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Apr 05, 2011

Stephie rated it:

I love this book. The primary message is this: not only is it our chief end as humans to desire God and enjoy Him forever, but is it God's chief end to glorify himself and enjoy himself forever.

This book has been instrumental for me in understanding God's justice & mercy and how they play out perfectly together for his glory...even when it's hard to see or understand.

I strongly recommend this book as a foundational read for anyone who struggles with questions like: " More...

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Nov 18, 2007

Allen rated it:

God is supposed to be my most satisfying treasure and a delight to know. John Piper explains the principle and applies it to various aspects of Christian living: worship, loving others, Bible reading, prayer, money, marriage, missions, and suffering. The book is filled with Bible references; Piper bases his argument on Scripture.

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Jun 16, 2011

Ebookwormy rated it:

I read this book. I enjoyed it. It challenged me. But, i came away feeling like i was missing something on what all the fuss was about... i felt like i failed to get it somehow...

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Feb 13, 2009

Chris rated it:

This is one of the most gnostic treatments of so-called Christian Hedonism that I have ever read. Throughout the book you will be hard pressed to find much of anything on enjoying God through the physical pleasures He has given us to enjoy. Nothing on enjoying good beer. Good food. Good sex in marriage. You end up at the end of the book trying to turn to your own little heart to find your pleasure in God. Read Doug Jones' article in C/A called Wine, Women, and Sabbath if you want a more bi More...

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Feb 09, 2012

Robert rated it:

John Piper's "Desiring God" reveals the solution to one of societies greatest hindrances--that is, that we are too easily pleased. In its initial statement this is the theme of the book. I have seen a number of other reviewers stating the the purpose of the book is to extol that we find our joy, our pleasure, in God, and while on the surface this is true, it is not in fact the point of the book. The point of the book is not to give an exposition of Christian Hedonism, but rather, Chris More...

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Nov 16, 2011

Romaskruse rated it:

This book has left me with many thoughts and questions bouncing around in my head but I will mention just a few of the highlights. First, the challenge to find joy in fulfilling our duty to God...joy in worship, joy in acts of service etc. As a side note to this, we ought not think ourselves as filling in any of the gaps for God but rather should consider ourselves completely helpless and therefore should delight in being served by God himself.

Secondly, the last chapter on suffering More...

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Sep 14, 2011

Dana rated it:

Desiring God is a book about finding joy and satisfaction in God and God alone. Throughout the pages of the book, author John Piper teaches that the Christian need not choose between delight and duty in the spiritual walk. He offers the opinion that the only true way to glorify God is to find joy in His presence and His person. Using a multitude of Scriptures to back up his point of view, Piper introduces Christian hedonism which states that "delighting in Him [God] is the work of our lives More...

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Jul 27, 2011

Kurt rated it:

This book is key to understanding John Piper and his perspective on life, God, and anything else. I read the ten-year anniversary edition, which was well done, especially with the new chapter about suffering and the overly cute but effective poem that illustrates Christian Hedonism with Piper's thoughts about his wife on their anniversary.

Desiring God boils down to what is kind of a life motto for Piper: God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. Piper also gets a g More...

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Jun 10, 2011

Christopher rated it:

This is John Piper's Opus Magnum and the heartbeat of almost every other book he has written. Piper begins by quoting the opening question to the Westminster Shorter Catchism and alters it slightly to make a point. What is the whole duty of man? Instead of "To glorify God and enjoy Him forever" its To glorify God by enjoying Him forever.

He then elaborates further on this with the motto which is the centerpiece of all of John Piper's ministry, that is, "God is most glor More...

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Dec 09, 2007

Joel rated it:

The place to start if you want to read Piper, almost his mission statement. Piper is a quotable writer and I love his pursuit to emphasize God's glory. "God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him" is a good summary statement of the work. As well, he draws attention to the purpose of life by tweaking the Shorter Catechism just a bit, writing "Man's chief end is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever."

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Oct 27, 2011

Greg rated it:

This is one of those classic books that make a difference to the world, perhaps like “Pilgrims Progress”, or “Mere Christianity”, and anyone who has not read it and applied its teaching is missing out.

