Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper: An Honest Review (2024)

John Piper’s ‘Don’t Waste Your Life’ is a modern Christian classic for many. And with the 2023 re-print just out, I had to review it.

It has a warm, missional tone with an emphasis on the transforming power of the gospel in our everyday life. Who can argue with that?

It’s also deeply challenging – the kind of book you put down and feel the ‘need to do something for the kingdom’.

He does this by questioning the notion of living for comfort and security. We’re too easily pleased with a paycheck, a suburban home, and our own ‘personal peace and affluence’ (as Francis Schaeffer would put it).

No – while none of these are inherently evil, they become distractions. Instead he urges us as believers to live passionately for God’s glory and the good of our neighbours. At and times, it may mean giving up some of the above.

He highlights the importance of using one’s time, skills, and even money to make an eternal impact (rather than chasing fleeting pleasures or worldly success). The book calls for a radical reorientation of priorities towards a life of eternal value in Christ.

Overall, it’s a good read – one you might come back to again. Yet along the way, I found gaps in his emphasis that were difficult to ignore. Which pulls this book down from great to good (for me at least).

So today, I’m going to step you through a summary of this timeless book, including:

• The importance of your day-to-day labour (and how it can glorify God)
• The challenge towards older generations to make the most of their time
• The forgotten pursuit of taking ‘Godly’ risks
• Where I think Piper misses the mark about missions
• A critique of the writing style (hint: it’s a little unorthodox)

Let’s start by talking about the positives.

The New Edition: A Lovely Presentation of the Book

I don’t normally comment on the ‘externals’ of a book, but the new print pictured above is quite lovely.

Textured paper cover, embossed black font, a big red cross graphic & rough page edges. It definitely made the reading experience more unique & enjoyable.

But of course, what really matters is what is inside, so let’s take a look.

A ‘Firm Hand’ Towards Boomers

Piper wrote this book in 2003, but wrote a new preface for the 2023 version. And this time, he’s got something to say to the baby boomers:

“…for these two decades, countless people in their fifties and sixties have been provoked to change their life-plans. It seems they were about to waste the next twenty years of their lives on the fool’s errand of perpetual leisure. I am very happy about these changes.”

We live in a world where men don’t know how to lead and provide for their families, women don’t know how to be ‘keepers at home’ (Titus 2:4-5). This is largely due to boomer’s focus on dual income earning and child-rearing minimisation. All so they can retire comfortably.

But the Bible is clear that we are to use our old age for His purposes. How transformed our world would be if ‘older women taught younger women’. How it would be if men were taught to be strong and courageous by their fathers and grandfathers.

However, Piper still says this book is for young adults as well. And on that note…

You Don’t Have to Do Something ‘Big’ For Your Life to Count

The first half of the book lays down the ‘why’ of not wasting your life. So the second half naturally progresses to the ‘how’.

Chapter 8 was probably the most practical for me, in that it focussed on ‘Making Much of Christ from 8 to 5’. In other words, how are you supposed to glorify God in the normal rhythms of life?

Many Christians believe they have to be a missionary or pastor to do the ‘real work of the Kingdom’. And Piper definitely calls some to that in Chapters 9 & 10.

But ‘not wasting your life’ isn’t quitting your plumbing, retail, office, chef or apprentice job. It’s how you go about it.

Piper lays down a practical number of tips, such as:

• Remaining ‘with God’ in your work (1 Corinthians 7:24)
• Having thankfulness in everything, including your job (Lamentations 3:22-23)
• How seeking to glorify God in your work changes everything
• Work hard during the day to experience God’s peace when you sleep
• Help others find God-glorifying work to participate in

On this topic, one of my favourite quotes from the book is:

“To be sure, when God sends us forth to work as his image-bearers, our ditches are to be dug straight, our pipe-fittings are not to leak, our cabinet corners should be flush, our surgical incisions should be clean, our word processing accurate and appealing, and our meals nutritious and attractive because God is a God of order and beauty and competence.

But cats are clean, and ants are industrious, and spiders produce orderly and beautiful works. And all of them are dependent on God.

Therefore, the essence of our work as humans must be that it is done in conscious reliance on God’s power, and in conscious quest of God’s pattern of excellence, and in deliberate aim to reflect God’s glory.”

