With cancer fresh on our minds with the pathology report of Matt Chandler, I thought it might be helpful to link to John Piper’s piece, “Don’t Waste Your Cancer.” This was written soon before Piper’s prostate surgery in early 2006. David Powlison, also diagnosed with prostate cancer, added his own thoughts to each of Piper’s points, which can you can read at the above link.
May the Lord use this to help each of us think through God’s glory, sovereignty, compassion, and care with regard to sickness and health and in view of the coming days of death and glory, pain and peace.
Here’s the outline:
- You will waste your cancer if you do not believe it is designed for you by God.
- You will waste your cancer if you believe it is a curse and not a gift.
- You will waste your cancer if you seek comfort from your odds rather than from God.
- You will waste your cancer if you refuse to think about death.
- You will waste your cancer if you think that “beating” cancer means staying alive rather than cherishing Christ.
- You will waste your cancer if you spend too much time reading about cancer and not enough time reading about God.
- You will waste your cancer if you let it drive you into solitude instead of deepen your relationships with manifest affection.
- You will waste your cancer if you grieve as those who have no hope.
- You will waste your cancer if you treat sin as casually as before.
- You will waste your cancer if you fail to use it as a means of witness to the truth and glory of Christ.
