Review of John Piper's "Dont Waste Your Life"

In his book, Don’t Waist Your Life, John Piper’s purpose is to teach “the wasted life is the life without a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples.” (31) He wonderfully supports his thesis throughout the book, leaving the reader with a life-transforming perspective on reality and their place in it. Piper’s audience are both Christian and non-Christian materialists who are infatuated by the American lifestyle of comfort, security, and plenty. He sees a generation of young people groomed for a life of meaningless indulgence. Piper rightly understands that all people have an inward longing to have a meaningful life and thus beautifully takes the misguided natural desire and places it back on the path God intended it to be.
Piper begins his book by addressing both believers and non-believers. He reminds believers they are bought with a price and their lives are not their own, which is a key fact they should remember while reading the book. Those who are non-believers, he says, would not be reading the book had God not been working in their lives in some way. Thus, his book serves a reality shaping purpose for those who are already redeemed and need to be taught to live for the glory of God and for those who are still in bondage and need to understand who they are and the meaning of life.
Piper opens his teaching with two very strong subjects: his personal testimony and an explanation of the history of why people are taught to think as they do. His testimony immediately draws the reader in and gives him a transparency and humility as he portrays himself as one who asked the same questions years ago. In the midst of establishing eye contact with the reader, he engages their minds by offering a brief explanation of existentialism and it’s effects on the life-perspective of modern man. Piper’s explanation of the philosophical curtain behind the culture’s perspective of a successful life is very well done. His account of existentialism and its connection to the common life-perspective followed by its transition to postmodernism is a brilliant way of demonstrating how life is now viewed as meaningless and purposeless. The important idea gained from this section is that this ideology has been long in the making and is not accidentally prevalent.
After laying the groundwork, the meat of Piper’s teaching begins with the glory of the cross. He convictingly says the only place for boasting in the cross is on the cross. (55) Christ’s redeeming work serves as not only the foundation for life but the catalyst as well. In the following chapter discussing pain and death, Piper writes, “The normal Christian life is one that boasts only in the cross – the blazing center of God’s glory – and does it while bearing the cross.” (62) Because of the cross, believers live a life of paradoxes: death brings life, shame brings treasure, and suffering brings joy. The beauty of pain and death, Piper says, is in the midst of loss, a person’s true treasure is revealed. This mindset is foreign to the majority of Americans today who are taught to run from pain because pain is bad. As Piper says, “Oh, how many lives are wasted by people who believe that the Christian life means simply avoiding badness and providing for the family. So there isno adultery, no stealing, no killing, no embezzlement, no fraud-just lots of hard work during the day and lots of TV and PG-13 ideos in the evening, and lots of fun stuff on the weekend. . . . This is life for millions of people. Wasted life. We were created for more, far more.” (119) The idea of the paradoxical life is sadly incomprehensible to cushioned ears. Risk, as Piper discusses in the next chapter, is unheard of in the life of comfort. It brings fear to most people though it should bring the most peace. His exposition of several biblical stories “exploding the myth of safety” are inspiring and convicting. The faith and utter dependence upon God is seen not only in biblical characters such as Esther and Daniel, but ultimately seen in Jesus himself. This risk, however, is for the purpose of seeking to make others glad in God. The desire to make others glad in God comes from the gladness the believer has received from God resulting in a heart overflowing with glad-hearted mercy toward others. The chief way we can seek to reveal this light to others is by living to prove Christ is a more precious treasure than life. If Christ indeed is all satisfying even in the face of hunger, pain, poverty, loss, torture, persecution, and even death, His glory as an all sufficient God shines all the brighter. People indeed will say, “Who is like the Lord?”
Starting in chapter 8, Piper discusses practical applications of a life lived under the supremacy of Christ. He discusses how a Christian can live their life to the fullest for Christ even in a secular workplace. He then discusses how Christians can live their life to the fullest for Christ in ministry, particularly in spreading the gospel to the nations. Interestingly, the ending place for Pipers teaching on a life lived to the fullest is missions. Spreading the name of Christ is the way believers can boast in the cross, magnify Christ through suffering and making others glad in God while living to prove He is an all-satisfying treasure. The natural reaction of this teaching is the spreading of the gospel to all peoples, tribes and nations.
Don’t Waist Your Life is an much needed attempt to draw young people out of their materialistic, self-centered mindset; however, in his desperate attempt he should have offered further clarification lest he seem to swing the pendulum to the other side. In today’s culture, even believers are so earthly minded that they are of no heavenly good. While they need to be pulled out of this trap, it is also important not to swing to the opposite direction where they become so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly good. Piper lists the materialistic vices of the American culture such as their obsession for comfort, nice clothes, television and seeking the peace of avoidance rather than the war of obedience. Piper’s idea of Christian Hedonism does prevent this shift somewhat, however, a more precise theology of how life should be viewed on earth in light of the resurrection and the notion of living a life as a living sacrifice. His intentions seem to be to draw the materialism out of his readers, nonetheless, without further clarification, he appears to mostly emphasize a dichotomized spiritual aspect of life rather than a holistic approach where the spiritual realm and the physical realm are all part of God’s creation. This integration does not only apply to those going into ministry but to all vocations as well. Indeed, it is important to value Christ more than death, however, it is also imperative for the Church to be wary of Gnostic influences that deem the spiritual realm more important than the physical. Dying for Christ is an honor; living for Him is also an honor. His writing does not go against this clarification by any means; however, it could have been explained with more care to give his readers a proper understanding of what life is and how not to waste it.
The most touching (FYI - this is the first time I have ever used the word "touching" in a book review. It is still bothering me but my internal thesaurus is not working anymore) part of the book is without a doubt Piper’s prayer at the end. In it he praises God for His grand design in creating and redeeming as well as the abundance of joy He gives to His people. Piper says, “Oh what a grand design! To make our joy the echo of your excellence. To make our pleasure proof that you now hold the place of Treasure in our lives. To make the gladness of our souls the essence of our worship, and the mirror of your worth.” (185) Truly, a life not wasted is one that is full with the love and grace of the cross, overflowing with joy, and delighting in sharing it with others.