Move Out Of The Comfort Zone & Take Godly Risks

I am the first to put my hand up and say “but I like comfort.” We all do if we’re honest with ourselves.

Piper boldly calls out Christians who seemingly blend into the world, albeit using the term Christian in step.

But I can also attest to the profound reliance on God you experience when taking Spirit-led, God-ordained risks. In my own life, this includes:

• Moving cities/states (twice)
• Leaving all my friends behind to find a biblical church
• Getting married young (against worldly wisdom)
• Being more outspoken about my faith in my business & life

I find it helpful to compare my meager sufferings to those of the Apostle Paul, who was, as Piper points out:

“I am ready… to die for the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 21:13)

Yet we’re deathly afraid to get cancelled on social media, or lose a friend (who we probably ought to lose anyway). It shifts things right back into perspective.

The World Has Gotten Worse Since 2003

I was 6 when this book came out. I’m now 27, and in that time – the world has changed.

In many ways, the Church has been missionally successful. Don’t get me wrong – there’s plenty more to do. And agreeing with Piper, I often feel like a dollar given doesn’t go as far to unreached peoples as it ought to.

However, we face a challenging premise. We have the same (if not more) material wealth, but our West is rapidly moving away from Christianity.

Our churches are shrinking, adopting heresy, or apostatising. Young believers (especially men) are lost.

The biggest mission field is right on our doorstep, and increasingly so.

So while I’m all for sending out missionaries, I fear his emphasis on ‘how good we have it’ and ‘how bad it is over there’ is a bit tone-deaf.

Both people groups need the gospel equally. They need the true gospel, from true disciples of Christ. And that work starts at home in the Church. Then in our Western nations. Then in the unreached peoples.

An Interesting Writing Style

Before I started reading a lot of theology and Christian books, I read business books. As a business owner, these were invaluable inputs into the tactical side of running a business.

A lot of the writing style was pragmatic, digestible and straightforward, and I feel like Piper has (kind of) adopted that style here. Lots of headlines. Short life examples. Punchy and simple sections.

However, despite the aim towards simplicity, I sometimes felt a disconnect between his ideas.

For example in Chapter 7 above, the ideas seem to flow, but it constantly feels like he’s jumping to a different angle on the same topic. In the above example, one’s a story, one’s a clarification, and one’s Scriptural exegesis.

This is paired with the fact that Piper writes like he speaks. So it feels conversational, which is a plus. But it also feels very wordy at times, which is a minus.

Lastly, although I admire his reverence for the Scriptures, it felt sometimes that his over-reference to them made the book difficult to follow. I wish there was a natural referral to Biblical principles, instead of most things being a quotation.

Despite this, the writing style didn’t get too much in the way for me, but it is something to be aware of.

The Final Word

In summary, this is a good book. However, I’m not sure I’ll come back to it very often. I might read it once more a few years down the line, but it won’t be a staple.

Rating: 3.5/5

But, at the end of the day, I am thankful that this book is aimed at Christians who have ‘gospel apathy’. In other words, they’ve forgotten the power of the Gospel that was once preached to them, and how it leads unregenerate people to Christ.

And if you’re reading this and you’ve never heard the Gospel before – here’s a quick summary.

People often ask if we’re ‘inherently good or bad’ people. But if you’re honest with yourself – you know the answer.

We are all born wretched sinners. As the Bible says in Romans 3:10, “as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one”. In fact, the Bible also says that we are guilty of death. This entered the world through Adam, the first human. And through his sin, we are all sinners.

In the past, God’s people tried to ‘earn’ forgiveness of there sins through works. But in the end, our works aren’t enough. We always fail.

That is why God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to our world. To live a sinless life, and be an example of perfect righteousness.

But more than that – much more than that – he was brutally murdered – crucified for our sins. And by doing so, he took our punishment on himself. He atoned for our sins.

That’s not where the story ends either. 3 days later, he was resurrected. He defeated sin and death, and rose victorious.

And through that, we now have the forgiveness of sins. We are justified through Christ’s atoning sacrifice – if only we would believe.

The Bible says in Acts 13:61: “And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

And in Romans 10:9: “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

So my prayer for you today is that you receive this Gospel – the good news – and believe in the Lord Jesus. Amen.