Life Lessons: A Series (hopefully)

Let me start with a quote that encouraged me to get back on the wagon (wix) and write.

“Newness is no virtue and oldness is no vice” (Piper, 2009, p.18).

In Gen Z terminology, who ever said new was better than old? Especially when it comes to wisdom and truth.

I’ve been stuck in the middle of coming up with excuses of busyness and the unrealistic expectation that I must create profound ideas and radical advice to simply, write a blog. If John Piper, legend of an author and pastor, can admit to using most of his “soul-food from centuries ago” than why can’t I?

Why try to muster up any soul-defining encouragement to share when there is already plenty of life-changing knowledge to relay.

Every day, I am learning new life lessons. That has been one of my prayers recently- that God would continue to teach me, grow me, and equip me to help others do the same. So even though I am not a “professional,” or frankly even good at some of these lessons, why would I not try to pass them along? Therein lies my goal: to share the “life lessons” that the Lord is helping me learn. & Even if my messy writing only helps one person, it is all worth it.

So, with that lengthy introduction of why I am strengthened to write again being said, let me get to today’s message… which, might I add, is one that has lit a fire in my soul.

Don’t Waste your Life.

The topic.

& The book title I’ve recently been reading.

We all know life is precious. Sometimes a tragic death reminds us of this. Other times, a sweet friend, or a good book nudge us to avoid taking this gift for granted.

It is hard for me to believe anyone wants to waste their life. However, I don't know if enough people contemplate what wasting their life actually looks like.

The world likes to tell us that a fulfilling life is based off success, money, becoming famous, healthy relationships, being liked, etc. But I believe there is a myriad of people out there that have all those things and still feel like they are wasting their life.

So, how do we not waste our life?

I’m sure some of you may be expecting a real “churchy answer;” one that you might have heard before. However, when reading this book, I had never witnessed quite an explanation like this…

“If my life was to have a single, all-satisfying, unifying passion, it would have to be God’s passion…God’s passion was the display of his own glory and the delight of my heart” (Piper, 2009, p. 28).

Don’t let me lose you here- let me try to unpack this first.

Glorifying God and enjoying God are not separate ideas. Enjoying God is one way to glorify Him!

Dictionary.com defines these two words as the following-

Enjoy= “to experience with joy; take pleasure in”

Glorify= “to honor with praise, admiration, or worship”

“What was life about? What was it for? Why do I exist? Why am I here? To be happy? Or to glorify God? Unspoken for years, there was in me the feeling that these two were at odds. Either you glorify God, or you pursue happiness” (Piper, 2009, p. 31).

You probably have heard someone say you were created for God’s glory.

Isaiah 43:7 says, “everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

But what does that even mean?!?

John Piper goes on to explain it in a way that transformed my thinking.

Glorify is like the word magnify.

Magnifying something in a microscope is making something tiny look bigger than it truly is. However, magnifying through a telescope is making “something unimaginably great look like what it really is” (Piper, 2009, p. 32).

That is how not to waste your life.

If we magnify God by showing those around us how unimaginably great, He really is, we will find true delight in doing so.

If you want to know how to do this, go read this book. There is plenty more wisdom and truth that has encouraged me significantly.

But, if you want my short, summed up version of all that goodness- here it is…

We live in a selfish world. We try to make ourselves look great. We boast in our achievements, in our looks, & in our ideas. We do whatever we can to gain credibility from those around us or on the internet. But I’ve learned this boasting is empty. We aren’t all that. We are messy, foolish sinners, and we are not worth praising. But we have a God that created us and created the Heavens and the Earth- we have a God that knows us by name and loves us more than humanly possible- we have a God that sent His one and only son to die so that we can have a relationship with Him. That is something worth magnifying.

“Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

As always, reach out if you need a friend! I hope this encouraged you & inspired you to stop living to glorify yourself, but instead start magnifying the name above all names!

With all my love,

Delaney Dilfer