In today’s episode, we conclude our insightful journey through John Piper’s profound book, “Don’t Waste Your Life.” Piper’s words resonate deeply as he emphasizes the essence of aligning our purpose with Christ’s mission of redemption and evangelization. Join us as we explore the transformative power of adopting Christ’s purpose in our lives and the profound impact it can have on our journey of faith. Let’s delve into the significance of living in congruence with Christ’s mission and embracing our role in God’s divine plan. Stay tuned for invaluable insights and inspiration to enrich your spiritual walk.
Listen on:
Welcome Aboard
Hello there. My friend, Jonathan Doyle, is with you once again. Welcome to the Catholic Teacher Daily Podcast. If you haven’t been through the last couple of episodes. Sharing quotes from a great book by John Piper called Don’t Waste Your Life. It is a book about focusing on and glorifying the name of Christ, evangelization and the central task of our lives, which is to be in a deeper relationship with Christ and to make him known to others.
The Importance of Christ's Purpose
Today’s the last day of John Piper quotes. I love it. It’s really good. It just hit me really hard when I read it. Just listen to this. He says,
“Nothing can wholly satisfy the life of Christ within his followers, except the adoption of Christ's purpose toward the world He came to redeem.”
When you were baptized, the Holy Spirit indwells you, and the life of Christ becomes manifest inside the absolute epicenter of your being. The reason I love this quote is because he’s bigger, he’s saying that at baptism, the life of Christ himself becomes manifest in a most profound way within you. You become more and more like Christ as you pursue the spiritual life.
Living in Alignment with Christ
What John Piper’s getting at, if Christ is present within you then it would make sense to correspond your life, to the operation of your life in congruence with the purposes of Christ himself for the world that he came to redeem. Which means what? I guess the concept would be alignment, we want to align ourselves with the mission and purpose of Christ. Why? Because he’s in us. Do you want to be at odds with the Christ that is within you? I’m going to say “The Christ,” There’s not multiple Christs. There’s one Christ.
Consequences of Alignment
Do you want to be out of alignment with that, do you want to be pursuing some other purpose with this precious gift of life that has been given to you? Do you want me to pitch you some different-purpose? Friends, do you think that you have a better idea of what would make you happy? Do you think that you have a greater consciousness and a greater mind than the mind, the logos that created the entire cosmic order. Is there something that would bring you greater happiness, peace, or joy than being in alignment and congruence with the same purpose that Christ does dwell in you.
What this has helped me to do is become a filter for me, a way of seeing reality and where I can go, ‘Jonathan, if you want to find peace in your life, if you want to find joy and a sense of direction in your life, then correspond your life to the purpose of the Christ who indwells you.’
Christ’s heart is for the redemption of the world and the glory of his father. Does it not make sense that if I align myself to the same purposes that. When something lives out its purpose, it is effective and functional. When something runs against its purpose. It’s retarded in the classical sense of that word. It’s retarded, it is held back.
Participating in Redemption
My friends, one more time, “Nothing can wholly satisfy the life of Christ within his followers, except the adoption of Christ’s purpose toward the world He came to redeem.” Let’s adopt his purpose. He came to ransom captives, to open the eyes of the blind and set the prisoners free, but he came to redeem what was lost, he came to perfect the Abrahamic Covenant, the covenant that Abraham could not fulfill, that Moses couldn’t fulfill, that Joshua couldn’t fulfill, that all the prophets couldn’t fulfill. And He fulfilled it in himself, he redeemed creation himself. And he’s asking us to participate with him in that ongoing redemption. Yes, the ultimate battle is won, but individual souls remain to be evangelized and brought home to Christ.
Practical Application in Daily Life
So my friends, go back into your classroom, go back into your leadership position, and go back into your families. Try to align yourself with the purpose of Christ, that’s abstract. What does it mean concretely, it means that we try to live lives of holiness, we try to grow in our knowledge of Christ, we try to live our faith, we try to remove sin, we try to live in the sacraments, and then we love people. We teach, we correct and we encourage people.
Personal Testimony: Embracing Opportunities to Share Faith
Friends, I received a message from a young man. As interesting as that, he literally heard me speak when he was a young teenager many years ago in another part of the world. About a year or two ago, I was in Dallas Fort Worth Airport and I hadn’t heard from him in years, I suddenly got a message from him. He doesn’t do very well. so I really invested time in that friendship and relationship and caught up with him a few times when I was traveling. He reached out again yesterday, and it was the most profound message I hadn’t heard from him for a few months. He’s wrestling with faith, he’s wrestling with life. And he’s asking all these questions about God and Christ and the things that he struggles with, and God has opened the door. For me, to simply play my part in God’s purpose. Not for me to save him, not for me to fix him. But for me to teach and to speak the word of Christ into his life at this particular moment. There’s nothing more beautiful than that.
If he comes to faith then that is eternity with Christ. It’s going to affect his relationships. He’s still young; it’s going to affect his marriage and his parenting, and who knows what’s going to become of him and who he might reach. Simply because I, by grace, not because I’m brilliant, but because of grace, have tried to adopt the purposes of Christ for His world that he came to redeem. Amazing things occur when we do this.
Conclusion: Don't Waste Your Life
So, my friend, don’t waste your life. That’s the end of “John Piper Week,” don’t waste your life. Nothing else is going to satisfy you like living in the providence and the plans and provisions of God, making his name glorious. And leading souls into relationships with him through your incredible work in Catholic education.
God bless you. My friends, please make sure you subscribe and come and check out the website. jonathandoyle.co, Instagram, you can find me at @jdoylespeaks one word, jdoylespeaks. God bless you. This has been the Catholic Teacher Daily Podcast. You and I are going to talk again tomorrow.
