Two Ways To Ruin Your Relationship with the Giver

Loved this excerpt from Michael Wittmer’s new book Becoming Worldly Saints. quoted by Tim Challies:

There are two ways to ruin our relationship with the Giver of all things. The first is to ignore him and focus entirely on his gifts. This temptation to idolatry is ever present, and we must remain vigilant against it. The second way is to ignore the gift and focus entirely on the Giver. What would we make of an insufferably pious child who opened every Christmas present only to toss it aside and say, “Thanks, Mom and Dad, but all I really want is you!” Wouldn’t the parents throw up their hands and say, “I’m glad you love us best, but you know what, you’re impossible to shop for!” If the first temptation ignores the God who gives, the second refuses to let him be the God who gives.

This latter temptation is a subtler form of idolatry. It’s idolatry because we are acting as if we know better than God, who gives us “every good and perfect gift” to enjoy (James 1:7). Theologian Doug Wilson explains, “If I turn every gift that God gives over in my hands suspiciously, looking for the idol trap, then I am not rejoicing before Him the way I ought to be.” And it’s subtle because it seems exceedingly pious. We assume we must be in pretty good shape if our biggest problem is that our love for God swamps our appreciation for his gifts.
…
We must see God’s gifts of creation as windows into his glory and opportunities to praise him. But we must also find pleasure in them. We should thank God for our day on the lake, but we don’t need to say “Praise you, Jesus!” with each cast. We must thank God for our daily bread, but it’s okay to focus on the flavors of our sandwich while we’re eating it. We’re even allowed to score a touchdown or hit a home run without pausing to pound our chest and point to heaven.

Our love for Jesus and his world is not a zero sum game. Attention given to creation is not stolen from its Creator. The more we enjoy God’s gifts for their own sake, the more we can appreciate him. And thank him for, and love him with. Where will you enjoy God’s creation today? Thank God for the privilege of being human and of being here. Then go have some fun.

Enjoying Quiddity

You may have heard the Latin phrase "Quid Pro Quo," meaning "this for that" or "a thing for a thing,". signifiing a favor exchanged for a favor.  Quiddity is a interesting new word for me, which I found in a post by Justin Taylor (The Gospel and It-ness – Justin Taylor) quoting C.S. Lewis.  The word means the essence of an object, literally its "whatness," or "what it is." Taylor says:

The first step to real gospel joy is real gospel brokenness. We cannot get to real happiness in God until we get to real despair of our sin. “Til sin be bitter, Christ will not be sweet,” Thomas Watson tells us.

But once we have despaired of all sin and the gods at their genesis, we are free. Really, truly free. To eat fat juicy steaks and drink rich red wine.

In fact, we cannot really enjoy the good gifts God gives us until he as their Giver is our greatest joy. Until he as their Giver is our greatest joy, we will left trying to enjoy his gifts for things they are not, rather than the things they are.

In Surprised by Joy, C.S. Lewis credited a close friend with cultivating in him “a determination to rub one’s nose in the very quiddity of each thing, to rejoice in its being so magnificently what it was.” John Piper echoes this enjoyment of quiddity, commenting on this kind of awareness: “To wake up in the morning and be aware of the firmness of the mattress, the warmth of the sun’s rays, the sound of the clock ticking, the sheer being of things… “ This is in Piper’s book Don’t Waste Your Life.

If I don’t believe the gospel, I will miss out on the joy of the it-ness of things. I will be looking to these things as drugs, as appetite-fillers, as fulfillers, as powers, as gods, as worshipers of the god of myself.

If coffee or chocolate or anything else other than God is the highlight of my day or the ultimate joy of my heart, my joy is temporary, hollow, thin.

But if I believe in the gospel, I can finally enjoy the chocolate-ness of chocolate and the coffee-ness of coffee. Only the gospel frees me to enjoy things as they truly are and as they someday will be.

 I'm determined to walk in the grace and acceptance of God in Christ, not look idolatrously on anything or anyone else to meet my emotional or spiritual needs, and thereby be free to enjoy the quiddity of all he gives me (including a good steak for tonight's dinner). How about you?

However, if you prefer to enjoy chocolate instead of steak, I'll understand.