Your Best Life Now?

I don’t know why I even go to the “Christian bookstore” anymore. Every time I do, I leave frustrated, hurt, and confused! This week upon my visit, I wandered the aisles (just to see what’s ‘new’) and found a new release from a famous Christian pastor. His previous book was titled “Your Best Life Now” and his new book has the subtitle “How to be happier 7 days a week”.

It made me wonder . . . when did Christianity become “self help”?

Since when is the gospel’s greatest goal “your happiness”?

I read throughout all of scripture and find that the men and women who were devoted to pursuing the LORD experienced a lot of pain and suffering here on earth. Their delight and joy came from knowing that someday, they will see the LORD face to face and be with Him for all eternity.

At what point did Christianity forget that? The goal of the gospel is not happiness. The goal of the gospel is not presents, it's presence.

“The aim of the gospel is not an easy life. It is deeper knowledge of God and deeper trust in God . . . Its goal is my being so in love with Christ and so passionate about his glory that when my suffering can highlight his worth I will bear it ‘gladly’ . . . The goal is not our ease or wealth or safety in this age, but our dependence on Christ and delight in his glory.” (John Piper, God is the Gospel)

So do we come to God to get His gifts? Happiness? Our needs met? OR
Do we come to God to get God? To find delight in Him?

The goal of the gospel is to reconcile us with our Maker, our Heavenly Father, so that we can experience the fullness of JOY for all of eternity! The goal of the gospel is not meant to drive us to delight in anything but God, not temporary happiness, not gifts, but the Giver. The goal of the gospel is not us, it’s Him.

God (not our best life now) is meant to be our exceeding joy. His presence (not temporary happiness here on earth) is meant to be all satisfying.



“Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
and to your dwelling! Then I will go to the altar of God,
 to God my exceeding joy,
and I will praise you with the lyre,
 O God, my God.” (Psalm 43:3-4)

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11)

The Greatest Gift

I am only a few pages into John Piper’s book God is the Gospel and already my mind is twisting and turning. A few years ago, I read His book Desiring God and he mentions that the best part of Heaven is that we get God. He says if you can picture Heaven full of blessings, streets of gold, reuniting with loved ones, etc. without Jesus, then you’ve missed the point. The whole point of Heaven is not where we get to spend eternity, or what we’ll receive, but WHO we spend it with.

The greatest gift of Heaven is the Giver.

We get God. Face to face. Every day. We will worship the One who created us, redeemed us, saved us, rescued us, loves us.

“The gospel of Christ proclaims the news that he has purchased by his death ten-thousand blessings for his bride. But none of these gifts will lead to final joy if they have not first led to God. And not one gospel blessing will be enjoyed by anyone for whom the gospel’s greatest gift was not the Lord himself.” ("God is the Gospel", John Piper)

My engagement to Santino was one of the greatest times of my life. Planning the wedding, picking the place for our ceremony, going to showers, getting gifts, planning the honeymoon, oh so much joy!


But, the best part of all of this was not just that I got new pots & pans, or the idea that I’ll get to see everyone I love and care about at the ceremony, or even the location of the honeymoon . . . Those were indeed great, but not the highlight of it all.

The best part was that I get to spend the rest of my life with my husband. Every day, being with him, talking with him, laughing with him, growing in my love for him. It was HIM that was the greatest part of the wedding. To know that I chose to spend the rest of my life on earth with the man who CHOSE me!!


So it is with God and eternity. He provides us with much here on earth and in Heaven. Blessing upon blessing. Gift after gift. Grace upon grace. But the greatest gift of all His gifts, the most gracious part of His grace, is Him. The Giver.

When planning our wedding, what I delighted in most was WHO I got to marry. The rest was additional blessing, but not the best part. So it is with the Gospel. The best part of God’s love is that we get to be in His presence, forever. We are reunited with our Heavenly Father, His grace is lavished upon us, and we get to spend eternity with the One who died so that we might live.

The greatest gift is to get to be with the Giver of every good and perfect gift. The One who bestows grace. The Father. The Son. The Spirit. The LORD our God.


“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights . . .” (James 1:17)

“For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.” (John 1:16)