First Line Friday #7 - When I Don't Desire God

Thanks to Carrie at
Reading is My Superpower
for the Link-up

 

 

Title:  When I Don't Desire God
Author:  John Piper
Genre:  Christian Living / Practical Theology

 〰First Line〰

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Christian Hedonism is a liberating and devastating doctrine.  It teaches that the value of God shines more brightly in the soul that finds deepest satisfaction in him.  Therefore it is liberating because it reveals that no one desires God with the passion he demands.
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Synopsis:  (From Amazon.com)

We all want to experience liberating, love-producing, risk-taking satisfaction in God. But the reality is that we often struggle to find, and hold onto, true and lasting joy—even when we have embraced the good news of God’s grace. So we face a crucial question: What should I do when I don’t desire God?

John Piper aims to help us find joy in Jesus that is so deep and so strong that it frees us from bondage to comfort and security, and impels us to live merciful and missional lives. Written with the radical hope that all Christians would experience the fullness of life in Christ, this book will help you fight for joy daily by leading you to rediscover the soul-satisfying glory of God.

 〰First Thoughts〰

Though last week's book was also a selection by Piper, I've had to put that one aside for the moment.  As I stated in my first thoughts on Don't Overthink It, the narrator of an audio book makes or breaks the book.  The narrator of Don't Waste Your Life had a halting reading style that sounded like he'd just picked up the book and began reading it aloud. Because of this, I had a very difficult time following where the book was going.  I will have to read a print or e-book version of this tome in order to get anything out of it.

 

The narrator of this book was an excellent antithesis to the first one.  

 

And there was much rejoicing in the land.  Yay.

 

Until I was introduced to Piper's work, I'd never heard of the pursuit of satisfaction in God referred to as "hedonism."  In essence, the term hedonism refers to the pursuit of pleasure.  Not to be (or to be) ugly, but pleasure, like happiness, has been so spiritualized and/or maligned by theologians that many Christians don't know whether being happy in God (or anything else) is good or bad.  So, they employ the "when in doubt, don't" strategy.  This makes for a confusing (and downright depressing) experience.  My expectation is that Piper's book will give a biblically balanced explanation of true desire in and for God.

So, what's the first line of the book you're currently reading?