Single Focus

"The opposite of wasting your life is to live by a single, soul-satisfying passion for the supremacy of God in all things." (p. 43) A life focused solely on the gift of God given to us through Jesus death on the cross is a life not-wasted. The world's idea of an unwasted life is to work hard, have a nice family, put the kids through college and make it to retirement with enough money to live comfortably the rest of our lives and maybe even leave some money to the kids. Piper argues that a Christian life lived well is far different than our cultural perceptions because we should be solely occupied by the cross.

Can life really have that much "singleness" of purpose? (p. 43) The bible gives us the Apostle Paul as our example when he said, "I decided to know nothing amoung you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." (1 Corinthians 2:2) However, don't be confused Paul was not a monk or a recluse. He did and knew much in the world but all of it he did with the focus and passion of Jesus at the core of his being. With that single focus, he was able to lead and teach the early church in the hope of Jesus.

Worldly counsel would tell you that your life is full and good if you are well liked, have lots of friends, a great job and a home full of pottery barn furniture. Things, accomplishments, contributions, actions dictate your status in the worldly view of success. On the contrary Piper tells a story of a non-wasted life, in which, two 80 year old women die when their car goes off a cliff in Cameroon. They had been reaching people for Christ and healing them with their medical training. These were rich lives, full of passion and determination to live for Christ in dangerous and difficult circumstances even into old age. (p. 45) He contrasts it with a reader's digest version of success where a couple retire to a cruise boat to play softball and collect shells. Piper is shocked and horrified imagining them standing in heaven with the fruits of their life "Look, Lord, see my shells." (p. 46) He begs that you expect more from your life. "Desire that your life count for something great! Long for your life to have eternal significance. Want this! Don't coast through life without a passion." (p. 46)

Our passion should not be our comfort or worldly success. "We exist to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ." (p. 47) Instead we trade this amazing passion for busy-ness, accomplishments and false hopes. "We simply take life and breath and health and friends and everything for granted. We think it is ours by right. But the fact is that it is not ours by right. We are doubly undeserving of it." (p. 51) "I deserve nothing but condemnation because of my sin, but instead get life and breath in this age, and everlasting joy in the age to come, because Christ died for me, then everything good--and everything bad that God turns for good--must be the reward of his suffering (not my merit). (p. 52)

We work hard to get people to see our "specialness" and approve of us. But we do this because we feel the distance between us and God because of our sin. We try to fill the gap with whatever will keep our minds off of the problem we feel inside. This problem is what Piper addresses because we can not really experience the freedom in Christ until "We learn to boast in the cross and exult in the cross when we are on the cross. And until our selves are crucified there, our boast will be in ourselves." (p. 55) Losing weight, getting a new house, donating money, going to church are all nonsense if Christ is not in his right place in our lives and we are not in our right place in relation to him. In Galations 2:19-20 it says: "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." "God links you to his Son by faith. And when he does, there is a union with the Son of God so that his death becomes your death and his life becomes your life." (p. 56)

What does this mean for you? It means that you are made new in Christ. "The old self that loves to boast and exult and rejoice in other things died. By faith we are united to Christ. His death becomes the death of our self-exalting life. We are raised with him to newness of life. What lives is a new creature whose single passion is to exalt Christ on the cross." (p. 56-57) This is why we do baptisms. When you are submerged under the water it is a symbolic death and when you are brought out it is into your new life with Christ as your center. "The old "you" is dead. A new "you" is alive." (p. 57)

In your new life with Christ you are set free from the old ways of thinking, the hurts and wounds of your past, all of that is replaced with Jesus as your hope. He is your saviour and advocate. The one who loves you no matter what and helps you through all things. "The world is no longer your treasure. It's not the source of your life or your satisfaction or your joy. Christ is." (p. 57) 

Because he is your passion and hope, you are free to enjoy life as he would have you and it will be a tribute to his sacrifice and your love for him. "Therefore every enjoyment in this life and the next that is not idolatry is a tribute to the infinite value of the cross of Christ--the burning center of the glory of God. And thus a cross-centered, cross exalting, cross saturated life is a God-glorifying life--the only God-glorifying life. All others are wasted." (p. 59)