from the Dangerous Duty of Delight

John Piper writes,

"By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharoah's daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. (verses 24-26).

Moses is a hero for the church because his joy in the promised reward caused him to count the pleasures of Egypt as rubbish by comparison. They were too short and too small, compared to the reward. This pursuit of the full and lasting reward of Christ-centered joy bound Moses forever to Israel in love. He endured incredible hardship in the service of God's people when he could have had a lifetime of comforts in Egypt. The power of love was the pursuit of the greater pleasures in the presence of God over the fleeting pleasures of sin in Egypt."

May this encourage you to strive to find more delight in God than in all the delights of comfort this world has to offer - and it has plenty - but He is more.

This morning I discovered that I take more delight in staying in my warm and cozy bed for a few more minutes (snooze button!) than in spending time with the Lord. I know in my mind that at his right hand are pleasures forevermore, and that He is the treasure that our souls will delight in for all eternity. And yet, I would rather stay in bed and spend those early moments in warm coziness than fighting for heart-satisfying delight. (I think this is called "Welcome to Romans 7 and the battle between flesh and Spirit)

I got out of bed, and spent time with him. And you know what, I didn't regret that decision at all. I live in the battle of my flesh and spirit. Like Paul, my spirit is willing but my flesh is weak. Today, though, it was Spirit - 1 Flesh - 0. Thanks to the Holy Spirit's work in my heart and soul - not to any strength in myself - I tasted and saw that the Lord is more delightful than sleep. One small step, but a victory nonetheless!

Someday, I hope that I can experience that which Paul experienced that allowed him to truthfully say,

"To live is Christ, and to die is gain."

Right now, I have the hope that the Lord will wean my heart from the pleasures of this life. He is able.

Here is a contrast of those whose delight is in this life, and those whose delight is the Lord.

"...men of the world whose portion is in this life. You fill their womb with treasure; they are satisfied with children, and they leave their abundance to their infants.

As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness."

Let us know, let us press on to know this Lord.

The purpose of this blog

This morning, a snow day for teachers and students (!), I was reading through John Piper's book, The Dangerous Duty of Delight. The Lord used this book to end a time of longing, and begin a season of new, deeper longing.

I have experienced a deep and renewed longing in my heart for the Lord in the past few weeks and months, and have not known exactly what that tugging is for. That's not completely true - I do know what the longing is for, I just don't know how to satisfy that longing, because it is one that Satan and my flesh are willing to pull out the big guns to fight against.

I long to live a life that is poured out as a drink offering to Christ. I long to be so satisfied in Him that, as the song says,

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in his wonderful face

And the things of this earth will grow strangely dim

in the light of his glory and grace."

I know in my mind that this is possible, but I want to experience this. There have been glimmers - I remember moments in time that I have delighted to spend time in His presence more than I have delighted in the earthly things that I love. There is a battle for my affections, and right now, I love my own comfort than I love Jesus and more than I love others. But there is hope!

Betsie ten Boom looked at the Nazis who were laughing at her in her naked humiliation and who were beating to death a mentally ill woman, and felt deep compassion for their brokenness.

Darlene Deibler Rose lived in a Japanese prison camp, separated from her beloved husband. Upon hearing the news that he had died in another prison camp, she was summoned by the camp director, Mr. Yamaji, who on his first day as director had beaten a boy to death with a metal rod. She shared the gospel with him with great love in her heart.

Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Pete Fleming, and Ed McCully died 55 years ago at the hands of Waodani indians in the mountains in Ecuador. They had guns to defend themselves, but they did not do so - they were ready to meet Jesus, but the indians were not.

I could go on and on and on. There are so many saints who have gone before me whose stories have left a taste in my mouth - a taste for another world.

I am terrible at keeping up with things that have to do with computers and phones. Even so, I will attempt to keep up with this. I will post things that I have read or heard that have helped me to find delight in the Lord. You see, there are many things that I take more joy in at the moment, but they do not satisfy the longings of my heart. Here is the short list - coffee, chocolate, a good movie, a good book, my warm and comfortable bed, comfortable clothes (nice cozy sweatpants), good food, exercise, cooking, friendships, etc. None of these are bad, but when I love them more than I love Jesus, I am shirking on my duty to delight in the Lord. Not only is this sin, but this is totally missing out on that for which my soul was made.

And so my first official post will come right after this one. Consider this my thesis statement.

May the things that the Lord uses in my life to spur me on encourage you also in your journey to delight in him and in Him alone. Let us not delight in anything, unless God is somehow a part of that. That which we desire most, if not Jesus, is only to our detriment (Elisabeth Elliot paraphrase).