More Gold from Piper

Here is another Quote from Piper’s Seeing and Savoring Christ. I have been pleasantly surprised by the depth and quality of this little book, I highly commend it to you as a devotional resource, your eyes will be turned to the beauty Christ on every page and be led in prayers that will challenge you to a closer walk with God. This reading is in the chapter on the suffering of Christ and I found it to be very powerful, enjoy.

Two great purposes were accomplished in the suffering of Christ, which are really one purpose. First, “Christ . . . suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). The suffering of Jesus brought us to God who is fullness of joy and pleasure forevermore. Second, in the very hour of death the Father and the Son were glorified. “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him” (John 13:31). Our joy in savoring God and his glory in saving us are one. That is the glory of Christ’s incomparable sufferings.

The Excellence of Christ

I have been reading Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ by John Piper and I have been really been impacted by the book. Over the coming days I will share with you some of the great quotes from this fantastic book. I want to begin with a passage describing the excellence of Christ as seen in His mixture of excellencies.

For example, we admire Christ for his transcendence, but even more because the transcendence of his greatness is mixed with submission to God. We marvel at him because his uncompromising justice is tempered with mercy. His majesty is sweetened by meekness. In his equality with God he has a deep reverence for God. Though he is worthy of all good, he was patient to suffer evil. His sovereign dominion over the world was clothed with a spirit of obedience and submission. He baffled the proud scribes with his wisdom, but was simple enough to be loved by children. He could still the storm with a word, but would not strike the Samaritans with lightning or take himself down from the cross.

120 Days with Piper

I just finished reading A Godward life by John Piper. It is kind of a daily devotional, though it has only 120 readings. So it doesn't have a years worth. Also the readings tend to be a little longer, two to three pages instead of only one small page. So in format it is a little non-traditional. However, it greatest difference is the subject matter, the devotions are drawn from a pretty wide spectrum of uses. For example there are meditations on scripture and letters to the editor of a newspaper. But the one thing about each meditation is that they are relentlessly biblical, God-centered, and Gospel-centered.

I noticed a few themes during my readings (these were spaced out over a four month span). To mention a few; Piper's horror over abortion (a horror I share), the supremacy of Christ in all things, the necessity and beauty of the Bible, and last the power and inevitability of suffering in the Christian life.

I used this book as a supplement to my own private worship, though it might not be what you would expect, this would be a good book to add to your quiet time. There is a power in Piper's intensity. This would also serve as a nice introduction to Piper's writing ministry.

God Bless, Jamie.