John Piper on College (Part 2)

Here’s Part 1.

After addressing why he thinks college is important, Piper goes on to outline four mistakes for young people (more specifically, college students) to avoid. My comments are in italics.

“Mistake #1: Big is better than small. God uses little David-like people to accomplish huge Goliath-like things because He is jealous to get the credit. Don’t worry about big. Worry about faithful.”

I love this. Sometimes I see in young people a misplaced passion and idealism for doing big, radical things for God. While dreaming big is wonderful, and being radical for God is what we need, we should realize that being a janitor can be just as much of a ministry as being a missionary in Africa. It’s all about the heart.

“Mistake #2: New is better than old. Read old books. You need the wisdom of the ages to combat the folly of the present.”

I always wonder how young people who know so little about the past can hope to understand today’s culture.

“Mistake #3: Having is better than being. There’s no correlation between the fullness of life and the muchness of having.”

Something to be remembered daily.

“Mistake #4: Visible is better than invisible. The most important things are not visible. God is invisible and He is the greatest reality of all. If you structure your life around sight, it will be out of touch with reality. Do not be much interested in outward appearance. Be interested in inner realities.”

And the conclusion… I love it.

“If God is God – and He is – small with Him is better than big with anybody. His old things are better than anybody’s new things. Being His child is better than having the world. And better to be blind with the invisible God than to see everything without Him.”