Tag Archives: John Piper

Jun 07 2013
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Life and Love, To Celebrate

the pleasures and perils of summertime

 

beautiful beach

I have so hidden in my heart this thought from Piper – let’s not stop worshipping the Lord by getting lulled to sleep by the summertime sweet heat, but let the sweet slow of summer bring us to a deeper, refreshing time of worship before the Lord.

Setting Our Minds on Things Above in Summer by John Piper

Originally published in A Godward Life (Multnomah, 1997).

If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. (Colossians 3:1-2)

Every season is God’s season. But summer has its special power.

Jesus Christ is refreshing, but flight from him into Christless leisure makes the soul parched. At first it may feel like freedom and fun to skimp on prayer, and neglect the Word. But then we pay: shallowness, powerlessness, vulnerability to sin, preoccupation with trifles, superficial relationships, and a frightening loss of interest in worship and the things of the Spirit.

Don’t let summer make your soul shrivel. God made summer as a foretaste of heaven, not a substitute. If the mailman brings you a love letter from your fiancé, don’t fall in love with the mailman. That’s what summer is: God’s messenger with a sun-soaked, tree-green, flower-blooming, lake-glistening letter of love to show us what he is planning for us in the age to come—“things which eye has notseen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered into the heart of man, God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Don’t fall in love with the video preview, and find yourself unable to love the coming reality.

Jesus Christ is the refreshing center of summer. He is preeminent in all things (Colossians 1:18), including vacations and picnics and softball and long walks and cookouts. He invites us in the summer: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). This is serious summer refreshment.

Do we want it? That is the question. Christ gives himself to us in proportion to how much we want his refreshment. “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 11:12). One of the reasons to give the Lord special attention in the summer is to say to him “We want all your refreshment. We really want it.”

Peter’s word to us about this is: “Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19). Repentance is not just turning away from sin, but also turning toward the Lord with hearts open and expectant and submissive.

What sort of summer mindset is this? It is the mindset of Colossians 3:1-2, “If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”

In the summer the earth is very much with us. And it is God’s earth! But it is all prelude to the real drama of heaven. It is a foretaste of the real banquet. It is a video preview of the reality of what the eternal summer will be like when “the city has no need of sun or moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God is its light, andits lamp is the Lamb” (Revelation 21:23). So, you see, the summer sun is a mere pointer to the sun that will be: the glory of God. Summer is for seeing and showing that. Will we have eyes to see? Do you want to have eyes to see? Lord, let us see the Light beyond the campfire.

 

two chairs, waiting

{ click this photograph to follow me on Pinterest for more summer inspiration }

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Jan 31 2013
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Life and Love

life or death

The other morning, I read through the Piper Devotional. There is a free iPhone app called Piper Devotional that has scripture and excerpts from John Piper’s writings and sermons. I highly recommend it to you. It really blesses and refreshes, nourishes and challenges me.

This morning, the devotion began with the familiar scripture, 1 John 1:9.

The verse reads, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

This is a passage that I have prayed, said over and over again to myself to remind my heart, soul, and mind of its truth, that I truly stake my life on. So it was very good to read it again this morning.

I mean, don’t you just LOVE this verse?

Confess your sin. Tell God your sin.

Christ will forgive you.

pardon.

accept your apology.

excuse.

forget.

And not only that. He will cleanse you from all unrighteousness.

You will be like you have never sinned. You will be clean!

from all and any of it. any and all of the sin.

Because and in His faithful and just character.

This is the command. Confess.

This is the promise. Forgiveness and cleansing.

This is the foundation. Christ, and His faithful and just character.

That just brings me to my knees. And it bring me to worship Him gladly.

So, John Piper writes, “A vague, bad feeling that you are a crummy person is not the same as conviction for sin. Feeling rotten is not the same as repentance.”

I thought to myself – gosh, that’s sometimes what my ‘confession’ is. ‘Lord, I feel bad.’ Or, ‘ Lord, I’m not such a good person.

And I guess that’s true. But at the same time, I’ve stopped short. I have not obey the command to confess my sin.

Piper writes that the crummy feeling, the “unworthiness” before “the Creator of the universe,” is surely something to “tell Him about.”

But we cannot stop there because that’s not confession, and it’s not very helpful.

He goes on to write when we confess, “… [we're] apologizing to Christ for not keeping all that He commanded. I’m broken and angry at my sin. I want to kill it, not me. I’m not suicidal.”

Instead of letting feelings of crumminess and unworthiness lead us to despairing and even suicidal thoughts, when we confess our sin, it leads us to forgiveness, to cleansing, to Christ, to Life.

Gosh, what a word! I mean, how often have your thoughts of ‘I feel yucky’ led you to sin, which ultimately lead to death? How many times have you battled these thoughts and truly not known what to do!?

Well, Piper is echoing John of 1 John when he says, ‘We specifically confess our sin!’

