"Only one life, 'Twill soon be past; Only what's done for Christ will last." This verse on a plaque above the kitchen sink where Piper grew up made a lasting impression on him. "You get one pass at life," he exhorts. "That's all. Only one."

But what does it mean to live well? "The opposite of wasting your life is living life by a single God-exalting, soul-satisfying passion," he writes. For Piper, that means living totally for the glory of Christ crucified.

His tone is fatherly and sometimes nostalgic as he recollects the touchstones that kept him on the right path: the writings of Francis Schaeffer, Jonathan Edwards, and C. S. Lewis; the companionship of his wife Noël; a bout with mononucleosis that led him to the pulpit rather than pursuing a career in medicine.

He urges readers to shun illusions of security, turn off the television, make the most of secular work, and practice forgiveness. And he challenges them to embrace God as their highest priority. The book will have most appeal for those in search of significance and direction.

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Don't Waste Your Life is available from Christianbook.com and other book retailers.

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John Piper is senior pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis and the head of Desiring God.