Made for His Pleasure

Alistair Begg is a masterful writer. His work has always been impressive and influential, and this book is no exception. Made for His Pleasure touches on so much that really it is like reading a handbook for life. I appreciated the vast array of topics that he spoke on. He answered questions that I did not even know I had. Excellent read.

This book will answer questions about how to live a life pleasing to God that you had never thought to ask. It is one that I will refer back to again and again. Excellent writing!!

I loved this book...could not put it down. The book has a fairly basic premise but one that we would all agree with that in our lives we are made to enjoy the pleasure of God.

In 10 chapters the author highlights various ways we can enjoy the good things that God has made for us and how we can glorify God in all of the good gifts that he gives to us. These chapters cover a surprising array of topics such as sports, prayer, relationships vocation and suffering.

One of the great things about this book is that it need not be read sequentially if you want to do that (and I did) then thats great but at the same time its easy to dip into a chapter about sport leave the book and come back and pick up at perhaps chapter 10.

The whole book ties together but each chapter also stands on its own. I loved the stories that the author intertwined throughout the chapters reflecting his own experiences and also of people whom he knew this really helped show how the chapters and topics might apply to your life.

I would recommend this book to all Christians, the author also states that he hopes some non Christians would enjoy reading it and whilst I think they would in our day which lacks peace and pleasure, or often seeks them in the wrong places. I don't think too many of them would read this book. But get this book read it you won't regret it and hopefully by the end of it you will truly see what it is to live to God's pleasure and to take every thought and activity captive to God.

I am grateful to Moody Publishers and net galley.com for generously making this book available to me for review.

First sentence: I remember the occasion vividly. The afternoon sun cast shadows over the small gathering of parents clustered at the center line of the high school soccer field...If I, an earthly father, can know such a sensation of pleasure in the well-being of my son, surely that gives an inkling of how our heavenly Father feels when we please Him. If we could only grasp and be grasped by this, our lives would be revolutionized.

The Christian faith has content and Alistair Begg reminds believers of ten benchmarks of the Christian faith in Made For His Pleasure. These doctrines if believed, if embraced, will transform how we live our lives. We are to live out our theology in other words.

How can we live lives that please God? That is the question Begg asks and answers in Made for His Pleasure. It should be noted that it is a question that can be answered. God has revealed in His Word how we can please him and how we should live. The problem is not that we have been left with the silence of God, left to wonder and puzzle out the answer for ourselves. The problem is that many of us--most of us, perhaps even all of us--understand all too well that the Bible has authority to speak over us. We don't want to relinquish that authority to another. We get uncomfortable with the idea of holiness, uncomfortable with the idea of living holy lives, of being pious. And what do we do with this discomfort? I fear most of us are like Scarlett O'Hara and put off until tomorrow thinking about anything that makes us uncomfortable or anxious.

I think there's also some misconception going on. We are not called to live holy lives on our own apart from the Spirit, apart from the grace of God, the strength of God. We are not called to power our own living. We are not called to independence but dependence. We are not called to be self-reliant but Spirit-reliant. If we are terrified at the idea of holy living, perhaps it's because we're trying to do it on our own. Or perhaps our PRIDE, our arrogance, our ego starts tripping us up. Or need to compete with others for God's attention. (A completely ridiculous idea when you think about it.)

Begg gives real answers and explores foundational doctrines of the faith. He also shares some personal stories within each chapter.

I would recommend this one. It is a great read.

We live in an age dedicated to pleasing self, and many Christians have think living for our own joy and pleasure is Biblical doctrine, but the Bible tells us we are made for God. Our desire in life should be to please God, not ourselves. Begg starts by reminding us you it is impossible to please God outside of Christ. We do not earn God’s favor by our works, but in Christ, with our sins forgiven and with Christ’s righteousness, we can please God and ought to dedicate their lives to pleasing God. However, we are not goaded into legalism or Phariseeism, but out of a heart of love toward God, we can please him and rejoice in that. We can “feel His pleasure” as we live our life.

After introducing the subject, Begg examines 10 areas that the Christian should make it their goal, to please God. You don’t have to be in full-time ministry or go to foreign lands to please our Father. Through different areas of life (marriage, service, vocation) and different spiritual disciplines (prayer, Bible reading, worship), he shows us how we can make it our goal in life to please God. One thing I love about Begg’s preaching is his ability to take complex subjects and make them understandable, and then apply them. He is masterful at having the right story or illustration to draw out the truth of the passage of Scripture and succeeds in translating that skill to the book, which is a feet not accomplished very often. He tells a lot of personal stories as he illustrates and I enjoyed learning more about a man I've listened to on the radio for years.

I found myself moved, convicted, and encouraged throughout the book and I’m sure it would be an encouragement to any Christian who desires to please his God. Thanks to Netgalley.com for the review copy.

