Christian hedonism holds that our life’s mission, the purpose of our lives, our primary aim, and what we should pursue in life above everything else is joy and pleasure in God and God alone.
George Muller once said, “According to my judgment, the most important point to be attended to is this: above all things see to it that your souls are happy in the Lord. Other things may press upon you, the Lord’s work may even have urgent claims upon your attention, but I deliberately repeat, it is of supreme and paramount importance that you should seek above all things to have your souls truly happy in God Himself! Day by day seek to make this the most important business of your life. This has been my firm and settled condition for the last five and thirty years. For the first four years after my conversion I knew not its vast importance, but now after much experience I especially commend this point to the notice of my younger brethren and sisters in Christ: the secret of all true effectual service is joy in God, having experimental acquaintance and fellowship with God Himself.” George Muller
“I saw more clearly than ever, that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not, how much I might serve the Lord, how I might glorify the Lord; but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man may be nourished…I saw that the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the Word of God and to meditation on it.”― George Muller
John Piper has made the idea of Christian hedonism popular in his day. On DesiringGod.org, Piper’s site, he says the following of Christian hedonism.
“Joy is not optional. It’s essential.
Christian Hedonism is the conviction that God’s ultimate goal in the world (his glory) and our deepest desire (to be happy) are one and the same, because God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. Not only is God the supreme source of satisfaction for the human soul, but God himself is glorified by our being satisfied in him. Therefore, our pursuit of joy in him is essential.
Christian Hedonism claims that the Christian life should be the pursuit of maximum joy in God — joy both in quality and quantity. Fullness of joy and joy forevermore (Psalm 16:11) are found only in him.” https://www.desiringgod.org/topics/christian-hedonism
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/what-is-christian-hedonism
Piper usually says, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.”
The Westminster shorter catechism says “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.”
Piper reframes the Westminster shorter catechism and says the right order is, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God by enjoying him forever.
Check out this sermon from Austin Stone: https://vimeo.com/386501722
