"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." (Deuteronomy 6:4-7)
I couldn't help but think of the very obvious and intended application for parents in these verses. One of the main implications that struck me was the fact that Biblical Christianity and Biblical parenting are not compartmentalized. You should not have the Bible as your guide and the topic of discussion only in Sunday school and at church. Here the Bible is to be the topic "when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." We should be teaching our children, not only at set times for catechism and family devotions but also in the milieu of life. They should know that the word of God and the God of the word are relevant and supreme in all realms of life, not just at church on Sunday.
Showing posts with label Christian Hedonism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christian Hedonism. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Friday, December 16, 2005
The World's Remedy for Emptiness
I have been struggling lately with doubts, depressions and being down in the dumps. All those good d-words. When I struggle like this I usually seek counsel from men that I respect with regards to the soul's happiness and joy. At the top of the list, of course, is John Piper. When I don't Desire God is a big help in this regard. This time around I have picked up a book by Jeremiah Burroughs entitled, "The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment." so far it has been good.
In contrast, I was listening to NPR this morning on the way to work. This was not good. The gentleman that was being interviewed was talking about how people tend to go through these cycles in their lives where they are happy and others where they are not so happy. There are typically "happy years" in a persons life. This is usually into the 20s. Then happiness usually gets progressively less and usually hits bottom sometime in the late 30s or into the 40s. Then there are usually more happy years as people get older. At this point the NPR interview brought up the concept of the "hedonic treadmill". This is the concept that says that we are constantly looking for something to make us happy. It may be the promotion or the pay raise. When we get the promotion or the pay raise, the new and the satisfaction eventually wear off and then we are onto something else to satisfy that longing. But we are never satisfied. The interviewer then asked what could be done to maintain a happier state and perhaps to defeat this "hedonic treadmill." The interviewee's answers were pretty pathetic. Here's what he suggested: (1) He said that one of the things that have been documented to help is that you not have a long commute to work every day. (2) Another thing that he suggested is that you have some flexibility in your work schedule. If you have varying hours at work this will help. (3) The last thing he mentioned was friends. He said that it really helps to have some close friendships where you spend time regularly with these friends.
This morning as I listened to this guy's advice I thought, "That's all you got?" "That is your answer to the problem of emptiness and depression?" Have a short drive to work, flexibility in work schedule, and have some close friends and this will help. However, I think what he was basically saying is, "There is no cure to this. All you can hope to do is alleviate some of the misery with a comfortable work environment and some friends." What a miserable worldview.
I suggest that the Christian alternative is better on so many levels and on so many plains. One verse, Psalm 16:11 - You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever. There are no hedonic treadmills in heaven; there are only never-ending, soul-satisfying pleasures.
This kind of rhetoric only confirms what Augustine said in his Confessions. "our souls are restless until they find their rest in Thee."
In contrast, I was listening to NPR this morning on the way to work. This was not good. The gentleman that was being interviewed was talking about how people tend to go through these cycles in their lives where they are happy and others where they are not so happy. There are typically "happy years" in a persons life. This is usually into the 20s. Then happiness usually gets progressively less and usually hits bottom sometime in the late 30s or into the 40s. Then there are usually more happy years as people get older. At this point the NPR interview brought up the concept of the "hedonic treadmill". This is the concept that says that we are constantly looking for something to make us happy. It may be the promotion or the pay raise. When we get the promotion or the pay raise, the new and the satisfaction eventually wear off and then we are onto something else to satisfy that longing. But we are never satisfied. The interviewer then asked what could be done to maintain a happier state and perhaps to defeat this "hedonic treadmill." The interviewee's answers were pretty pathetic. Here's what he suggested: (1) He said that one of the things that have been documented to help is that you not have a long commute to work every day. (2) Another thing that he suggested is that you have some flexibility in your work schedule. If you have varying hours at work this will help. (3) The last thing he mentioned was friends. He said that it really helps to have some close friendships where you spend time regularly with these friends.