The main thrust of this book is that God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in Him. That everything we do as Christians needs to be motivated by our desire to seek pleasure in God, and in doing so, we will fulfill the requirements that God has placed on us. Christian livin More...

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Apr 22, 2011

Adam rated it:

This one got to me, and I sort of expected it to. I had high expectations, actually, because Piper has developed a strong reputation as sort of a C.S. Lewis in a post-modern society. That's not to say HE'S post-modern--far from it--I'm just using that term to indicate how relevant he is. And there could not be a more accurate title for this book. It really is about what it means and sometimes what it TAKES to desire God. While this is a discussion of Christian Hedonism--a term I think Piper More...

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Mar 09, 2009

Derek rated it:

This was the first book I read by John Piper and was a truly eye-opening and thought provoking experience. This book lays out a compelling case for Dr. Piper's "Christian Hedonism" and thus it has won another convert to that perspective. It has also whetted my appetite for more of Dr. Piper's writings.

There are some who do not like Piper's term "Christian Hedonism" but I have found so far that none of the critics of the term have actually read the book. I believ More...

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Dec 17, 2009

Phil rated it:

For the first time in my life I was informed of the fact that God commands me to be happy. The strange paradox, as it seems, is that most people think Christianity is a joy robbing religion. The truth of the matter is all conceivable and lasting joy is found in God. Based on this truth we ought to seek our joy passionately and fervently; that is when God is most glorified.

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Sep 30, 2011

Alexis rated it:

I like Piper's overall point, but I'm not sure this book needed to be quite so long. Granted, I was already in agreement with Piper (after all, as Joey Tribbiani once said, there is no such thing as a truly selfless act--the only reason people do anything is, on some level, because they see it as somehow being in their own self interest) and thus was not a tough sell, but it still seems like Piper could have made his point in fewer than 300 pages (plus another 150 pages of appendices).

More...

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Jun 25, 2009

Jonathan rated it:

I love Piper. His passion for Christ is contagious and it is by God's grace alone that Piper has this passion. Therefore I thank God for using Piper.

There was really only one concept I took from Desiring God and that is: Delight yourself in the LORD!

Certainly, there were many other insights gleaned, but this was the one insight I wished to hold onto, the one insight I did not want to release.

There is perhaps only one negative about this book and other book More...

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Aug 25, 2011

Elizabeth rated it:

as a huge Piper fan I am finally getting around to reading this and now I own it because I've started blogging for books!

You should read Desiring God, Meditations of a Christian Hedonist by John Piper
I am a big fan of Piper (seen him live, often listen to his sermons and read Don't Waste Your Life) so I should have read this sooner.
Honestly, this book is like a textbook and some of it is hard going, you have to use your brain and most of the time I like my reading to be m More...

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Aug 16, 2011

Meagan rated it:

DESIRING GOD
Mediations of a Christian Hedonist
By John Piper

The purpose of life is to glorify God by enjoying Him. We are to approach Him with the wonder of a child and take pleasure in Him. It is human nature to seek happiness and pleasure and this in turn leads to true praise and worship. True worship of God is spontaneous and from the heart not just the mouth.

God delights in the fellowship of the Trinity and His delight flows down to those who thirst af More...

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Mar 01, 2011

Matt rated it:

This was another book that shook my world at the time I read it. John Piper makes it clear why God must be our supreme joy. He starts with the premise that we glorify God by enjoying Him. If we don't delight in Him, we are sinning because delighting in anything else above Him is idolatry. The subtitle, "meditations of a Christian hedonist," may throw some people off (becuase hedonism is the pursuit of pleasure), but that's just the point. The only true pleasure is in God, therefor More...

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Aug 13, 2010

Ramón rated it:

This is in many respects the quintessential Piper book. The ideas brought forth here are the centerpiece of all his other writings, and rightfully so. His advocacy for a Christian Hedonism is appropriate a call to make first things first. Again, though I disagree with some of the foundational premises in regards to the nature of God and predestination, I still find it a compelling argument that our happiness should be anchored in the pleasure we take in God.

This is a classic work, a More...

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Jun 08, 2010

Devin rated it:

I refer to this book as John Piper's manifesto. In it, Piper argues that glorifying God and attaining joy for ourselves are not opposed to one another but are simultaneous and synonymous if we seek to find our joy in God. Piper goes on to apply this "Christian Hedonism," as he calls it, practically to many areas of life.

