A Never Ending Gladness in God

A never ending gladness in God: Part of the title of this post is taken from chapter forty-five in John Piper’s book, Providence. The title of the chapter is “New Bodies, New World, Never-Ending Gladness in God.”

Some preliminary side-tracking

John Piper has received criticism over the years. I think rightly so on some counts. So I get it. But there are those who write him off completely and warn others to not read him altogether. We must practice discernment.

However let us not carry a list where, unless a pastor-teacher ticks off all our boxes, we relegate them to the stay-clear pile. This would be a pity. We can learn a lot from those who we disagree with, yet are solid in other key areas.

Back to Gladness

Two things I like about John Piper are his devotion to, and wonder of, God. This comes out in “Providence.” Again, I can’t agree with him everywhere. But I find his gladness and joy in God very infectious. Under the subtitle Ever-Increasing Joy from Immeasurable Riches of Grace, he writes,

One more clarification should be added, lest any of us succumb to the foolish thought that this joy in God eventually could become routine and boring, say, after a few million years. Paul put such foolish thoughts out of our minds when he wrote this:

[God] seated us in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Eph. 2:6-7)

Our finite minds cannot comprehend this. Yet C. S. Lewis wrote in a similar fashion.. In the last book of the Narnian Chronicles (The Last Battle), he wrote,

All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.

Our Blessed Hope in Dark Times

Thou wilt make known to me the path of life; In Thy presence is fullness of joy; In Thy right hand there are pleasures forever. (Psalm 16:11)

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. (Rom 8:18-19)

…looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus (Titus 2:13)

See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. (1 John 3:1-2)

See also: What is the Blessed Hope?

Life with the Triune God will be full of joy and never boring!

Maranatha!