This morning as I listened to this guy's advice I thought, "That's all you got?" "That is your answer to the problem of emptiness and depression?" Have a short drive to work, flexibility in work schedule, and have some close friends and this will help. However, I think what he was basically saying is, "There is no cure to this. All you can hope to do is alleviate some of the misery with a comfortable work environment and some friends." What a miserable worldview.
I suggest that the Christian alternative is better on so many levels and on so many plains. One verse, Psalm 16:11 - You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever. There are no hedonic treadmills in heaven; there are only never-ending, soul-satisfying pleasures.
This kind of rhetoric only confirms what Augustine said in his Confessions. "our souls are restless until they find their rest in Thee."
Thursday, December 01, 2005
The Glory of God and the "Starvation Response"
I am very out of shape. I am out of shape because of a lack of discipline and a love for food. Over the years, there have been times when I was actually in good shape. I used to lift weights quite a bit and I even ran. I have even had some times where I have studied a little regarding weight training and fitness, etc. One thing that I have learned (but haven't yet applied) is that "dieting" doesn't work. When I say "dieting" I mean cutting calories and eating less and less in order to lose weight. It doesn't work because of the way that God, in His wisdom, has designed us. I have been skimming a book entitled, "Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle." Nice title, huh. Anyway, here's what the author, Tom Venuto, says about traditional low-carlorie diets:
"Most people are dead wrong in the way they diet to lose body fat. Almost every conventional diet program ever conceived has one thing in common: Extremely low calories. Nearly all of these low calorie diets produce weight loss in the beginning. The problem is, none of them work for long – it’s physiologically impossible to lose fat permanently by starving yourself. The human body is simply too
“smart” for this to ever work. When you starve the fat, you also starve the muscle. When you starve the muscle, you lose muscle along with the fat. When you lose muscle, your metabolism slows down and your body enters the “starvation mode.” When your body enters starvation mode, fat loss comes to a screeching halt as your body tries to conserve its energy. When the fat loss stops, you either give up (and gain back the fat you lost), or you grit your teeth and drop your calories (starve yourself) even more. If you drop your calories even more, your metabolism slows down even more. And if your metabolism slows down even more, fat loss comes to a screeching halt again. Eventually, you always end up throwing in the towel because you can’t keep dropping your calories forever. It’s a vicious cycle. You just can’t win the very-low-calorie-diet game."
Here are some quotes from others that are knowledgeable in this field:
"Dieting is not effective in controlling weight. You can get a temporary weight loss
with a diet, but each scheme ultimately gives way to weight gain, and subsequent losses become increasingly difficult. Worst of all, you get progressively fatter on less food. Dieting actually makes you fatter!”
-Dr. Lawrence Lamb, Author of "The Weighting Game: The truth about weight control.”
"Cutting calories backfires. The more you cut, the more your body fights to hold onto
its fat stores as reducing calories signals the “starvation response” where the body tries to “survive” and hold onto its calorie reservoir known as fat.”
- Chris Aceto, author of “Everything you need to know about fat loss.”
This has been my experience exactly. The thing that strikes me, though, is that hardly anyone understands this. How many people do we know that are on some sort of "diet" where they try to lose weight by eating less. I thought I would post this here because it is not only helpful to us, but more importantly, it glorifies God. God has designed the human body so that if we start to eat less then our body automaticlly "knows" that it needs to slow down it's metabolic rate in order to conserve the energy provided by the food that has been taken in prior to the reduction in caloric intake. It amazes me that many of these people that do understand it refuse to give the glory to God. Rather, it is some sort of evolutionary characteristic of the "fittest". Anyway, praise God for the "starvation response". Now that you have this important information, use it wisely.