So this morning I listed out to the Lord specific sins. Sins of insensitivity and unlovingness. The awful, pervasive sin of selfishness, which especially deteriorates my relationship with my wonderful husband and my precious child. And I claimed the rich promise that when I “confess my sin, He is faithful and just to forgive me and cleanse me of all unrighteousness.”

Christ, who is my forgiveness and my worth, brings me life, His Life, instead of myself walking my little self straight to sin, to unnecessary thoughts of unworthiness, to despair, to death.

I cling! I stake my life! I live! in the promise of His forgiveness and cleansing righteousness. I am free and able to walk in the newness of life.

Isn’t it THE HUGE TREASURE, confession to Christ!?

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Aug 20 2012
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Life and Love

How I Want to Live

The Lord has been teaching me so much this year of Himself and I want to try to share with you a bit of what He has been teaching me.

I’m standing in the back of a large convention center room, Tyler is playing lead guitar for the Matt Papa Band, who is leading worship through music for the Campus Outreach event. Not alone, I have little baby boy in his stroller. He’s only almost three months; it’s the week after Christmas. I am ready. I am listening.

John Piper is the speaker and he is speaking on JOY.

Have you heard the acronym for JOY?
Jesus
Others
You

Well, this wasn’t part of his sermon that night, but it’s where I started. And I like to start with what I know.

When I think of JOY, I do think of Christmas. I think of life, lit up. I think of Jesus, our JOY. I think of the acronym and what it means – Jesus first and in all and through all, then love and serve others, then be aware of yourself, last and less. JOY will follow.

And, friends, this is true. And it’s where I started that night.

John Piper ripped open this verse :

Psalm 16:11 In His presence there is fullness of joy forevermore.

Deep and Wide is JOY in CHRIST. Now, abundantly; forever, eternally. All for our good, and all for His glory – which is inextricably linked.

I knew as he walked us through and shattered any misconceptions that anywhere else can you find any kind of real, any kind of lasting, any kind of actual JOY; as He built up Christ – our refuge, our stronghold, our salvation, THE ONE WHO IS JOY and IN HIM WE KNOW JOY – that I wanted to know this. intimately.

I wanted to know Christ as MY JOY.

And the Lord has let Psalm 16:11 be the overarching verse for my year, the song that He has sung over me. I know that we are in August. There’s a whole quarter of the year to be had, by God’s grace. And I know that if we see the end of this year, Psalm 16:11 is my song for this year.

IN HIS PRESENCE

How do we get there? CHRIST. We can only come to God the Father through Jesus Christ. Girl – humble yourself. Turn in your stolen goods; give up your deceitful ways; let go of your pride; throw down all the stupid sins that enslave you. And humble yourself in the sight of the Lord.

As I have been reading through Nancy Leigh DeMoss’s trifecta, Brokeness, Surrender, Holiness, the Lord has led me through it. It hasn’t been easy but it has been so good. And I give the Lord all of the glory.

On the other side, I want to see – to know – to love – CHRIST. MY JOY.

THERE IS FULLNESS OF JOY

How do we experience this? We pursue Christ; we rest in Christ. If you are saved, He has saved you. If you are saved, you are His child. Act like it. Walk in it. Hold your head up high; walk in grace and truth and love. Be all that He has made you to be – to reflect rightly His image. When we pursue Christ, we pursue holiness. And holiness is our only pathway to JOY.

There’s something else here that the Lord as linked together for me with this verse.

Do you know the story of the wedding in Cana? It’s Jesus’ first miracle. His earthly ministry has been officially established and He has gathered together His disciples. First miracle, turning water into wine. Party!
Do you know what the Lord showed me this morning about Jesus through this story?
…
So, the family of the bride who is giving the wedding is running out of wine a little too early. Jewish families during this time celebrated the marriage for a week. And the wine was running low.
This family could have been humiliated before all of their guests, before their family and friends.
This family was in need. Maybe even a bit desperate.
Which is, I think, why Jesus gently corrects His mother, Mary. Yes, she came to Him – that’s who we go to, ladies. But, she came to Him a bit desperate, worried, unsure, maybe even feeling the burnt red cheeks of embarrassment creeping up her face when she asked Jesus to help.
When we come to Jesus, we can come unashamed, not humiliated. We can come confidently when we are His, saved, His child.
I think Jesus rebukes Mary because she asks amiss.
This does not hold back the love – the generosity – the miracle of Jesus.
He turns water into wine. He uses big canisters that are meant for the water of purification. I think that’s interesting, don’t you?
And he turns this water not just into any ole’ wine, but GOOD wine.
He not only saves the family from embarrassment, but gives them the best. Listen to how the master of the feast (who must have known about the situation) thanks Jesus…
When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.”

Jesus let the wedding party and guests ‘taste and see that the Lord is good.’

Jesus not only saves us from our stupid sins and enslavement, but He saves us to HIS JOY.

And His JOY is now. deep and wide. Filling up, overflowing, consuming. In your day in and day out, streams of JOY can flow through when you surrender to Jesus.

