Loving God, AND His Gifts

Abraham Piper wrote an insightful post the other day on the DG blog about all the attention they have been paying to John Calvin during this, the 500th anniversary of his birth. In it he writes:

Yes, we're focusing on Calvin a lot this year in commemoration of his 500th birthday, but it's not for the sake of Calvin. Being a Christian doesn't mean ignoring everything but God; it means celebrating God and each of his good gifts—whether it's a meal, a family, or a 500-year-old reformer.

If we tried to listen to God or admire God at the expense of listening to or admiring what he's given us, then we would miss out on much of what God has for us. We should be deeply thankful for what God has given us, and that means we're going to think about these gifts and talk about them.

I think this is great advice. There have been times when some loving friends have spoken to me of the danger of emphasizing the New Heavens and the New Earth, because it could make some people excited about the wrong things. People might just use God in order to get His gifts.

This is a legitimate concern, and a real danger for God's people. Nevertheless, I am persuaded that cherishing all of God's gifts is the way to most fully honor Him. He has promised us some extraordinary things in the resurrection, and we do well to contemplate and look forward to them.

My prayer for myself and those who read the blog is that we would love and enjoy all the good things God has given to us, but that most deeply we would love God for who He is in Himself.