Thursday, January 14, 2010

The Poison of Apple Pie

This quote from John Piper has been on my mind ever since I heard it in a sermon several weeks ago. Are you turning any of God's gifts or simple pleasures into gods?

"The greatest enemy for God is not poison but apple pie. It is not the banquet of the wicked that dulls our appetite for the banquet of heaven but endless nibbling at the table of the world. It is not the x-rated video but the primetime dribble of triviality we drink in every night. The greatest adversary of love to God is not his enemy but his gifts. The most deadly appetites are not for the poison of evil but for the simple pleasures of earth. For when these replace an appetite for God himself, the idolatry is scarcely recognizable. These are not evil in themselves. These are not vices. These are gifts of God. They are your basic meat and potatoes, coffee and gardening, reading and decorating, traveling and investing, TV watching and internet surfing, shopping and exercising, collecting and talking....and all of them can become deadly substitutes for God."

1 comment:

msnjknif said...

We all need to be reminded of these things. And thanks for the New Years card.