Many of us have read John Piper’s Desiring God and been exposed to his unusual yet enlightening term, “Christian hedonism,” the theory that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him, when our pleasure and joy is found most fully in our pursuit of God. While the term is not found in the Bible, the principle certainly is, and few would argue that an unbridled quest for joy in God is not the pursuit of ultimate happiness. There is a problem however, and anyone that has given themselves over to this pursuit has encountered it: what are we to do with the things other than God that give us pleasure and happiness? Can I enjoy college football? Filet mignon? Good literature or movies? What about the non-God things that are enjoyable?

Joe Rigney’s book, The Things of Earth: Treasuring God by Enjoying His Gifts, attempts to guide the reader through this seeming conflict. The dilemma for the Christian of what to do with “the things of earth” is not a new one, and believers throughout history have often taken opposing views on either side of the spectrum as evidenced by some famous hymns. The title of the book will be recognizable to many Christians and is taken from Helen Lemmel’s hymn “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.” The familiar chorus reads:

     Turn your eyes upon Jesus
     Look full in his wonderful face
     And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
     In the light of his glory and grace.

Okay, simple enough. Consider Jesus and earthly things fade away. But then you sing Maltbie Babcock’s “This Is My Father’s World” and things get a little confusing:

     This is my Father’s world:
     He shines in all that’s fair;
     In the rustling grass I hear Him pass;
     He speaks to me everywhere.

So, do the things of this earth shine brighter, or do they fade? A third hymn, “How Vain Are All Things Here Below” by the famous writer, Isaac Watts, who penned “Joy to the World” and “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,” demonstrates the danger of leaning too far in either direction as we attempt to figure out the answer (it’s easy to see how this song doesn’t quickly spring to mind as one of his top-ten hits!):

     The brightest things below the sky
     Give but a flattering light;
     We should suspect some danger nigh,
     When we possess delight.

     Our dearest joys, and dearest friends,
     The partners of our blood,
     How they divide our wavering minds,
     And leave but half for God!

Scripture also reveals this tension in numerous places. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” But then Paul seems to take a different tone when he says to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6, “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.” Help, Paul! Can I enjoy the things of this earth or not?

Through an examination of Scripture, historic writers, and contemporary sources, Christian Rigney’s book is an enjoyable and helpful voice to work through our confusion and help balance our tendency to feel guilty or greedy in our enjoyment of the things and people that God has placed in our lives. I highly recommend it and hope it leads you to treasure God all the more richly by truly, deeply enjoying His gifts.

Lee