[.ca] A Godward Life: Savoring the Supremacy of God in All of Life (ISBN 1576738396)

Strong Meat for Meditation:
These short meditations were originally written for Piper's church monthly magazine. The church is Bethlehem Baptist in Minneapolis, Minnesota: what else could you call the magazine but The Star? As others have commented, this is not your ordinary book of meditations: it includes reflections on the wrath of God as well as the love of God, and musings on subjects as varied as "Enduring the Pain of a Flawed Marriage" and "The Power of Books and How To Read Them." Several of the short pieces tell the story of a great Christian. This is one of Piper's best gifts to the church. He has a wonderful way of telling a story and pointing us to Jesus. One reviewer was put off by some of the subjects. Some of them may irk us, but these jabs may be used by God to make us better people, as we reflect on them. Highly recommended.

More than a devotional...:
I just picked up this book again today. I LOVE being able to read a short excerpt from John Piper and really get something substantial out of it without having to invest tons of time. Even the Introduction to this book is captivating! I especially love Chapters 15 and 25, about reading. Very thought-provoking. The chapters are only 2-3 pages, but aren't short on meaning. These are MEATY chapters and you will definitely have something to chew on for the next day(s) to come. I intend to buy Godward Life Book 2 as well. See my other reviews for other devotional book recommendations!

Great spiritual food, fine for devotion too:
Phenomenal book with some absolutely priceless readings. Inspiring and challenging, very good supplement for daily reading.

Excellent Worldview & Devotional Reading:
There are many devotional books on the market, some of them sold as new editions of the Bible, and in my experience, they are mostly fluff. Not so with _A Godward Life._ These 120 readings, 2-3 pages each, spill over with inspired thoughts on the whole gamut of Christian living and Biblical thinking. Piper explains his intent for these readings in the introduction. He doesn't want to tempt us away from reading the Bible; he wants to inspire us to a greater passion for God Himself and to take that passion to our reading or studying of God's Word and to our living by faith through His grace. To that end, he gives us 120 brief readings on God's character, His awesome grace, life in a secular world, loving our enemies, killing the sin within us, defending the truth, and more. These are far more than readings geared at giving you a good feeling about God over your morning coffee. They may challenge your understanding of Scripture and will certainly help you live to God's glory throughout the week. A great book for college students, especially if they are attending a secular university! I recommend this book as good Biblical teaching; but more than that, it enables you to spend time with a passionate man of God, full of love and life.

Excellent Devotional:
I am going to have to respectfully disagree with the reviewer who said that this is ineffective as a devotional. My wife and I use it as a "just before bedtime" devotional and have greatly benefited from it. OK, I admit I probably benefit more than my wife because I am a Piper fan, but she hasn't complained. There is a sense in which you could write one review that covers all of Piper's writings, because all of his writings are on the theme of the supremacy of God and/or Christian hedonism. This is no different - it is a compilation of short devotional readings that apply those two themes to various topics. There is no common thread in these devotions, but to me that is part of the fun of this book. Piper is all over the map here - from marriage, to zeal, to doctrine, to reading, to abortion, to missions, to parenting, and dozens more. I find it spiritually and intellectually challenging to open up to a page and to be called upon to think about a topic that I don't usually think about. And, as I said, with this "supremacy of God/Christian hedonism" theme running throughout, the book helps expand one's worldview, seeing all of life as being lived for God's glory. Great book - well deserving of 5 stars.