christianity:

Free download of Desiring God by John Piper through November from christianaudio.com!

“In this paradigm-shattering classic, newly revised and expanded, John Piper reveals that the debate between duty and delight doesn’t truly exist: Delight is our duty.”

Just downloaded!  Will start listening to it soon…

John Piper on the importance of memorizing scripture (3:52)

[h/t crazyfishor]

whatismarriage:

In marriage, anger rivals lust as a killer. My guess is that anger is a worse enemy than lust. It also destroys other kinds of camaraderie. Some people have more anger than they think, because it has disguises. When willpower hinders rage, anger smolders beneath the surface, and the teeth of the soul grind with frustration. It can come out in tears that look more like hurt. But the heart has learned that this may be the only way to hurt back. It may come out as silence because we have resolved not to fight. It may show up in picky criticism and relentless correction. It may strike out at persons that have nothing to do with its origin. It will often feel warranted by the wrongness of the cause. After all, Jesus got angry (Mark 3:5), and Paul says, “Be angry and do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26).

However, good anger among fallen people is rare. That’s why James says, “Be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:19-20). And Paul says, “Men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling” (1 Timothy 2:8). “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you” (Ephesians 4:31).

Therefore, one of the greatest battles of life is the battle to “put away anger,” not just control its expressions. To help you fight this battle, here are nine biblical weapons.

1. Ponder the rights of Christ to be angry, but how he endured the cross, as an example of long-suffering.
2. Ponder how much you have been forgiven, and how much mercy you have been shown.
3. Ponder your own sinfulness and take the beam out of your own eye.
4. Think about how you do not want to give place to the devil, because harbored anger is the one thing the Bible explicitly says opens a door and invites him in.

Read the whole thing.

from John Piper on DesiringGod.org.

This is the most concise explanation I’ve found of John Piper’s theology, which is, ‘God is most glorified in you when you are most satisfied in Him.’

“God is the one being in the universe for whom self-exaltation is the most loving act.”

If you’d rather listen, you can do it here