For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. (Psalm 139:13-14)
"Most people are dead wrong in the way they diet to lose body fat. Almost every conventional diet program ever conceived has one thing in common: Extremely low calories. Nearly all of these low calorie diets produce weight loss in the beginning. The problem is, none of them work for long – it’s physiologically impossible to lose fat permanently by starving yourself. The human body is simply too
“smart” for this to ever work. When you starve the fat, you also starve the muscle. When you starve the muscle, you lose muscle along with the fat. When you lose muscle, your metabolism slows down and your body enters the “starvation mode.” When your body enters starvation mode, fat loss comes to a screeching halt as your body tries to conserve its energy. When the fat loss stops, you either give up (and gain back the fat you lost), or you grit your teeth and drop your calories (starve yourself) even more. If you drop your calories even more, your metabolism slows down even more. And if your metabolism slows down even more, fat loss comes to a screeching halt again. Eventually, you always end up throwing in the towel because you can’t keep dropping your calories forever. It’s a vicious cycle. You just can’t win the very-low-calorie-diet game."
Here are some quotes from others that are knowledgeable in this field:
"Dieting is not effective in controlling weight. You can get a temporary weight loss
with a diet, but each scheme ultimately gives way to weight gain, and subsequent losses become increasingly difficult. Worst of all, you get progressively fatter on less food. Dieting actually makes you fatter!”
-Dr. Lawrence Lamb, Author of "The Weighting Game: The truth about weight control.”
"Cutting calories backfires. The more you cut, the more your body fights to hold onto
its fat stores as reducing calories signals the “starvation response” where the body tries to “survive” and hold onto its calorie reservoir known as fat.”
- Chris Aceto, author of “Everything you need to know about fat loss.”
This has been my experience exactly. The thing that strikes me, though, is that hardly anyone understands this. How many people do we know that are on some sort of "diet" where they try to lose weight by eating less. I thought I would post this here because it is not only helpful to us, but more importantly, it glorifies God. God has designed the human body so that if we start to eat less then our body automaticlly "knows" that it needs to slow down it's metabolic rate in order to conserve the energy provided by the food that has been taken in prior to the reduction in caloric intake. It amazes me that many of these people that do understand it refuse to give the glory to God. Rather, it is some sort of evolutionary characteristic of the "fittest". Anyway, praise God for the "starvation response". Now that you have this important information, use it wisely.
For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. (Psalm 139:13-14)
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Like Finding a New Toy!
My good friend Mark Redfern showed me how to do some new tricks - nothing that is very difficult (even for an accountant). I now have the ability to do links and pictures. I thought I would use my new skills to put some pictures and links on here. I thought I would take this opportunity to talk about some of the books that have infulenced me most. Perhaps you want to steer clear. :)
Desiring God
When I Don't Desire God
God's Passion for His Glory
The Supremacy of God in preaching
Future Grace
Counted Righteous in Christ
The Sovereignty of God
Shepherding a Child's Heart
Mortification of Sin
The Religious Affections
Today's Gospel
Tell the Truth
The Cross-Centered Life
If I had to pick one that has had the biggest influence on me, I think it would have to be a combination of God's Passion for His Glory, followed by Desiring God, followed by When I Don't Desire God. God's Passion for His Glory expounds on the foundational Biblical truth that God's glory is the ultimate end of eveything. Desiring God expounds on this truth and expands to show that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. When I Don't Desire God helps you apply the truths taught in Desiring God to your life. Once you see that the affections are not optional, it is devastating. Once you see that you don't have what we are commanded to have, namely, joy in God Himself, it is devastating. The book, When I Don't Desire God gives practical steps as to how to fight for joy in God. These three books together have shaped my theology more than any others. These books give a big-picture, foundational understanding of what the Bible is really all about.
