It had not been deliberately planned that Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs would release just days after Jobs died. Not really. Jobs had known for many years that he could not keep his cancer at bay forever and he had specifically asked Isaacson to be his biographer. The book was completed, the publication date set, and then Jobs’ condition worsened and he died. And so it happened that a biography—a real biography, not a quick-to-the-presses tabloid pseud-biography—arrived on store shelves so quickly after the death of its subject.

Over the past several years Isaacson had been given almost unfettered access into Jobs’ life and world. He recorded close to 40 interviews and spoke extensively with family, friends and enemies. This led to a biography that goes deep into the world of its subject and unearths the good, the bad, the shocking and the inspiring. It is an utterly fascinating biography—easily one of the most interesting I’ve read. That may owe, at least in part, to the fact that Jobs impacted my own life through the devices he created—many of which I use every day (and one of which I am using as I type these words). What is undeniable, whether you use Apple products or not, is that Jobs was a fascinating character who had a profound effect on the world in which he lived. Whether his legacy is judged to be good or bad, he certainly left a legacy that has touched the entire world.

I do not intend to write a review of this biography as much as I would like to make a couple of observations about it.

Let’s get one thing out of the way up-front—the thing that has been the subject of thousands of articles and blog posts in the week since the biography was released. Steve Jobs was not a nice person. In fact, he was often downright horrible, bearing lifelong grudges, throwing tantrums and berating the people who worked for him and with him. He seemed to have a binary view of the world where some things were wonderful and other things were horrible; there was little space between. He despised the mediocre or even the merely good. He used his keen intuition about other people to find and then exploit their vulnerabilities in a way that maximized the hurt he could inflict upon them. He was a brutal boss and a brutal man. He was the kind of man who would praise his own parents for adopting him and then pretty much abandon his own daughter.

While examples of his temper and tantrums have been widely discussed and dissected, I think a lot of people have missed the root of it all. Jobs was a lifelong student of Eastern religion and Zen Buddhism in particular. Along the way he became convinced that he was an enlightened being, that he existed on a higher plane than most people. From this exalted position he was able to see and to judge; he had the right to. He was able to stand, if not in the place of God, at least in the place of a judge. He felt that it was his right to speak the truth—the truth as he understood it—to others. After all, he was enlightened and they were not. His arrogance knew no bounds.

Last week I shared a quote from Edward Donnelly’s book Biblical Teaching on the Doctrines of Heaven and Hell. Today I wanted to share another one that stood out to me as a great encouragement. Read it and be blessed on this Lord’s Day!

What is … amazing is that our Lord and Saviour will himself be thrilled as he looks at us in heaven. Gazing upon his people, he will be filled with affection and delight. “He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied” (Isa. 53:11).

That will be true of his redemptive work in general. Christ will see all his sheep safely gathered in, everyone of the elect in glory. There will be no empty spaces, no one missing or lost. He will feel no sense of incompleteness or regret. He will be satisfied with the results of the labor of his soul.

But the Lord Jesus will also be satisfied with each of us individually. We may find that hard to believe, because we are far from satisfied with ourselves. All too aware of our weaknesses and limitations, we are often discouraged with ourselves, ashamed of what we are. We do not see ourselves as loveable, so how could Christ love us? A nagging fear enters our minds that, although he will be gracious and kind as he welcomes us into heaven, he will at the same time feel a distinct sense of disappointment. We may not be what he hoped for.

We need not be afraid, for we will by then be changed, conformed to his likeness. God’s work of grace in each and all of us will have been brought to such a pitch of perfection that the Lord will be ravished with love for his bride, “a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing” (Eph. 5:27). We will be all he wants, everything he desires. We will be the people he chooses to be with him for ever. “Behold, you are fair, my love!” he will exclaim (Song of Sol. 1:15). We will then be able to say with joyful assurance, “Jesus loves me, this I know.” That will be heaven.

It is himself that Christ will see in us, himself that he will love in us. That is why we are promised that “we shall be like Him” (1 John 3:2). For it is nothing other than his own holy beauty that he will admire.

A few days ago I wrote up a blog post welcoming Westminster Books to Canada. A lot of people left comments, which means that Westminster Books has now issued a coupon code for 15% off any order to Canada. The code is valid until November 1, so you will want to get shopping ASAP if you’d like to take advantage. Here’s a brief note from Westminster.

Thank you for your overwhelming support for our Canada Shipping launch!

Here is a coupon for an additional 15% off our already discounted prices on one order (good through Tuesday, November 1st). The coupon code is CANADA and is only good for shipments to Canada*. We invite you to give us a try.

About Wtsbooks.com:

We are a small, non-profit ministry of Westminster Theological Seminary. We believe you’ll find us competitively priced, but our #1 priority is content. We exist to serve the Kingdom by distributing high quality, biblically faithful, Christian books and resources.

We aim to influence Christian publishing by creating avenues for the best resources to flourish. We feel that shipping to our brothers and sisters in Canada is a vital part of fulfilling our mission to the church. Thank you so much for your warm welcome and for partnering with us for his kingdom!

*Enter "CANADA" into the shopping cart screen. Though it is not clearly itemized, your discount will be applied to everything you add to your cart.

Guidance - Paul Tautges has been posting a series of articles on the subject of guidance. He goes into subjective and non-subjective means of guidance. If you went through my recent series, you’ll know that my emphasis is a bit different, but I think the series are largely complementary.

Church and Technology - “Tyndale University College & Seminary conducted a survey in the summer of 2011 to see how Ontario churches are interacting with technology, and how they see it changing the church. Three hundred and sixty-eight churches replied to the survey ranging from rural to urban, from 20 member congregations to 5,000+, and from multiple denominations and ethnicities.” There are some interesting findings there.

$5 Friday - Ligonier has a few Reformation-themed deals for their $5 Friday. 

Bathing in Toilet Water - I think we’re supposed to laugh along with my youngest sister in her bizarre misadventures. Yesterday’s involved a very pregnant woman and a very broken toilet.

Young, Hip and Mormon - The Times writes about a new wave of Mormons who are a little bit different from the guys who come knocking on our doors.

A Mighty Fortress - Just in time for Reformation Day, Redemption Hill music is offering a free download of a new version of “A Mighty Fortress.”

Halloween on Mission - David Mathis has a great blog post about Halloween on Mission. “What if spreading a passion for God's supremacy in all things included Halloween--that amalgamation of wickedness now the second-largest commercial holiday in the West?”

A drop of praise is an unsuitable acknowledgment for an ocean of mercy. —William Secker