our way, so be it!
Something that hit me different was the part about pride. How the two sides of pride are boasting and self-pity. “Self pity appears to be needy, but the need arises from a wounded ego. It doesn’t come from a sense of unworthiness, but from a sense of unrecognized worthiness. It is the response on unapplauded pride.”
While I was reading that, I was being jealous about a few things and being mad at them. How our minds get twisted to believe everything and everyone is against us! God is good for teaching me to look again at the motives of others.
Overall, good perspective on our joy being found in Christ alone, and how that aligns with our obedience!
I love this perspective. It reworks my thought process to the actions that I do:
Are they giving me maximum joy?
In this line of thought, we can’t let suffering lead us astray, as that is a vital element of following Christ. However, if we are truly abiding in Him, then our greatest joy should be obedience in Him, and thus, if suffering comes our way, so be it!
Something that hit me different was the part about pride. How the two sides of pride are boasting and self-pity. “Self pity appears to be needy, but the need arises from a wounded ego. It doesn’t come from a sense of unworthiness, but from a sense of unrecognized worthiness. It is the response on unapplauded pride.”
While I was reading that, I was being jealous about a few things and being mad at them. How our minds get twisted to believe everything and everyone is against us! God is good for teaching me to look again at the motives of others.
Overall, good perspective on our joy being found in Christ alone, and how that aligns with our obedience!
February 6, 2021
In meinen Augen argumentiert das Buch gegen sich selbst. Während es immer wieder sagt, man soll auch Spaß am Glauben haben, heißt es auch, man soll Missionieren, obwohl man leiden wird.
Der ständig verwendete Begriff des Hedonismus sagt genau das aus: suche Freude, vermeide Leid.
Das ist aber nicht der Kern des Christentums. Natürlich sollen wir uns auch erfreuen an Gott und an unserem Leben, allerdings können und dürfen wir eben gerade nicht das Leid meiden.
In dem Buch wird auch gesagt, dass wir Gutes tun sollen, mit den Augen auf unsere Belohnung im Himmel gerichtet. Meines Erachtens darf man gerade so nicht denken. Wir sollen Gutes tun, weil wir aus tiefstem Herzen Gutes tun wollen, weil wir wollen, dass es anderen Menschen besser geht, auch wenn es uns dadurch schlechter geht.
Das Buch nimmt auch Zitate gegen den "christlichen Hedonismus" auf und versucht dagegen zu argumentieren mit keinem Erfolg. Die Argumente sind zum Teil doch sehr verdrehte Bibel-Zitate und können damit nicht als Argument gewertet werden.
Der ständig verwendete Begriff des Hedonismus sagt genau das aus: suche Freude, vermeide Leid.
Das ist aber nicht der Kern des Christentums. Natürlich sollen wir uns auch erfreuen an Gott und an unserem Leben, allerdings können und dürfen wir eben gerade nicht das Leid meiden.
In dem Buch wird auch gesagt, dass wir Gutes tun sollen, mit den Augen auf unsere Belohnung im Himmel gerichtet. Meines Erachtens darf man gerade so nicht denken. Wir sollen Gutes tun, weil wir aus tiefstem Herzen Gutes tun wollen, weil wir wollen, dass es anderen Menschen besser geht, auch wenn es uns dadurch schlechter geht.
Das Buch nimmt auch Zitate gegen den "christlichen Hedonismus" auf und versucht dagegen zu argumentieren mit keinem Erfolg. Die Argumente sind zum Teil doch sehr verdrehte Bibel-Zitate und können damit nicht als Argument gewertet werden.
December 22, 2017
Short, concise treatise on Piper's doctrine of Christian Hedonism. I like that this book is equal parts Biblical, philosophical, and applicable. His points on the importance of affection, emotion, and delight being brought into faith challenge some long-standing views I have had about duty, truth, and willpower being superior to feelings. He argues well from Scripture to why that point is false. Once again, Dr. Piper shows how shallow my theology really is. His use of Scripture to prove his point, makes it impossible to argue otherwise.
My second big takeaway was how he talks about desiring joy allows us to have more compassion and love for others when they go through difficult seasons of life. Taking pleasure in their good allows for feeling the pain that they feel. "If we took no pleasure in the good of others, we would feel no pain when the good is impeded."
Give this short book 2 hours of your life. You won't be disappointed!
My second big takeaway was how he talks about desiring joy allows us to have more compassion and love for others when they go through difficult seasons of life. Taking pleasure in their good allows for feeling the pain that they feel. "If we took no pleasure in the good of others, we would feel no pain when the good is impeded."
Give this short book 2 hours of your life. You won't be disappointed!
June 1, 2025
En kortere version af Pipers klassiker "Desiring God"
Tilgængelig gratis som pdf på desiringgod.org
Mange af Guds børn oplever unødvendig smerte, fordi vi køber ind på sekularismens skel mellem det åndelige og det ordinære. Vi går til kristendommen for mening, frelse og glæde, men kun i de evige spørgsmål. For at finde glæde i det jordiske liv går vi til sekulære forestillinger. Sandheden er, at den samme Gud som skal tilfredsstille dybden af vores sjæl i evigheden, kan tilfredsstille vores sjæl i nutiden. Du er skabt til at drikke dybt af Guds kildevæld, og derfor er du også skabt til glæde. Det kristne liv er det mest glædesfyldte - samtidig med at det er det mest omkostningsfulde - og det skal vi lade os motivere af. For hvert jordisk offer du gør for Jesu navns skyld, modtager du en rigdom fra Guds højre hånd.
Tilgængelig gratis som pdf på desiringgod.org
Mange af Guds børn oplever unødvendig smerte, fordi vi køber ind på sekularismens skel mellem det åndelige og det ordinære. Vi går til kristendommen for mening, frelse og glæde, men kun i de evige spørgsmål. For at finde glæde i det jordiske liv går vi til sekulære forestillinger. Sandheden er, at den samme Gud som skal tilfredsstille dybden af vores sjæl i evigheden, kan tilfredsstille vores sjæl i nutiden. Du er skabt til at drikke dybt af Guds kildevæld, og derfor er du også skabt til glæde. Det kristne liv er det mest glædesfyldte - samtidig med at det er det mest omkostningsfulde - og det skal vi lade os motivere af. For hvert jordisk offer du gør for Jesu navns skyld, modtager du en rigdom fra Guds højre hånd.
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