Desiring God

J.I. Packer came out at that time when I was a young believer with his book Knowing God.

And then my wife, Nancy, in her final days as she was dying before the Lord took her home, she reread those books and Desiring God by John Piper and Trusting God by Jerry Bridges.

We just have to anchor ourselves in who God is.

Scripture itself, of course, is what those books are about and brings to the fore.

And the more I read, the hungrier I got to know him.

And so from there, I read Desiring God.

And started reading R.C. Sproul.

Along the way was introduced to the Puritans.

But, but God has gifted men and women throughout history with a certain talent to do what they do, only to have morons later on disparage these people's characters because they refuse to accept and sit down and listen to truth and try to understand.

But there's so many people that are like that, and they...

And so you're right, Red, they create these labels.

They don't wanna hear about reprobation.

That's another thing, reprobation.

See, man wants to believe that everything that God does, God owes him.

And it- it's up to man to make all these decisions, decisions that the Bible makes it clear he has no capacity to make.

He has no capacity because he's born dead in sin and trespasses.

He's so important to me personally, but, but, but why he's so important in the Christian life for our listeners.

But before we get into that, maybe just talk a little bit about how God saved you and, and how-

Sure

... you, how you ended up, uh, being a, a pastor and a theologian-

I heard the clarion call of the gospel, "Repent and believe in Christ to be saved," and I did, the Spirit having worked in my heart.

And I went home, preached my first sermon to my sister [laughs], tried to lead her to the Lord.

And God has just been relentless in my life since age 12.

I'm turning 50 this year, and by the time I was in high school, I was already discerning a call to ministry.

Now I'm gonna tell you, it's kind of trippy the first time it happens, so.

I mean, we just moved to town and we were at the Starbucks in Green Hills, it's one our family went to, and it was also the Starbucks that Keith Urban would go to.

And I remember the first time that it happened, I just have to tell myself, here's what I tell her, don't be weird, don't be weird, don't be weird.

Because see, I know myself and I can make it weird real fast.

I have to tell myself, Kevin, don't start singing one of his songs.

Don't tell them, you know, blue is your color.

Kevin, don't be weird.

He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon and they now joined together and sought an audience with him.

Why did, why am I, why am I living this life? Why am I going through all this stuff?

So you, you would do this ahead of, say, like, a John Piper book, Desiring God or something like that, which I feel like looks in that direction.

Oh, what, well, Desiring God is, John Piper's my hero.

Yeah.

Okay? He's on my Mount Rushmore of influential-

Figures, yeah.

But figures.

Uh, I think Desiring God should be four to 40% shorter.

You send them to us in the APJ inbox.

It's the silent pain of being married to a spouse who does not enjoy God, not to the degree that you experience joy in God.

Some of you married spouses who now seem to be completely numb to spiritual joy.

It causes a quiet pain that's hard to talk about.

And the latest version of the question comes to us from Mike.

He's 38 and married.

"Pastor John, after reading your book, Brothers We Are Not Professionals, and finishing a couple chapters in Desiring God, the book, I find myself with more practical questions than when I started.

The books have searched something very good in my own heart, but it has also led me to discover that my wife, who also professes faith in Christ, does not experience God like I do.

... you know, and your stomach growls and you, you know, you start focusing on food.

That's the whole point, friends, also of fasting, is, biblical fasting, is to do that so you focus on God.

Yep.

But I was thinking about that with Sage Grace, our, our granddaughter, of the sense of, you know, it, it's just funny because I think in the components of We are just so overfed.

What a, what a tough, what a tough thing that she has to face in her life and-

Yes

... um, praise God there's mo- some modern things, growth ho- hormones and stuff which help a little bit-

Right