Don't Waste Your Life

When I first heard the title from this book, I was intrigued. His flier that was sent further intrigued me. On the one side it said something to the effect of "If you could have a good spouse, good kids, nice car, long weekends, a few good friends, a fun retirement, a quick and easy death and no hell, would you be satisfied?" You turn the flier over and it said "This is a tragedy in the making. Don't waste your life". Wow. You can see where he may be going... What he has put together in this book is truly life changing, and will shatter many of your (and my) preconceived ideas on living a godly life - by using Scripture as his basis in all areas. The first couple of chapters are more biographical/introductory, and how he came to where he is now. Although interesting, he does seemingly wander a bit in dealing with subjective and objective truth and existintilism in his life (the beginning was not my favorite part of the book). Those are phrases that put the majority of Christians to sleep. Do not let that stop you!! By the end of the 2nd chapter, he is going full force, and the book will seriously begin to challenge your ideas on how we are truly to live. He has chapters focused on areas such as constantly looking to the Cross of Christ for our joy and our daily living and bearing fruit and being selfless in the manner that we live, as well as a fun expositional on Philippians 1. However, while all the chapters were very good/excellent, Chapter 7 alone is worth ten times the price of the book. If you don't read anything else in the book, read Chapter 7. This chapter will grab you and radically force you to deal with your life. He quotes 1 Peter 3:15 about "always be ready to give an answer for the hope that is within you.." and turns around and asks the question (something like) "do people see hope in your life by the way you live - or is your life so much like the world's that there isn't much of a difference". I don't want to ruin the chapter by revealing all of the information, but he deals with money, finances, Christian living, and media - for starters. He gives wartime examples of living and shows from Scripture how we are to live. For those who may be a bit intimidated by Piper, as a few of his books are more difficult to read for "mainstream" readers, this is also one of his easiest books to read and can be read by virtually anyone. This book is very "practical" and deals with daily issues of life. You will find few better authors today than John Piper, and while this book won't get the reading that a "Prayer of Jabez" or "Purpose Driven Life" will get - which is extremely unfortunate and a shame - those that do read this 190 page book will have transformed lives, and not just a warm fuzzy feeling at the end. Be warned - you will be challenged, and you may not like what he says. However, what he says in the book is what needs to be taught and read today - and most importantly he is right, because his book is based on Scripture. I read a lot of Christian books, and not all of them are as good as I hoped. Trust me - you will NOT be disappointed in this book.

I read this book when I was incarcerated for 22 days in Manasas Jail in Virginia, in February 2015. I was just traveling through the state.. and happened to have 14 grams of weed on me... which would have been totally legal in my own state of Maine, or even across the border of Virginia in DC.... but I was charged with felony distribution, and faced 1 - 5 years in prison... and very realistically 6 months to 1 year in jail.... 22 days was a lot, but I was lucky. So. I read some good books there. and this was one. He makes the great point that being cautious and safe is not what being Christian is about. In fact.. Christians are called to a dangerous life.. because we aren't supposed to live lives bound by fear, but rather by Love! And Love drives out fear. Even if it means confronting incarceration... or death... or whatever... Live for Love, not fear... and don't let bourgeois concerns with comfort and security and safety prevent you from doing the work of a Christian! To juxtapose. Another book I read in the jail was The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom Corrie and her family all died or barely survived concentration camps, for helping hide Jews. Corrie didn't waste her life...nor did her father (who died from the Nazis.. because of his kindly loving help to Jews and other fugitives). And neither should you. Don't waste your life. Do good things.. even if you risk your life. Interestingly, there was a bit of synchronicity in the story. There weren't many books available... just a small number. And many in spanish... very few of the quality that I like (I have a B.A. in English literature). So, anyway. I was on the phone with my mother and I told her I was fine. I said the jail wasn't so nice, but not so bad. I told her that when I compare my own situation to my heros... I have nothing to complain about... and I named off some, such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr. etc. and Corrie Ten Boom and the Hiding Place. I hadn't talked to my mother about Corrie Ten Boom in decades, and I hadn't read The Hiding Place.. but I remembered the story from when my mother told me when I was young. And I mentioned it in my jailhouse phone conversation. The next day I went to the book cart, and there it was... The Hiding Place.. sitting on the cart.. If you haven't read the Hiding Place, I suggest you read it along with 'dont waste your life' .. they make a good combination... as Corrie didn't waste hers. Oh. I forgot to mention. I was in jail for a minor marijuana possession charge (ostensibly) but really I am a spiritual revolutionary, a mystic and I felt I was in there because of the spiritual battle I am waging against the forces of darkness.. Last word regarding 'don't waste your life'... I liked it so much that I sent it to people later as a present.

