The Highest Good
by Tyler Zach
Picture in your head an excited baseball fan going to watch his favorite team play. Wouldn’t it be weird, if after the game, he kept boasting about a great 7th-inning home run but forgot who won the game?
Or picture this scenario: A guy and a girl are madly in love with each other. The guy decides to propose to the girl and she says yes! But the next month, all she can think about is the diamond on her finger. Wouldn’t it be weird for her to enjoy the ring more than her fiancé? What if the girl always talked to her friends about her diamond but never talked about the love she had for her fiancé? How would you like to be the guy?
Well, this happens all too frequently in Christianity. We amaze and awe ourselves with the idea of heaven, the gift of salvation, miracles, growing churches, and other really great things. But, if that is all we ever awe over or settle for, then we might be missing the greatest gift of all… God Himself.
“Until the gospel events of Good Friday and Easter and the great promises of justification and eternal life lead you to embrace God himself as your highest joy, you have not embraced the gospel of God. You have embraced some of His gifts. You have rejoiced over some of His rewards. You have marveled at some of His miracles. But you have not awakened to why the gifts, the rewards, and the miracles have come. They have come for one great reason: that you might behold forever the glory of God.” – John Piper, God is the Gospel
Sometime I have to catch myself when I’m sharing my faith because I become guilty of making God’s gifts my highest good… not God Himself. I say things like, “You should become a Christian because you’ll get to experience heaven… where there is no suffering, total peace, etc,” or “You need to believe in Jesus so that He will forgive your sins and give you eternal life.”
I’m sure that you might say truths (similar to the ones above) too! However, I am convinced that if we stop there, we are shortchanging God’s Glory. Things like eternal life, Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, the Holy Spirit’s guidance, and fellowship with other believers are all really really great things! But they aren’t the highest good! Eternal life is the promise that provides us with an opportunity to be with Jesus face to face. His sacrifice on the cross was required for our sins to be paid for so that we would be able to be with Him face to face. The Holy Spirit’s guidance illuminates the bible so that people can see spiritually and accept the gospel…so that they can be with God face to face! Do you see? Everything eventually points upward to the highest good of God Himself.
God is our greatest treasure. To be with God Himself is our ultimate need and desire.
Which do you think about more: God’s gifts or God Himself? Having a mansion in heaven or seeing God face to face?
Are “enjoying God forever” the most frequently used words in your vocabulary? I challenge you to meditate on your relationship with God and to honestly evaluate what your heart really cherishes the most.
Picture in your head an excited baseball fan going to watch his favorite team play. Wouldn’t it be weird, if after the game, he kept boasting about a great 7th-inning home run but forgot who won the game?
Or picture this scenario: A guy and a girl are madly in love with each other. The guy decides to propose to the girl and she says yes! But the next month, all she can think about is the diamond on her finger. Wouldn’t it be weird for her to enjoy the ring more than her fiancé? What if the girl always talked to her friends about her diamond but never talked about the love she had for her fiancé? How would you like to be the guy?
Well, this happens all too frequently in Christianity. We amaze and awe ourselves with the idea of heaven, the gift of salvation, miracles, growing churches, and other really great things. But, if that is all we ever awe over or settle for, then we might be missing the greatest gift of all… God Himself.
“Until the gospel events of Good Friday and Easter and the great promises of justification and eternal life lead you to embrace God himself as your highest joy, you have not embraced the gospel of God. You have embraced some of His gifts. You have rejoiced over some of His rewards. You have marveled at some of His miracles. But you have not awakened to why the gifts, the rewards, and the miracles have come. They have come for one great reason: that you might behold forever the glory of God.” – John Piper, God is the Gospel
Sometime I have to catch myself when I’m sharing my faith because I become guilty of making God’s gifts my highest good… not God Himself. I say things like, “You should become a Christian because you’ll get to experience heaven… where there is no suffering, total peace, etc,” or “You need to believe in Jesus so that He will forgive your sins and give you eternal life.”
I’m sure that you might say truths (similar to the ones above) too! However, I am convinced that if we stop there, we are shortchanging God’s Glory. Things like eternal life, Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, the Holy Spirit’s guidance, and fellowship with other believers are all really really great things! But they aren’t the highest good! Eternal life is the promise that provides us with an opportunity to be with Jesus face to face. His sacrifice on the cross was required for our sins to be paid for so that we would be able to be with Him face to face. The Holy Spirit’s guidance illuminates the bible so that people can see spiritually and accept the gospel…so that they can be with God face to face! Do you see? Everything eventually points upward to the highest good of God Himself.
God is our greatest treasure. To be with God Himself is our ultimate need and desire.
Which do you think about more: God’s gifts or God Himself? Having a mansion in heaven or seeing God face to face?
Are “enjoying God forever” the most frequently used words in your vocabulary? I challenge you to meditate on your relationship with God and to honestly evaluate what your heart really cherishes the most.
posted by Tyler Zach at 9:29 PM
2 Comments:
Tyler, that'll preach! Good to finally meet ya this week. Thanks for leading to East Asia this summer man.
A hearty AMEN! Wow, I wish more people would point this out!! All other gifts pale in comparison to the unbelievable gift GOD WITH US!!!
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