Read: "Don't Waste Your Life" by John Piper

I just finished reading Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper. I put off reading this book for a few years, as several people told me I really should read it. I thought it would be a summary of much of what I've read in some of Piper's longer works, e.g. Desiring God, Future Grace, etc. My expectations were immediately shattered, however. This little book is an amazingly passionate call and reminder to prize Jesus Christ above all else, and in doing so, be ready to gladly risk worldly pleasure and comfort for the glorious cause of Christ's kingdom. Forgive me if I sound too Piper-esque in my writing there - if I've been reading Piper for any extended period of time I start to think, talk and write like he does. The only problem is that accidentally sounding like Piper doesn't make someone as smart as he is. Oh well.

Among the things I appreciate about John Piper, is the honesty in his writing. A place in the book that really stands out for me is where he acknowledges that once his position at Bethlehem Baptist church in Minnesota is no longer the most effective post for him in the Gospel cause, he will leave and do the thing God has for him then. I want to have the same wartime mindset, where I strive to find the most effective place in the cause, where God has gifted me and enabled me to do the most good, with the most joy. There I must do my best to live, and as Piper says, I risk wasting my life if I do not live there.

The wasted life is the life without a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples. ~ John Piper