Nothing is more foundational for the joy of undeserving people than the cross of Jesus Christ. The fight for joy is a fight to grasp and marvel at what happened in the death of Christ – and what it reveals about our suffering Savior. If it were not for the death of Jesus in our place, the only possible joy would be the joy of delusion – like the joy on the Titanic just before it hit the iceberg. Without the cross, joy would be sustained only by denying (consciously or subconsciously) the inevitability of divine judgment. In fact, that’s the kind of joy that drives most of the world – a joy that preserves the power of its pleasures by being oblivious to the peril just ahead. If the passengers were suddenly made aware that in a matter of hours most of them would drown in the icy ocean, all their merrymaking would cease. Their joy depends on their ignorance.
John Piper, When I Don’t Desire God: How to Fight for Joy (Crossway, Wheaton, IL: 2004), 72.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
My First Post
Well, here it is. Due to my obsessive tendencies, I’ve pushed against entering the blogging world…but alas, I can’t stay on the sidelines any longer. My two primary reasons for blogging are: an easy way to post my weekly encouraging emails and I need a creative outlet. Reality has struck home that having a child changes your life. Fatherhood is amazing, but time is scarce these days. I would rather stay home with Cole than do just about anything else. As a result, some of my larger writing projects are going to be placed on the shelf for a while. My family needs to come first. Life is too short to run at such a frenzied pace that I miss these treasured times. Hopefully, short musings every so often will help quench my creative appetite.
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