The Beginnings of an Adventure (It's not as exciting as it sounds.)
As many of you know, Judah and I are participating in the BIC’s Missionary Development Program. Basically, it’s a self-paced program involving books, classes, mentoring, and other training to prepare us for lives of service! If you want more details, you can read about it here. Also, if you’re interested in being a prayer partner, you can either leave a comment below or send me an email.
Anyway, we are still near the beginning of the program, but I decided I’d share some of the things we’re learning, and I’ll start with the first book we read (you’ll probably hear about most of the following books, too). For every book, we have to write a short reflection. I will spare you this, and instead give you a few highlights.
“Don’t Waste Your Life.” It’s written by John Piper, and it’s about exactly what it sounds like. It’s about not wasting your life. Here are three main points of what impacted me most:
Risk is right.
We don’t often take risks because we cling too closely to our sense of safety and security. We have an innate belief that we will always be safe and secure. But let’s be honest, neither of these exist. Because we are finite beings, we have no idea what will happen tomorrow, or whether tomorrow will even be there. So, we have no excuse not to take risks for the cause of Christ. Piper gives the example of Esther, risking her life to see the king and save the lives of her people, saying “If I perish, I perish.” Esther had no idea what the outcome of her actions would be, but trusting in God, she decided to take a risk.
Trust is hard.
We’ve always been told that we can trust that God will always take care of us. But reading this book made me see trust differently than I used to. I used to believe that God would make sure all of my basic needs were met so that I could live comfortably, but in the Scriptures, Jesus made it clear to his followers that they would not live comfortable lives. Many of them would lose everything, including their lives. Jesus tells us that Christians experience all sorts of afflictions, including “famine and nakedness” (Romans 8:35-36). That doesn’t seem like a “comfortable life.” On the contrary, other verses tell us not to worry about tomorrow, because God will provide everything that is necessary (Matthew 6:25, 31-33). Well, that’s confusing and kind of contradictory. But Piper asks the question, “necessary for what?” He states, “What Jesus meant was that our Father in heaven would never let us be tested beyond what we are able (1 Corinthians 10:13). If there is one scrap of bread that you need, as God’s child, in order to keep your faith in the dungeon of starvation, you will have it. God does not promise enough food for comfort or life - he promises enough so that you can trust him and do his will” (pg. 94).
What does it mean to be “more than conquerors?”
If you are a Christian, you are most likely familiar with that phrase. If you are like me, you don’t really know what it means. According to the Piper, if conquering means winning, than more than conquering means more than winning, by subduing your enemy to your purposes. We can see this imagery applied to our spiritual lives through the example of Paul. Paul suffered many afflictions which sought to destroy his faith. Instead of being broken by these afflictions, he beat those afflictions AND forced them to cut off his worldliness, bringing greater glory to Christ. When I read this, I knew that the same this is true in my life. Currently, one of our biggest “afflictions” in life is financial difficulties. Like Paul, however, I can use this to cut off my worldliness, instead of letting it break me. I find it very easy to become attached to things of this world, and to desire more, like a nicer apartment, trendy clothes, a better job, and so forth, but if I plan to go into the missions field, I most likely won’t have any of those things. I can either be consumed by my financial worries, or I can let God use them to prepare me for the my future of service.
So there you have it, folks. Three snippets of what I think about John Piper’s “Don’t Waste Your Life” and how his book applies to my life. If you haven’t read it, I recommend it. If you have, what are your thoughts?
P.S. Just as a warning, there are going to be some changes to this blog in the near future.
Anyway, we are still near the beginning of the program, but I decided I’d share some of the things we’re learning, and I’ll start with the first book we read (you’ll probably hear about most of the following books, too). For every book, we have to write a short reflection. I will spare you this, and instead give you a few highlights.
“Don’t Waste Your Life.” It’s written by John Piper, and it’s about exactly what it sounds like. It’s about not wasting your life. Here are three main points of what impacted me most:
Risk is right.
We don’t often take risks because we cling too closely to our sense of safety and security. We have an innate belief that we will always be safe and secure. But let’s be honest, neither of these exist. Because we are finite beings, we have no idea what will happen tomorrow, or whether tomorrow will even be there. So, we have no excuse not to take risks for the cause of Christ. Piper gives the example of Esther, risking her life to see the king and save the lives of her people, saying “If I perish, I perish.” Esther had no idea what the outcome of her actions would be, but trusting in God, she decided to take a risk.
Trust is hard.
We’ve always been told that we can trust that God will always take care of us. But reading this book made me see trust differently than I used to. I used to believe that God would make sure all of my basic needs were met so that I could live comfortably, but in the Scriptures, Jesus made it clear to his followers that they would not live comfortable lives. Many of them would lose everything, including their lives. Jesus tells us that Christians experience all sorts of afflictions, including “famine and nakedness” (Romans 8:35-36). That doesn’t seem like a “comfortable life.” On the contrary, other verses tell us not to worry about tomorrow, because God will provide everything that is necessary (Matthew 6:25, 31-33). Well, that’s confusing and kind of contradictory. But Piper asks the question, “necessary for what?” He states, “What Jesus meant was that our Father in heaven would never let us be tested beyond what we are able (1 Corinthians 10:13). If there is one scrap of bread that you need, as God’s child, in order to keep your faith in the dungeon of starvation, you will have it. God does not promise enough food for comfort or life - he promises enough so that you can trust him and do his will” (pg. 94).
What does it mean to be “more than conquerors?”
If you are a Christian, you are most likely familiar with that phrase. If you are like me, you don’t really know what it means. According to the Piper, if conquering means winning, than more than conquering means more than winning, by subduing your enemy to your purposes. We can see this imagery applied to our spiritual lives through the example of Paul. Paul suffered many afflictions which sought to destroy his faith. Instead of being broken by these afflictions, he beat those afflictions AND forced them to cut off his worldliness, bringing greater glory to Christ. When I read this, I knew that the same this is true in my life. Currently, one of our biggest “afflictions” in life is financial difficulties. Like Paul, however, I can use this to cut off my worldliness, instead of letting it break me. I find it very easy to become attached to things of this world, and to desire more, like a nicer apartment, trendy clothes, a better job, and so forth, but if I plan to go into the missions field, I most likely won’t have any of those things. I can either be consumed by my financial worries, or I can let God use them to prepare me for the my future of service.
So there you have it, folks. Three snippets of what I think about John Piper’s “Don’t Waste Your Life” and how his book applies to my life. If you haven’t read it, I recommend it. If you have, what are your thoughts?
P.S. Just as a warning, there are going to be some changes to this blog in the near future.
Boy!! Does that ring true with what I'm learning too!!! Thank you for your thoughts, I think I'll check that book out. =) I love you!
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