Some people are critical of this book because it focuses too much on the inner life of the Christian. Interestingly, C.S. Lewis said that only the true b More...

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Jul 27, 2011

Daniel rated it:

Exceptional at showing us our enjoyment and pleasure in obeying God and Desiring him over anything else that we can fathom desiring. This book shows dramatically that love is an extention of more then duty, but of extreme desire and pleasure in glorifing God. A great book on being a Christian Hedonist. Thank you God, for Jesus, for the propitiation, for imputing righteousness on my behalf that I could desire you and take great joy in suffering or anything else because of the surpassing worth of More...

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Aug 23, 2011

Timothy rated it:

John Piper is well-known among evangelicals, particularly proponents of Reformed theology within Evangelicalism, for his “Desiring God” ministry. He has dedicated his life to encouraging people to seek the absolute joy and happiness that can be gained only from worshiping God in gladness and complete submission to His will.

All of this started for Piper when he realized the truth that God does not want us to worship Him out of duty, but out of a glad heart. He wrote and published his More...

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Jan 11, 2012

Crossroads rated it:

I found the first chapter or two to be difficult, but I continued to read and re-read. The remainder of the book was a great reward for this labor. The main theme of this book is that God is joyful and he desires us to be joyful. When we follow his commandments and his example, we will be surprised by joy, which continues even in trials! Christianity should not consist of following a bunch of inconvenient, ancient, nonsensical rules--it should be a celebration of God's love and his creative More...

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Nov 24, 2011

Nile rated it:

This book has probably changed the way I relate to God more than any other book. It woke me out of legalism when I was 20 allowing me to see the awesome pleasure in seeking God's glory above all else. Reading it recently opened my eyes to God's sovereignty and put me on a path to grapple with the reality that God is in control of everything, including decisions and small things in everyday life. This was mainly from the appendix in my version entitled "is god less glorious because he ordain More...

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Aug 16, 2011

Caleb rated it:

I finally finished John Piper's landmark book, Desiring God. This book was originally written in 1986, but I got my hands on the 25th anniversary edition earlier this year. I have been so blessed by the resources Dr. Piper's ministry, Desiring God, has produced, and I could not wait to dive into this amazing work. So it began.

Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist. Christian Hedonist. What does that mean? Piper spends almost 300 pages unpacking it. At first glance, the ter More...

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Apr 17, 2011

Tim rated it:

Reading Piper certainly makes me want to read John Owen again to get at a real Puritan sermon. This is a faux Puritan sermon - argumentative without charity, superficial in its use of Scripture and other quotations, and restless in its attempt to be comprehensive, while missing real depth of Scriptural insight. Owen trusted the Word had power, and did not rely on silly, oxymoronic, and attention getting home-made phrases like Christian Hedonism. Owen and Jonathan Edwards understood that the a More...

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Dec 30, 2011

benebean rated it:

I liked this book a lot more the second time around. It can take me a while to digest material, so it was good to revisit this and intuitively understand a lot more of what Piper talked about. I probably need to come back to it again later before I can fully absorb all of what Piper said. It's not so much that what he says doesn't make sense to me, but it takes a while for me to understand it well enough to not just evaluate it by thinking it's correct and/or inaccurate, but to feel it is rig More...

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Aug 01, 2011

logankstewart rated it:

John Piper's Desiring God is one of the most influential books in Christian non-fiction. First released in 1986, Piper burst into the scene with his radical idea of Christian Hedonism, a term specifically chosen. Now, twenty-five years later, Piper's fourth edition of Desiring God has found its way into my hands for review. I already owned the 3rd edition, though I had not progressed past Chapter One of the book. This time around, I made my way through Piper's elegant writing and beautiful t More...

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Mar 13, 2007

lance rated it:

umm, the book was an interesting and well-received perspective, common to many.

but there's this weird argument he uses that says that we all "love ourselves" because we all "do what we think will make us happiest". sorry, but as an example - what about the suicidal? is it love when they kill themselves? NO! NO! NO! ...that is the definition of hate, self-hate. from this point, the book begins to break down.

...ultimately, i don't really think tha More...

4 comments like (1 person liked it)

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