It’s Not About Me by Max Lucado

Lucado, Max.  It’s Not About Me.  Nashville: Integrity, 2004.

Do you want a life that is happy and fulfilling?  According to Max Lucado, in his book It’s Not About Me, that life is found when it is centered on God.

When Moses found favor with God and could have asked for anything, he asked to see God’s glory.  Lucado describes this glory as God’s preeminence and priority.  God made everything.  Our purpose, the purpose of all creation, is to show His glory.

How do we glorify God and experience this happy, fulfilling life?  It starts with two steps that go together.  We must stop being self-centered and start contemplating God.

Self-centeredness is common.  If you think you’ve never been self-centered, you’re deluding yourself.    Many of us think about ourselves, our problems, our hopes, our needs, our pains, our pride, or something about ourselves almost all the time.  It is very easy to do.

To change this, we turn our thoughts to God.  We contemplate Him, His glory, His goodness, His power, His holiness, His accomplishments, His character, His ongoing work in this world, His love, and more about Him.

Keeping the eternal God on our minds gives us perspective.  We experience troubles, but those who are His in Christ will experience unending perfection with Him, making even a lifetime of problems seem like a brief moment.  Our immutable God as good plan that will not be changed by the shifting sands of human cultures, governments, and economies.  God’s love is inexhaustible; He chooses to love, He eternally purifies His people in Christ, and He will not withdraw His love.

This perspective on God should affect our behavior.  We should reflect His glory.  We should talk about Him.  We should express gratitude to Him, first for saving us and then for everything else He does in our lives.  We should live purely and take care of our bodies.  We should face problems with equanimity, remembering that problems are temporary and God may be glorified in surprising ways.  Even when we succeed, we should remember God, recognize His blessings, and imitate His generosity.

And we should never get things backwards.  We can never add anything to what God has done for us in Christ.  We can never deserve it.  We do good because God makes us able, because we are grateful, and because we love Him who loved us first.  It starts with God and He deserves the praise.

*

Yet we get something out of it anyway.  It’s all about God, but God loves us and wants us to be joyful and deeply satisfied.  Following God is the path to fulfillment.  When we delight ourselves in God and lift Him up, He readily delights in us and lifts us up.

If you’re interested in this book, you may also be interested in

Into the Depths of God by Calvin Miller

Walking with God by John Eldredge

Google

Keeping a Journal You Love by Sheila Bender

Bender, Sheila. Keeping a Journal You Love. Cincinnati: Walking Stick Press, 2001.

The starting chapter of Keeping a Journal You Love is brief and covers two subjects: the reasons people write journals and the basic mechanics journaling. Bender frames the second subject as a FAQ. The rest of the book focuses on getting the reader to practice writing.



As you might expect from a book on writing by a teacher of writing, there are many exercises. An early chapter is devoted to a group of seven exercises to get the budding journalist warmed up. A later chapter recommends list structure list of several ways to enrich a journal.

Among these exercises is anaphora, a series of sentences beginning with the same words. An example provided by Bender is the list of indictments against King George from the Declaration of Independence. I grew up in a church, so it reminds me of the rhythm of sermons.
God’s grace is a gift.
God’s grace saves us.
God’s grace redeems us.
God’s grace revives us.
God’s grace justifies us.
God’s grace imputes righteousness to us.
God’s grace abounded when our sins abounded.
God’s grace frees us from bondage to sin.
God’s grace gives us mercy.
God’s grace gives us help in our times of need.
God’s grace came through Jesus Christ.
God’s grace brings us to believe.
God’s grace we access by faith.
God’s grace makes us alive.
God’s grace gives us eternal life.
God’s grace He gives to the humble.
God’s grace is sufficient.

The main body of the book explores examples of journal entries from various writers of fiction, nonfiction and poetry. These examples illustrate various styles, techniques and subjects. After samples from each contributor and a brief discussion of their journals, Bender suggests several exercises for the reader to practice in there own journal.

Some of the contributors wrote very interesting journal entries. I found one to be boring. They were all very different in style and content. Some hardly resemble what one might expect of a journal. Fruitful journaling is as unique as the varied journalists are.

