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.
But Joe Rigney has a bit of a problem with this song on its own - especially the third line of that chorus. Namely, because this song captures only one half of a tension in the Christian life: "How can we enjoy all that God richly provides without setting our affections on the things of earth?"
And that's the tension he sets out to resolve in his book, The Things of Earth: Treasuring God By Enjoying His Gifts.
He contrasts Helen Lemmel's hymn with Maltie Babcock's "This is My Father's World":
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.
Rigney believes that God has given His people good gifts to enjoy in this life and that we bring glory to God by enjoying those gifts. Furthermore, we bring ourselves gospel-powered joy by enjoying these gifts. And that motivated Rigney to write this book. He writes,
"My aim is simple - I want to work with you for your joy. Your joy in your family. Your joy in your friends. Your joy in your pancakes and eggs, your steak and potatoes, your chips and your salsa. Your joy in your camping trips, workouts, and iPod playlist. Your joy in the Bible, in worship services, and in the quiet moments before you fall asleep. Your joy in your job, your hobbies, and your daily routine."
He attains this aim wholly and fully. This is a marvelously inventive book on a topic I've spent little time considering. But it is a vital topic to the Christian life, and Rigney's creative, compelling book makes an adroit addition to the Christian's library.
Rigney's twelve chapters cover sub-topics like delighting in the Trinity, participating as creatures in God's story, using our wealth and resources, dealing with suffering, understanding self-denial and generosity, living a "godward" life, and embracing our creatureliness. Rigney is an excellent writer and a capable academic and theologian.
Perhaps my favorite chapter was chapter six, "Rhythms of Godwardness," where he defines and unpacks that beautiful phrase. He defines godwardness as the following:
"[T]he attempt to faithfully live out the famous biblical exhortation in 1 Corinthians 10:31: 'So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.' To go forward is to move intentionally in the direction in front of us. To go backward is to move in the direction behind us. Thus, godwardness is the movement of the soul toward God such that our thoughts, affections, and actions ultimately terminate upon him."
This particular chapter I found both convicting and encouraging and eye-opening. He examined something that is at once fairly familiar (i.e., doing all to the glory of God) and put a new spin on it, using fresh language and clear expression.
You won't regret reading this book. And you definitely won't regret spending some time in personal reflection on all that you've read.
Buy The Things of Earth here.
*I received a copy of this book from Crossway through their Beyond the Page review system. I was not required to give a positive review
Image Credit: Desiring God