One Year's Road

Recently I was writing a recommendation for John Piper's book "The Dangerous Duty of Delight" and I realized it was a great summary of the recent leg of my sojourn. I hope it gives some direction or clarity to your own journey.

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In my own spiritual journey I have been dogged by a feeling that something was missing in my perception of God and the gospel. I had important questions and few satisfying answers.
Why is the Christian life so hard?
Is my life disappointing God? (How can I be more "holy"?)
What are the promises of the gospel to me?
What should be my source of joy and happiness in life?
Is that something I should even concern myself with?
As a consequence, my motives for living the Christian life never seemed to be right. Sometimes I would work hard and do the dying thing. Always giving and never expecting anything in return. Eventually my heart became a desert and would migrate to unholy things to satisfy its thirst. I often felt like God was upset with my mistakes, that somehow I was frustrating His plan. I never really understood what was most important to God.
A couple of years ago I picked up a copy of “Desiring God” by John Piper and I soon found my hungry soul feasting on deep satisfying biblical truth. Starting with the simple concept that God is first concerned with His own Glory, my life began to find its proper context and things started making sense. If God loves His own Glory more than anything else in all the universe, then I to can find something there to worship as the ultimate satisfaction of my soul. That is the purpose for which I have been granted grace for salvation - to be given access to a supreme Christ, finding my ultimate joy and satisfaction in a happy God and, in so doing, Glorify God with a life that says “Lord to whom shall we go, you have the words of eternal life” (nothing is more satisfying than you).
God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him!
Forget the debate between license and legalism. All the license in the world could not give me a shred of the deep joy that is found in Christ (who says He will never leave me or forsake me) and all the legalistic righteousness in the world could not begin to achieve the holiness available from gazing on His Glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). In the concept of Christian Hedonism, I have found water for my deepest thirst and an abundance of pure motivation. Oh how worthy and glorious is Christ! May our hearts find rest in him!
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From The Hotel Washinton on the D.C. mall,

Mitch