The Pleasures of God / Les plaisirs de Dieu

'The Pleasures of God' has to be one of my favorite books. I love John Piper's writing. He makes me feel normal. His obsession with God knows no bounds. If you have an appetite for books, for God, if you like to reflect on God and His nature, run out and buy this book, don't borrow it, buy it. I've read it and revisited it year after year and I always discover something new. Like almost all of Piper's writings, it requires meditation, reflection, but I guarantee you, it will give you a renewed perspective.

Whether you are a Calvinist or not, whether you believe in election or not, if you love and delight in God, you will love this book. Piper's starting point is the joy God experiences in being God, he speaks of His pleasures and sources of joy. And he throws out this happy sentence 'What the Church and the world needs today, more than anything else, is to know and love God - the great, glorious, sovereign, and happy God of the Bible.' Happy, God is happy! In the same vein as Henry Scougal and Jonathan Edwards, he emphasizes the satisfaction of the soul that can only come from the contemplation of the Person of God, a delight.

English version

Perhaps one of my all time favorite books is 'The Pleasures of God' by John Piper. I love John Piper. He makes me feel normal. His obsession with God is boundless. If you have an appetite for books, for God, if you love thinking about what makes God God, run and buy this book. I have read and re-read and revisited it over the years and it is still fresh. Like most of John Piper, you may need to chew on it a little, think it through, but I guarantee, it will freshen your perspective.

You may not be Calvinist, of any shade or hue, you may not believe in election, but if you love and enjoy God, you will love this book. Piper's whole premise is on the joy that God has in being God, it talks about His delights and pleasures. And he says this happy phrase that absolutely thrills me 'What the church and the world need today, more than anything else, is to know and love God – the great, glorious, sovereign, happy God of the Bible'. In the tradition of Henry Scougal and Jonathan Edwards, he emphasizes the satisfaction of the soul in gazing upon the Person of God, an absolute treat.