I just finished reading this book for the second time. Honestly, the first time it just rolled off me and I failed to grasp its message. This time was different. This time the Holy Spirit reached down and graciously opened my eyes to see what God is trying to tell His people through this magnificent little book. Thank God for John Piper, or more accurately, thank God for John's passion for the glory of Christ. I have read several of Piper's books, including Desiring God and Let the Nations Be Glad. At the bottom of all of it, though, is our view of who we are in relation to God. Do we see Him as the almighty, transcendent, holy, eternal, loving, just, merciful, righteous Creator who is worthy of every iota of our attention and admiration? Or do we see Him as something less? Is God there merely to make our lives easy and prosperous and happy? Is He there just to prop up our self-esteem and assist our efforts at self-actualization? The way each person sees God determines how each person will live, and more importantly, for whom he or she will live. There's a huge movement in Christianity today that seeks to convince believers, sadly with a distressing degree of success, that this life is all about us. God is our celestial ATM and the Affirmer of our own self-worth and self-image. Joel Osteen is perhaps the most highly visible example of this right now. It's a "me first" theology, a man-centered pseudo-Christianity which ignores the example and message of Christ to serve, to suffer, to spend and be spent, to die daily, for the good of others and the glory of God. Although I don't follow Osteen, I have found myself living far too much as if I did. That's our default setting as sinful humans -- to love self and the stuff of this life more than we love Christ. Piper sounds a desperately needed wake-up call to the church of Jesus Christ to cast aside our self-serving, self-deceiving, and ultimately self-destructive perspective in favor of a Christ-focused, Christ-treasuring frame of mind and way of life. By default we seek to live for ourselves and make much of ourselves and treasure the things that advance those goals. Piper reminds us that all of this is passing away, and only Christ is eternal. Only Christ is worth treasuring. Only Christ should be the all-consuming focus of our passion. God, through Piper, calls on us to display His worth before a fallen, dying, rebellious world. And He only gives us one life in which to do it. But instead we show the world the worth of our homes, our careers, our hobbies and our retirement portfolios. In this way we waste our lives. To every Christian who has fallen into the trap of treasuring this life as if this was all there is, to every Christian who has gotten caught up in believing that God is here to serve us, to every Christian who has been deceived into thinking that the goal of this life is to be happy with what the temporal world has to offer... READ THIS BOOK. Read it openly, prayerfully, repentently, and humbly. May Piper's message, which is nothing less than God's own message, pierce your heart and call you back to a singular passion to glorify Jesus Christ in every aspect of your life, and in that way avoid the irremediable tragedy of a wasted life. The church desperately needs to hear this, to internalize it, and to act upon it. I cannot recommend this excellent book highly enough.

First, while Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper is a fantastic book I have to say... it can be quite dry and hard to get into. That being said, it's worth soldiering through. The book covers a wide range of Christian issues, finances/money, Christian living, media, missions... it gives great examples of sacrifice ranging from World War II veterans like Jacklyn H. Lucas to various Christian missionaries. You will constantly see points reinforced with Bible passages and each chapter has a nice round up of resources/citations for further study on a specific point. The heavy reliance on Biblical passages helps you to realize (and verify) you are being told Biblical principles and not just personal opinion as with other Christian authors. This gives you the opportunity to check the verses yourself in context and to see that yes, Piper's point is Bionically based. While this is not my favorite Christian book, I honestly find is writing rather dry and hard to stick with (if you are of his generation you may find it easier to get through) it's still a worthwhile read and gave me a lot to think about.