[Note:  This book was provided free of charge by Moody Publishers/Net Gallery.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.]

This is the sort of book that I would want to like but a situation where the author's approach makes it hard to really like this book as much as I want to.  It is hard to know where the blame for this lies.  To be sure, I am an extremely oversensitive reader, and that can make for rough reviews [1] from time to time.  And there is certainly room for some of that year.  For example, when the author talks about godly marriage, I took it as somewhat of an insult that not only did the author assume that the reader was likely married but also that an unmarried man is, by definition, immature and not having passed fully into adulthood.  Perhaps, in such cases, the author did not mean to insult his unmarried readers, but it is just as likely that he never thought about that sort of perspective at all.  Indeed, the author as a whole seems to have a presuppositional sort of approach where he assumes the validity of his (mistaken) worldview and fails to account for the fact that other people would think or believe differently from himself, with predictable results.

This book is a bit under 200 pages and is made up of ten chapters after two forewords by John McArthur and RC Sproul and an introduction by the author.  The author discusses spiritual fitness in a flabby world (1) while making fun of people who are not particularly fit and trim.  He then talks about prayer that is larger than ourselves (2) as well as the importance of making sacrifices and commitment to God's kingdom (3), where he finds a way to praise an aunt of his who died early in her own missionary career.  After that the author talks about having a marriage that is pleasing to God (4), and finding an ideal vocation to serve God in what we do (5).  After this the author talks about how to please God during suffering (6) where he discusses the Calvinist view that all suffering is something willed by God, living the narrow way and avoiding heedlessness (7), and avoid chasing after the wind through intellectualism and materialism (8).  The author then closes with a discussion of how we need to put on the garment of humility (9) and bring others to Christ through salvation (10) before the usual conclusion, acknowledgements, and notes.

I have two basic approaches to a book like this.  One is to recognize that the author means well and to give it some praise for the author's intentions to encourage godly and responsible living and what he considers a "vital faith."  That said, this book is a prime example of why Calvinists should write far fewer books.  Here a book about personal faith gets tangled up with all kinds of cases where the author appears to insult a large number of potential readers and demonstrates the problematic nature of combining a belief that now is the only day of salvation (leading to aggressive efforts at evangelism) alongside the offensive Calvinist view of predestination that views all kinds of tragic and problematic results of human free will as being specifically ordained by God, all of which makes this book far less pleasant than it could have been had it been written by a thoughtful and serious Arminian.  The message written by the author is something that needs to be said in an age of selfishness and general moral and spiritual (and, sadly, physical) flabbiness, but the author is just not a kind and gentle enough person to make this message palatable to any reader outside of his own narrow worldview.

[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018/02/12/book-review-why-youre-still-single/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017/11/24/book-review-the-fabric-of-america/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017/08/20/book-review-players-the-mysterious-identity-of-william-shakespeare/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017/07/20/book-review-as-southern-as-it-gets/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017/06/26/book-review-dealing-with-people-you-cant-stand/

From the publisher - "Pleasing God is not a matter of personal choice, but an imperative that must be taken seriously. In a world of self, we must give way to the priority of God if we want to experience His joy."

Alistair Begg has a way of crafting literary expositions on issues vital to the survival of Christians, as they journey through life. The ten benchmarks, which are entirely based on Scripture, show the reader what is needed to live a life 'for His" pleasure.

Recommended for all Christians, new and seasoned.

Made For His Pleasure is a book on pleasing GOD. Pleasing GOD is not a quick and easy thing it is a lifetime thing. GOD has given us gifts for us to use for HIM and we are to give back to HIM. The Bible says ,"find out what pleases the LORD" (Ephesians 5:10" and to "please HIM in every way." (Colossians 1:10) Isn't that what we all want to do with all our hearts? This book guides us in how to do that - it is a wonderful guiding book. It also does a wonderful thing - it uses Scripture to back up what he has to teach.

First of all, Alistair Begg is a great teacher of God's Word. This book is very good, but to do yourself a favor, you really should listen to Alistair preach, he is very gifted. Nonetheless, this book is a mere reflection of the heart and passion that Mr. Begg has for leading people to the feet of Jesus. It seems from this book that he lives to show people how to live for the glory of Jesus and if you are hungry to know how to go deeper in your faith, then this book is your companion. Not only is his teaching a great source for me, but this book is a gift to pull off the shelf time and time again to be reminded of some good truths in growing in faith. Thank you.

This book left a big impact on my heart. I am thankful for Alistair Begg and his continual investment in the Kingdom of God. We truly were made for His pleasure! I really enjoyed the knowledge and wisdom Pastor Begg brought to his readers. This was my first book by Begg, but it was one I definitely enjoyed. I will be on the lookout for more of his books in the future!