Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist, in particular, stands as a turning point in many of their stories of following Jesus. John Piper exerts tremendous influence over the hearts, minds, careers, and relationships of some of my dearest friends. I would warn Christian readers to be careful with this book. I stopped reading the book as it could lead to the conclusion that if one doesn't have certain experiences they are not saved, which is clearly wrong thinking. What is the evidence that we love/desire God 'If you love me, you will OBEY my commands' (John 14 vs 15.) The Bible doesn't give other requirements and I don't believe Christian hedonism is a healthy pursuit. does that mean we are not fulfilling God's potential for us? Does it mean we aren't saved? Should we base anything on how we feel on a daily basis? It is surely dangerous to rely on certain feelings in connection with our salvation-our hearts are deceitful above all things and desperately wicked and our feelings subjective and changeable. I found this concept difficult.is OUR OWN personal satisfaction something we should really have as our ultimate goal?.That seems a bit selfish. How do we reach it? By aiming to be 100% satisfied personally in our Christian walk. The author suggests we should all be aiming for this higher state and that unless we reach it we are not fulfilling God's true potential for us. After a few chapters, I came across a description of a 'Christian hedonist.' I had never heard the term used before. I read it because Christians all around me on Logos Hope (a missionary ship) were raving about it and saying how great it was.

I actually gave up on the book after the first few chapters.

I appreciate that Piper is suggesting that we should seek to find this only in God but I believe it is the wrong focus in the first place. It represents popular culture's obsession with ourselves and our personal satisfaction and fulfillment. I reject the concept of Christian hedonism which is most likely the reason why I didn't get very far with this book. 'We will go far beyond mere happiness in our Christian life, but our true purpose on this earth is obedience and sanctification, not personal gratification.' Contrast this statement from Charles Colson's Lies That Go Unchallenged in Popular Culture with Piper's statement that 'The pursuit of pleasure is not optional.

Desiring God by John Piper