Come, wade in the waters of salvation. and know HIS JOY, deep and wide. and now.

FOREVERMORE

Heaven is waiting! And I am excited!

(I used not to be so excited. Then I became a bit more heavenly minded through reading the book Heaven by Randy Alcorn.)

Listen to me girls. The world is fading fast. The world is running out. Whatever you are putting into only the here and now will be lost. corrupted. burnt up. no good.

Heaven and Hell are waiting. Bless my soul, this is serious.

And Jesus is offering to you right now to taste and see that HE IS GOOD. HE IS JOY. HE IS LIFE. THE LIGHT. HE IS YOUR TREASURE.

And for those of us who trust in Him, who surrender, who give up going after the whatever the new fad is today (which is not new under the sun anyways), He is preparing a place for us – HEAVEN – where only with new bodies can we experience this ever increasing JOY in HIS presence FOREVER.

I want to live like this, don’t you? I don’t want to sit in the muck and mire of myself. of my sin. of my pride and selfishness. I don’t want to live enslaved, defeated, dead.

I want to live in the glory and riches and treasure of Jesus Christ, my righteousness. I want to live in humility and meekness and His honor. I want to live FREE – VICTORIOUS – ALIVE – IN HIS JOY.

yes and amen.

Psalm 16:11 reads – In His presence there is fullness of joy forevermore.

Drink it in. Take it to heart. Let the Lord have His way. And live.

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Nov 21 2009
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Home Inspiration

We’ve Come to Declare the Beauty of the Lord :: Art in Your Home

My Inspiration Notebook :: Pictures, Paint Samples, Fabric Swatches

As Tyler and I work to display the order and beauty of our Lord through decorating our home, we have thought a lot about art and how we want to use it in our home. We know we love color! and order! and great design to the art!  – because this reflects who God is.

We  are excited that the working out of our salvation and loving God with all of who we are applies as we think through, purchase, and complete projects around our home.We want each piece to be right, to function well, to be beautiful to the eyes and warm to the soul. We want to dedicate our hearts and our money to purchases that make sense and glorify the Lord. We want to humbly and lovingly share the home God has given us with our family and friends.

The blog post excerpt below was so enlightening to me as Tyler and I plan and fill our home with good things to glorify Him and welcome others into our home. Chesterton’s statement helps us as we take part in creating and designing and decorating our home.

“Here is Chesterton on the essence of art.

‘Art is limitation; the essence of every picture is the frame. If you draw a giraffe you must draw him with a long neck. If in your bold creative way you hold yourself free to draw a giraffe with a short neck you will really find that you are not free to draw a giraffe. (Orthodoxy, 71)‘”


Chesterton so wisely writes that in  order, framing, and natural constraints the artist finds his freedom to create.

How will you apply the beautiful truth that we believers are here to declare the beauty of the Lord as you have family and friends in your home for Thanksgiving and as you decorate for Christmas this year and think of organizing in the New Year?

From : Desiring God Blog “Art and the Precious Limits of Reality” Posted: 19 Nov 2009 05:27 AM PST (Author: John Piper)

{PS: Tyler and I would love to have you over soon}

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Nov 10 2009
2 Comments
Read Worthy

Book Review :: Taste and See : Savoring the Supremacy of God in All of Life

Taste and See: Savoring the Supremacy of God in All of Life

by John Piper (Multnomah Publishers, 1999, 2005)

Picture 1

Isn't this book cover beautiful!?

Inside the Pages

Psalm 34:8 reads, “Taste and See that the Lord is good.” (ESV)

John Piper has written and compiled 140 meditations to direct the believer to love God with his heart, mind, and strength, to taste and see – to know, to experience, to enjoy – that the Lord is good. This devotion book is a 2010 MUST READ!

Worth Repeating

John Piper writes at the beginning of the book, “Where is God in your daily newspaper or in your talk radio show or the network TV programming or Time and Newsweek or the theater or the public classroom? God is the most important reality in the universe.” (15)

From My Perspective

This devotion book is a 2010 MUST READ! As you begin to think about the next year – I am sure you are considering which calendar to hang on your wall, which planner to keep in your purse – remember to think about which devotion book will aid you in your daily quiet time. Honestly, I really recommend this one – it will help you fulfill the best new year’s resolution – to love God more broadly and deeply with your heart, mind, and strength. The daily reading will challenge you, comfort you, and show God’s care for you. With only 140 meditations in this book, you are sure to finish reading it in a year!

This book has really helped me in my relationship with the Lord in this way -

a. I taste and see – recognize and enjoy – the Lord throughout my day to day life.

b. I love the Lord better with my mind since I have started (and now finished) this book.

c. I love the Lord better with my heart through reading this book.

As 2009 comes to a close and you plan for the New Year, I pray you consider this great meditation and devotion book as one of your 2010 resolutions – It’s a great way to begin!

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