The point is not to imitate the journals of these other writers. The intent is to help people develop their own journaling style that is deeper, richer and more rewarding.

Though journaling is typically a very private matter, Bender includes and interesting chapter on journaling groups. Journaling groups vary in their practices, but some find the setting, information and discipline that comes from being in such a group helps them start, stick to and improve their journaling. Bender provides some practical tips for finding an existing group or starting your own.

If you’re interested in this book, you may also be interested in
Write Your Heart Out by Rebecca McClanahan

Leviticus

Leviticus. The Holy Bible. New King James Version. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1982. Leviticus continues the story of the Israelite nation from Genesis and Exodus. God took the Israelites out of oppression in Egypt, as describe in Exodus, and preparing them to be a nation when He leads them into a new land. Characteristics of the Israelite nation were to be its religion and its government. Leviticus deals with the religious and civil laws that were mostly administered by the Levites, a clan that God set aside for His service. In particular, Aaron and his descendents, part of the clan of Levi, were set aside for the priestly duties that involved the closest proximity to God. Much of Leviticus deals with the religious ceremonies the Israelites were to observe, especially the role and conduct of the priests in these ceremonies. The priests served as intermediaries between God and His people. The priests were set apart for God and were to be treated as holy, as was everything set apart for God. The people made various types of offerings as an acknowledgment of their sinfulness and their debt to God, who accepted their sacrifices to atone for their sins. The death and blood of animals substituted for the loss of life that was the consequence of sin. In Christianity, the understanding is that these sacrifices foreshadowed the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which is sufficient for the sins of all people in all times. Further, Jesus fulfills the priestly role of intermediary and advocate before God-the-Father. Because Jesus is God, He and His Father are one, Christians enjoy a direct relationship with God. Some of the chapters of Leviticus deal with moral and civil laws. These laws involve property, farming and husbandry, marriage, self-care, foreigners, protection of life, and other matters. We see embodied in these laws a principle that is emphasized throughout the Bible. Kindness to others and generosity to the needy are prized behaviors. God called the Israelites to love their neighbors. They were to pay workers promptly and not charge excessive interest on loans, even leave food in their fields for the poor to collect. They were to make gifts and loans to the poor. They were to care for widow and orphans, especially their relatives. An extraordinary requirement was that Israelites were to treat law-abiding foreigners who dwelt among them with the same love, respect, and protection of law as natives. As we see in the preceding books, God is active in Leviticus. Moses is God’s prophet and Aaron is His priest, but God is the motivating force and active agent. Leviticus, like the rest of the Bible, doesn’t depict man reaching out to God; it shows God reaching out to man. If you’re interested in this book, you may also be interested in Genesis The Gospels Exodus

Hebrews

Hebrews.  The Holy Bible.  New King James Version.  Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

To my mind, Hebrews is one of the key books of the Bible.  Like Paul’s letter to the Romans, it ties together and gives context to other scripture.

The audience and authorship of this book are not made clear as is typical of most New Testament epistles.  Based on the subject and the many references to Old Testament scripture, it is clearly direct to an audience of Jewish Christians.  Early church leaders and scholars often attributed it to Paul.  Paul’s commission as apostle to the Gentiles might suggest another author, but Paul’s passion for his native people and thorough education in the Hebrew Scriptures point toward him as a likely author.

I find three major themes in Hebrews.  These are: the centrality of Christ and his fulfillment of the Mosaic covenant, how faith was central to salvation even before the Mosaic Law, and encouragement in Christian living.

CENTRALITY OF CHRIST

The first section of Hebrews focuses on Jesus Christ.  It makes the case for the divinity of Christ and His complete humanity in the incarnation.  As a perfect man, Jesus Christ fulfilled every requirement of the Mosaic Law.  This made him the perfect sacrifice for the sins of man.  In addition, because he is divine and eternal, his atoning sacrifice is likewise eternal.

