Glory, glory

A message perfect for me on this Friday (and let's be honest, everyday)

To you who say you have never tasted the glory of God, I say, you have tasted many of its appetizers. Have you ever looked up? Have you ever been hugged? Have you ever sat in front of a warm fire? [...] Every desire is either a devout or a distorted enticement to the glory of heaven. You say you haven't tasted God's glory. I say, you have tasted the appetizers. Go on to the meal. You have seen the shadows; look at the substance. You have walked in the warm rays of the day; turn and look at the sun itself. You have heard echoes of God's glory everywhere; tune your heart to the original music. The best place to get your heart tuned is at the cross of Jesus Christ. "We have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). [...] That is what you were made for. I plead with you: don't throw your life away. God made you to know his glory. Pursue that with all your heart and above all else.

John Piper, God's Ultimate Purpose: Vessels of Mercy Knowing the Riches of His Glory

I'm afraid that plenty of my desires are distorted enticements to the glory of heaven. Just to name a few: approval from others, financial security, and having a nice home. At the heart of it, do I think He created me to simply feel well-liked by other people, to be financially secure, and to have a nice home? No. Those things are fine, but the meal itself is so much greater. I don't want to binge-eat the appetizers. Whether weekend or weekday, bad day or good day, let us keep going back to get our hearts tuned at the cross of Jesus Christ. Because that's what we were made to do, and we were made to taste more than just the appetizers.