Why I Teach and Write

The school that I teach at assigned every teacher a book to read over the summer. One huge benefit of teaching at a Christian school is that they can assign us Christian books to read. We had the option of choosing between two books, so I chose John Piper's Think. When I went to Bethlehem, one of the advantages of being a member was that we received his newest book as a token of appreciation for freeing him to write. I must say, I miss those days. I'm fairly behind on my Pastor John library! So I was really excited to have the opportunity to read Think.

This book made me pray. Hard. As he unpacked the purpose for our thinking and studying I was overwhelmed by the task of teaching young people God's word, and to even write about it on a blog. It's sobering to to think that all of it could be in vain if it does not serve one very distinct purpose--to glorify God. Here is the quote that stood out to me the most, and one that I will go back to over and over again this semester. We are all thinkers and teachers in some capacity. And what we think about and teach to others matters tremendously.

"All branches of learning exist ultimately for the purposes of knowing God, loving God, and loving man through Jesus. And since loving man means ultimately helping him see and savor God in Christ forever, it is profoundly right to say all thinking, all learning, all education, and all research is for the sake of knowing God, loving God, and showing God."