Christian Hedonism

The teaching of John Piper on Christian hedonism has forever changed my way of thinking about life. Today I attempt sum up his thoughts in this way:

When one is discontent in his life, it is because he is not drinking from the fountain of living water. The fountain itself has not run dry, but the beholding and the drinking of it has ceased. We suffer because "we are far too easily pleased" (Lewis); we settle for less than the greatest Joy. This is a great sin; "You have made us for Yourself, oh Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You" (St. Augustine). We are created for the glory of God.

When we are minimally satisfied, God is minimally glorified. God is maximally glorified in our lives only when we are maximally satisfied in His because He designed the world in such a way that our ultimate satisfaction and His utmost glory are adjoined to one another. We cannot find any hope or light outside of the hope we have in His Son, Jesus Christ. As we pursue that hope, we are met by the greatest happiness of all - joy in God. And that is the purpose for which He created the world.

In summary:

"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him."
~John Piper