We all need to realize we are the most content when we find our satisfaction in Christ. It's so easy to follow the world, but a challenge to follow Christ. There are so many things pulling at our heartstrings. May young people especially, begin now to follow what leads to joy and purpose in the Christian life, and to bring glory to God with our lives.

Not done yet but so far so good♥️ The first 31 pages Pastor John is giving a backstory of how he first started wondering and figuring out how he DIDNT want to waste his life. After, he begins to tell the journey of what he has learned. Just hang tight, about page 32 he really begins to share the lessons and insights he has learned. As mentioned, I’m not done with the book yet but already this book has begin to open my eyes to see certain scriptures like I haven’t seen it before. Such as the famous John 3:16. We all know and memorize it but at the core of John 3:16 is what true love looks like. John 3:16 not only shows God sacrificed His perfect Son but that verse is the ultimate definition of LOVE. SACRIFICE. Do you love like that? Do I ? Or do we lean on what the world tells us love should be. Gifting presents, giving attention, compliments … that ISNT TRUE LOVE. Pastor made me realize I was Absolutely in one way or another offering those around me “culture love”. I wasnt sacrificing, I wasnt truly denying myself, I dont Go the extra mile for people.. I do The minimum! John 3:16 just goes so much more deeper and Pastor has made me ponder on God’s love more. Pastor John wants to show us the true godly definition of Love. also, this book has convicted me in many ways so far. Looking forward to finishing the book 📕 UPDATE: forgot to update that I finished The book absolutely loved it. Towards the end was more missionary focused which is great and fine. Look forward to REDEADING it 💕

This book is not for the nominal Christian, nor is it recommended for the spiritually lazy, lackadaisical, surface believer who is satisfied with going to church on Sunday, perhaps attending Sunday School, and hoping to go to Heaven when they die. I wept as my wife and I read aloud several chapters. My heart broke, my spirit grieved, my concept of how I treasured Jesus above all else in life was crushed beneath the load of conviction. It did not take many chapters for me to realize that much of my life is being wasted by God's standards. Not just anyone could have written this book. Doctor Piper speaks the Bible and then supports his theses by the Bible. It leaves the reader saying "dear God, I have missed the mark, I am wasting my life." If you think you have a lock on your relationship with Jesus, read this book. Do you believe that God is most honored when you are most satisfied in Him? Is your life more important than your relationship with Jesus? Is your earthly treasure more valuable than your purpose in Jesus? If you read this book, John Piper's words, and apply them by the power and guidance of the indwelling Holy Spirit, your life will be transformed into what you should be as a Child of God. Read this book with a prayed up, confessed up, Spirit Filled up approach, desiring God's best, and you will experience it. It is deep, it is designed to change your mind, it is a must for growing Christians.

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Ein so herausforderndes und tiefgründiges Buch zum Thema sinnvolles Leben ist selten geworden, und zwar auf dem christlichen Büchermarkt. Pipers Perspektive ist nicht neu und so radikal wie das Neue Testament ohne Weichspüler: Folge Jesus gehorsam, oder du vergeudest dein Leben. "Das ist eine harte Rede; wer kann sie hören?" (Joh. 6.60). Diesem Buch wünsche ich viele Leser.

You will be challenged to see life through a set of lenses that will shift you closer to the Lord, and life in Him that brings fullness of Joy. Try these spectacles, you just might like what you see.

Una edición muy bella.

John Piper challenges Christians, in particular Americans - But applicable to all Westerners, to ask themselves: Am I truly living for God?

This book enables us to understand what the base of our joy should be. When Christ is the bottom of our joy and not a tool to get what we want, we can then see and feel how freeing is to live for Christ and share the truth with the world. Piper has done a great job building his argument little by little to show us the pathway to a happy life in Christ. Loved it! Highly recommend.