The Things of Earth: Treasuring God by Enjoying His Gifts

Before reading The Things of Earth, I had never heard the term Christian hedonism. Apparently, this idea has been promoted by John Piper, but it is seen in the writings of Jonathan Edwards and other theologians.
Christian hedonism is based on the concept that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. We magnify Christ in the right enjoyment of creation and culture.
There is a struggle with whether one loves God’s gifts too much and whether one loves God enough. What are we do with the things of the earth? In Colossians 3 “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Yet I Timothy 4 states “Everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.”
Rigney attempts to answer the tension of two opposing ideas. At one extreme, there is the Prosperity Gospel telling us to seek earthly blessings as they are a sign of God’s favor. Our Christian faith is a means to worldly gain. The other extreme is that the sweetness of earthly joys is a snare, distracting us from our single-minded devotion to God. We were created to live in the world and enjoy earthly pleasures so enjoying them leads to joy-killing guilt if we follow this last belief.
“God is not only everywhere, but He is everywhere working.”—Jonathan Edwards
Creation should be understood as the constant and pervasive revelation of God. He communicates himself to us through creation.
“We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him.”—C. S. Lewis
We recognize patterns in God’s world. It provides analogies that deepen our understanding of life and of God.
“Earthly pleasures are shafts of the glory as it strikes our sensibility.” C. S. Lewis
Rejoicing in creation is rejoicing in the Lord. The misuse and abuse of God’s good gifts are pervasive and rampant in our world though.
Rigney presents what he calls the Comparative View and the Integrated View as ways to reconcile the tensions he introduced in the beginning of the book.
We must not elevate the gifts above the giver. That is idolatry. We must not think it is our own efforts that result in having good things; that is ingratitude.
In abstaining, we project the image of God as a miser. “In despising the gifts, we insult the Giver.”—John Calvin. The gifts from God are given to enlarge our minds and expand our hearts and enrich our souls so that we might love God fully and supremely and expansively forever.
There is direct Godwardness—conscious, intentional focus and devotion, but there is also indirect Godwardness—what we see God reveal as we engage with the world. Indirect Godwardness and enjoying the gifts keeps God from being vague and indistinct to us. We must have the direct Godwardness to orient our affections rightly toward God, however. It should infuse all of our activities.
Rigney discusses the distinction between creation and culture (what man creates and develops).
There is a section of the book about suffering, death, and the loss of good gifts. This is part of our creatureliness. We see that it is God’s glorious presence alone where we can find fullness of joy.
That wealth/blessings are to be used for certain purposes is discussed.
God is fundamentally a giver. To be a creature is to be a receiver. When we receive, we should know it, enjoy and delight in it, sing about it, know Him in it, enjoy Him in it. Be grateful receivers.