Blogging is fun.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Glorifying God Through Joy
I preached a message on Romans 15 a few months ago. Following are some of the thoughts that came out of that study. As I honed in on what I determined to be the key verse of that text, 15:7 - "Therefore, receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God", it caused me to ask what receiving one another for the glory of God meant there. In order to answer that question I was forced to look at Romans 14 because this context is the key to understanding what “receiving one another” means here. In looking back at chapter 14 I realized that it is a Christian liberty issue. The stronger and weaker brothers both have an obligation to one another. As I was thinking further about what the second half of the verse meant, “to the glory of God”, it became evident to me that this text was a perfect example of the Biblical idea of Christian hedonism. Here I see in several places in this passage (Romans 14:1-15:13) the idea of the glory of God and the joy of His people so intermingled that it is hard to determine which is which. Of course, I think, and believe it can be argued on the basis of this text, that those two ends are actually one. Romans 15:7b-13 would be one argument and very forceful used by itself. But the force of the argument (that God’s passion for His glory and my desire to be satisfied are not at odds, but are actually one and the same goal) is increased even more when you consider the context of Romans 14, dealing with eating meat offered to idols, drinking wine, and observing certain days and its parallel with 1 Corinthians 10:23-31. Paul is talking about the same thing in this passage, namely, eating meat offered to idols. The phrase that caught me was Romans 14:16-17. "Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." In other words, the main thing in Christianity is not rules and regulations about what we should be eating or drinking it is "righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit." That sounds like joy to me. Christianity is about joy. This made me think back to 1 Corinthians 10:31. What does that say, in the context of the exact same issue? "Therefore, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." So it is not about eating or drinking, but about glorifying God. I do not think that it is a stretch to say that these are parallel passages, especially in light of the obvious contextual similarities (they are dealing with the exact same issue). If they are parallel, then you could use these terms interchangeably and make this statement about these verses: They are saying the same thing, namely, that Christianity is not about making rules regarding what can and cannot be eaten or what can and cannot be drank. Christianity is about glorifying God through righteousness, joy, and peace. Christianity is about being happy in God because God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. Even if one were not convinced as I am about this parallel and the consequent connection I have made, Romans 15:7b-13 are pretty convincing verses in themselves. Praise God that my longing for happiness is not at odds with His passion for His own glory. What a freeing truth! Oh Lord, help me live for your glory by fighting for righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit!
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
God-centered Repentance
In reading Thomas Watson's "The Doctrine of Repentance" today, the God-centeredness of the puritans, and particularly of Thomas Watson jumped out at me again. Watson (as with all the puritans) had such a beautiful way of getting to the heart into the thoughts and motives. This book reminds me of Owen's "Mortification of Sin" in the way that he wields the sword to cut through to the heart like a great surgeon of the soul. Watson shows that God is the ultimate motivation to true repentance and I saw that in a major way today. In talking about sorrow over sin (one essential element of true repentance), Watson talks about the reason for sorrowing over sin. These two quotes were very convicting and Biblical:
"Question 2: But how great must sorrow for sin be in all?
Answer: It must be as great as for any worldly loss. "I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. (Zechariah 12:10) Sorrow for sin must surpass worldly sorrow. We must grieve more for offending God that for the loss of dear relations. Therefore in that day the Lord GOD of hosts called you to weeping, to wailing, To shaving the head and to wearing sackcloth. (Isaiah 22:12): this was for sin. But in the case of the burial of the dead we find God prohibiting tears and baldness (Jeremiah 22:10; 16:6), to intimate that sorrow for sin must exceed sorrow at the grave; and with good reason, for in the burial of the dead it is only a friend who departs, but in sin God departs."
"We usually weep for the loss of some great good; by sin we have lost the favour of God. If Micah did so for the loss of a false god, saying, 'Ye have taken away my gods, and what have I more?' (Judges 18:24) then well may we weep for our sins which have taken away the true God from us."
May we share the same radical, God-centeredness in all our dealings with sin. Oh, for more puritans today!
"Question 2: But how great must sorrow for sin be in all?
Answer: It must be as great as for any worldly loss. "I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. (Zechariah 12:10) Sorrow for sin must surpass worldly sorrow. We must grieve more for offending God that for the loss of dear relations. Therefore in that day the Lord GOD of hosts called you to weeping, to wailing, To shaving the head and to wearing sackcloth. (Isaiah 22:12): this was for sin. But in the case of the burial of the dead we find God prohibiting tears and baldness (Jeremiah 22:10; 16:6), to intimate that sorrow for sin must exceed sorrow at the grave; and with good reason, for in the burial of the dead it is only a friend who departs, but in sin God departs."
