John Piper’s Desiring God book is a life-changing piece of literature. Once you read it, it surely will change your concept about Christian life. God is an embodiment of happiness, joy and satisfaction, and people should seek these desires in Him. Piper says that our role is to glorify and worship God and in the meantime enjoy in all of that. He advises people to live according to the Scripture because it has everything that men need in order to be happy.
The main purpose of the Desiring God book is to seek happiness which can be found by believing in God because he is the greatest source of immense happiness and satisfaction. We all need to accept God not only as our Savior but as a soul-satisfying treasure as well. This powerful book has the power to restore your faith in God and turn your Christian world upside down. The author says that the pursuit of pleasure is not optional, it is essential. Moreover, the debate between duty and delight does not really exist, delight is our duty.
Pastor John Piper has been provoking Christians for 25 years with the paradigm-shattering truth that we glorify God when we are most satisfied in him. Piper has built his message on hundreds of Scriptures, especially from the Psalms, the apostle Paul and Jesus and he invites us to approach God with the hedonist’s abandon. Piper’s mission is to tell the world about the pleasures people can find in God.
The truth is, many people look at Christian life today as burdensome; some of them obey God’s commands out of duty, not because they think they are privileged to have them. Piper presents us an idea that is founded in scripture, called “Christian Hedonism” which he explains in detail in his book, saying that “The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying him forever.”
Our greatest pleasures in life come from worldly things such as money, careers, music, family and so on. These things are not necessarily bad but need to be used only to reflect God’s glory. The most exciting parts in the Desiring God book are discussed in relationship to service to God and to others. It has chapters on marriage, money, love, missions and suffering which reveal the proper place for emotion in Christianity. Speaking of marriage, Piper says that the reason why so many marriages fail nowadays, is not because a spouse is seeking his own pleasure, but because he is not seeking it in his own spouse.
This incredible Desiring God book will challenge you to consider why you are a Christian and whether you find your ultimate pleasure in Christ. John Piper’s masterpiece has many spiritual fruit to be gleaned from it in a short review. I strongly encourage you to spend some time reading this amazing piece of literature and deepen your faith in God.
