Jarl Waggoner's Reviews

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Made for His Pleasure: Experiencing Our Father's Delight as We Glorify Him by Alistair Begg, Moody Press, 1996

Reviewed by Jarl K.Waggoner

It seems that much of what passes as devotional or inspirational reading today is long on cliches, mysticism, and pop psychology and short on biblical theology. Alistair Begg's Made for His Pleasure is a notable and welcome exception. Here one does not find calls for greater self-love but calls for greater self-sacrifice. In fact, the central theme of the book is that pleasing God, not pleasing ourselves, should be the focus of our lives. "Pleasing God is not a matter of personal choice, but an imperative to be taken seriously by every Christian," Begg writes.

Made for His Pleasure is probably best described as a book on the Christian's spiritual life. It is biblically based, but it is not so much a Bible study as it is a devotional study. The chapters read like a series of devotionals and deal with such topics as prayer, Christian service, marriage, suffering, materialism, humility, and evangelism. The writer offers fairly typical advice about such thins as Bible study, prayer, and commitment, but he also inspires us to evaluate ourselves and clls us to a disciplined faith that reaches all areas of our lives. Begg is familiar with the classic writings of Owen, Spurgeon, Tozer, Bunyan, Ryle, and Bonhoeffer, and his illustrations draw upon his international experience as a well-traveled Scotsman now living in the United States.

It would be wrong to see this book as primarily a negative critique of the contemporary church, and I do not want to give that impression; however, there is much here that rebukes the practices and teachings of large segments of today's church. I, for one, applaud Begg's bold characterizations of "entertaining dialogue and drama" as poor substitutes for biblical preaching, of the health-and-wealth gospel as the "product of empty heads and closed Bibles," and of the "increasingly commonplace emphasis on self-esteem" as the root of much of the church's problems, not the solution to its problems.

Whatever topic Begg takes up, it is always approached in view of the overriding (and biblical) goal of seeking God's glory. He discusses the purposes of suffering in the Christian's life and effectively explains the need for believers to learn to discern, and listen to, good, biblical preaching. He does not merely offer inspiring thoughts, however. He offers practical, helpful advice for how we can please God. Particularly good are his useful suggestions on how to avoid marital failure, and several chapters close with questions for self-evaluation. Begg does not shy away from the difficult-and unpopular-subjects of self-sacrifice, materialism, and humility. I especially liked his comment that "the Bible does not call us to 'feel humble' but to adopt an attitude of lowliness." In fact, this book contains a wealth of quotable thoughts worthy of contemplation. Typical are these: "The great need is not for us to be stirred emotionally so much as it is for us to be taught theologically"; "Being used by God is not the special province only of those trained for full-time Christian service. It is normal Christianity"; "God is more concerned about what is happening than where it is happening"; and "Christianity is not served by mindlessness, but by the knowledge of God through the Word of God."

Made for His Pleasure is not without fault. The writer's thoughts, while consistently on the mark, sometimes appear to be rather scattered. His extended metaphors tend at points to act as straitjackets on his discussions. And I found his comments on the "specific, direct, and immediate call of God to pastoral ministry" to be an unconvincing repetition of time-worn concepts lacking in scriptural support.

While I am not ready to declare Alistair Begg's work a classic on the spiritual life, I can say with confidence that the Christian who takes time to read Made for His Pleasure will be inspired, challenged, and encouraged to glorify his Master.

This review was originally written for Christian Book Review magazine, March/April, 1996.