"We usually weep for the loss of some great good; by sin we have lost the favour of God. If Micah did so for the loss of a false god, saying, 'Ye have taken away my gods, and what have I more?' (Judges 18:24) then well may we weep for our sins which have taken away the true God from us."
May we share the same radical, God-centeredness in all our dealings with sin. Oh, for more puritans today!
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Dangerous Duty
I am brand new to the blogosphere - just a couple hours old, in fact. As I was thinking of a name for my blog, "Dangerous Duty" came to mind because of John Piper's little book entitled, "The Dangerous Duty of Delight". A dangerous duty it is indeed! A difficult duty it is! For a wretched, nasty sinner like me to delight in God as the Bible commands is impossible! We all need grace to fight the fight of faith, to be given eyes to see the beauty of Christ. This fight is not for the timid and it is not for those with a light, trivial, fun view of the Christian life. The Christian life is war! We should be blood-earnest and serious about delighting in God more than life on this earth. For the stakes are eternal.
Love the Truth
Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. (2 Thessalonians 2:8-12)
From this passage and others, we see that saving faith involves more than a mere assent to the truth. It involves a change in the affections. Paul says in v.10 that they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. One might think that Paul is going against the doctrine of justification by faith alone that he develops so fully in Romans. I can almost hear the objections: “Wait a minute, Paul. You said that we just had to believe the truth, not love it!” However, I think Paul would respond with v.12 and say that believing the truth and loving the truth are the same. True saving faith includes a change in affections, not just assent. You can make the connection in this text between receiving “… the love of the truth” (v.10) and “…believe the truth” (v.12). You can also make a connection between “…believe what is false” (v.11) and “…(take) pleasure in wickedness”. There is no middle ground you either “take pleasure in wickedness” or you "love...the truth”. Which is just like saying you either believe what is false or believe the truth.
From this passage and others, we see that saving faith involves more than a mere assent to the truth. It involves a change in the affections. Paul says in v.10 that they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. One might think that Paul is going against the doctrine of justification by faith alone that he develops so fully in Romans. I can almost hear the objections: “Wait a minute, Paul. You said that we just had to believe the truth, not love it!” However, I think Paul would respond with v.12 and say that believing the truth and loving the truth are the same. True saving faith includes a change in affections, not just assent. You can make the connection in this text between receiving “… the love of the truth” (v.10) and “…believe the truth” (v.12). You can also make a connection between “…believe what is false” (v.11) and “…(take) pleasure in wickedness”. There is no middle ground you either “take pleasure in wickedness” or you "love...the truth”. Which is just like saying you either believe what is false or believe the truth.
Accursed from Christ!
Romans 9:3 – “For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh…” Notice what Paul really puts the emphasis on for the worst possible outcome of one’s life – being accursed from Christ. Not burning in hell, as horrid as that would be! The absolute worst thing that could happen to a person would be eternal separation from Christ, which, Paul explains at the end of chapter 8, can’t happen to a true believer. The emphasis and the horror of going to hell is not the torture that surely occurs there, but the separation from Christ. As one puritan put it, “If I were to die and go to heaven only to find that Jesus wasn’t there, that would surely be hell to me.” Paul would say it the same way. “For to me to live is Christ, to die is gain.” Why is dying gain to Paul? “…to depart and be with Christ…is far better.” (Philippians 1:21; 23) For Paul (and for all real Christians), heaven is not great because of the streets of gold and the reunion with Aunt Betsy. Those things are great, but the greatest thing about heaven and eternal life is that Christ is there and we can have perfect fellowship with Him there. “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” Eternal life is so magnificent because it enables us to know God in Christ. Being damned to hell is exceedingly horrible because by it we experience eternal separation from fellowship with Christ.
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