How Then Shall We Fight for Joy?

Footprints in the Snow - What are we Walking Towards?

Reading John Piper's Desiring God as part of my class assignments was a delightful task. I had read parts of the book and the condensed booklet version The Dangerous Duty of Delight before, and seating down to read and savor the book in its entirety was not an assignment but rather an opportunity. An opportunity to read, think, reflect and pray on what was written and to live it out.

It is sometimes apparent how God in his providence will work as it is in this instance (I believe God will providentially work out all things, just that sometimes it is not so apparent at that point in time). Contrary to what many believe, attending seminary is not escaping to a little slice of heaven on earth. True, it is a privilege and a joy but a joy that have to be fought for. Seminary education takes place in a real world with real people. So we will still encounter stresses, fatigue, disappointment, illness, irritation, discouragement in the midst of the joys and delights. We have bills to pay, deadlines to meet, expectations to live up to, people (both pleasant and unpleasant) to interact with, and fears to overcome. I think this is a universal principle as we still live in a fallen world where God's Kingdom is here and not yet fully here. It applies to my friends in schools, at work and in ministry. How then should we fight for Joy?

In Piper's book, Desiring God, there is an appendix that is helpful. It gives 15 guidelines as to how we can walk towards the goal of Joy in God. The outline of "How Then Shall We Fight for Joy" is as follows:

1. Realize that Authentic Joy in God is a Gift;
2. Realize the Joy must be Fought for Relentlessly;
3. Resolve to Attack all Known Sin in your Life;
4. Learn the Secret of Gutsy Guilt: How to Fight like a Justified Sinner;
5. Realize that the Battle is Primarily a Fight to see God for Who He is;
6. Meditate on the Word of God Day and Night;
7. Pray Earnestly and Continually for Open Heart-eyes and an inclination for God;
8. Learn to Preach to Yourself rather than Listen to Yourself;
9. Spend time with God-Saturated People who help you see God and Fight the Fight;
10. Be Patient in the Night of God's Seeming Absence;
11. Get the Rest, Exercise, and Proper Diet that your Body was Designed by God to have;
12. Make a Proper Use of God's Revelation in Nature;
13. Read Great Books about God and Biographies of Great Saints;
14. Do the Hard and Loving Thing for the Sake of Others - Witness and Mercy; and
15. Get a Global Vision for the Cause of Christ and Pour Yourself out for the Unreached.

- John Piper, Desiring God

_____
Grace and Peace
Ollie
Mar 2009