Hello risk takers for Jesus! As our church emphasizes taking greater spiritual, relational, conversational and financial risks for Christ, one of the tools we would like to add to the mix is a recommended read to go along with the theme of risk taking and to offer additional support material around some of the teaching series.
The first book we’re recommending is John Piper’s “Don’t Waste Your Life”. Hopefully the title alone is intriguing enough for you to download or buy this book and add it to your spiritual growth efforts this quarter.
There are many good reads out there that can help spur us on to be greater risk takers for the Gospel, to help us be more faithful as every day missionaries, to love people and engage them when they come into our “three foot zone”. Also, to be more proactive as LifeHouses as we pray, care and share with our neighbors.
Don’t Waste Your Life is an exceptionally motivating read because John Piper weaves together our call to live life to glorify God, Christ’s challenge to pick up our cross and die to self while compassionately confronting our fleshly default to comfort, pleasure and spiritually fruitless pursuits that can unintentionally culminate into a “wasted life”.
Simply put, Don’t Waste Your Life is a call to take risk for the sake of the Gospel in order to make our lives count for eternity, which is exactly what we’re being challenged to do.
In the Preface on page 10, Piper states, “If you live gladly to make others glad in God, your life will be hard, your risks will be high, and your joy will be full. This is not a book about how to avoid a wounded life, but how to avoid a wasted life. Some of you will die in the service of Christ. That will not be a tragedy. Treasuring life above Christ is a tragedy.”
So take the risk of reading this book with an open heart and desire God to keep pushing you beyond your comfort. May God push you toward the capacity He has put in you to live this life for Him.