This is not the only role Jesus Christ fills eternally.  He is the first and highest of mankind and exercises the dominion over creation God gave to man, but that we forfeited when we sinned (as God, He is lord of all also).  As the son of God, Christ had priority over Moses, even though as a man He submitted Himself to the law in loving obedience to the Father.  Christ is a priest of a higher order than the Levitical priesthood, namely a priest like Melchidezek to whom Abraham paid tithes and through him all his descendants including the Hebrew priests.

The law and sacrifices of earlier times were signs pointed to the Christ to come.  All of these things are fulfilled and completed in Him forever.  Where many sacrifices were made to temporarily cover ever mounting sins, Christ’s sacrifice suffices forever to remove all of our sins.  Where the priests entered the presence of God once a year, Christ is constantly in the presence of God making intercession for His people.

CENTRALITY OF FAITH

If Christ does all for our salvation and when no longer need to make sacrifices and observe the Mosaic Law, how do we realize this reconciliation through Christ and live morally?  The answer is faith in Christ.  Hebrews makes the argument that the answer has always been faith in God.

Hebrews makes the argument, drawing on many examples from the Old Testament, that God has forgiven the sins of and imputed righteousness to those who had faith in Him.  This predates Abraham, though for an audience of his descendants it is important in Abraham.  It predates Moses, though for an audience born into a religion base on Mosaic Law it is important in Moses.  Even after the law was given, it is faith that God rewarded because no one could live up to God’s perfect law.

The faithful people of the Old Testament looked forward by faith to a day when God would cleanse their sins, make them righteous, and completely restore their relationship to him.  Even in the time of the law, the sacrifices and observances were signs of the things God was going to do.  God’s provision for the cleansing of sin and the raising us to righteousness were completed in Christ, so we place our faith in Him.  They had faith what was to come, even if they didn’t fully understand it, and we have faith in what Christ has accomplished.

CHRISTIAN LIVING

To wrap up, Hebrews includes encouragement for the faithful.  We’ll face troubles just as those in the Old Testament did, but by faith we can overcome and see the day when God will make us perfect and bring us into His eternal kingdom.  In the meantime, the temporary troubles of this world are opportunities to imitate Christ and become more like Him, more holy in practice.  God is working through these  troubles to help and purify us.

As a result of Christ’s work in us, we should love one another.  This should be practical love, taking care of each other’s needs.  Instead of trying to live up to a law our sinful nature wars against, we put our faith in Christ and walk in humility and love.

If you’re interested in this book, you may be interested in the Old Testament, especially Genesis, Exodus, Joshua, Judges, Second Samuel, First and Second Kings, Second Chronicles, Jeremiah, and Daniel.  You may also be interested in other New Testament books, particularly the Pauline Letters and especially Romans.

Google

Just Say Thanks! by R. T. Kendall

Kendall, R. T.  Just Say Thanks!  Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2005.

I have written before that it is my opinion that gratitude is essential to happiness.  Our first duty is gratitude to God.  As R. T. Kendall puts it in Just Say Thanks!, “When God grants us sovereign mercy, it ought to make us exceedingly grateful.”

Though it is an obligation to be grateful to God, Kendall notes that God takes notice when we express thanks.  The Bible records many expressions of people’s gratitude to God.  It may be a duty that could be beneath notice, but it seems that God delights in those who do it far beyond  what a mere duty would imply.

The first thing Christians should be thankful for is our salvation.  We should be constantly praising God for all He did for us in and by Jesus Christ to atone for our sins, to implement His mercy and to reconcile us to Himself.  God’s grace is fundamental to the Christian life, both to bring is unto it and to help us live it, and because that grace is a constant presence we should be constantly grateful.

Kendall even discusses a doctrine of gratitude, which is often called sanctification.  Christians refer to two parts of our salvation.  First is justification, in which our sins are forgiven and the righteousness of Christ is imparted to us.  We are made right with God through Christ.  The second part is sanctification, in which we are transformed over time so that we increasingly act right and become more the kind of people we are supposed to be.  Kendall describes sanctification as a process of gratitude.  If we are grateful for what God has done for us, we will act like it by praising Him, sharing the good news what He  has done, loving Him and showing love to people because He loves them, obeying Him and doing what is right.

One of the things I thing is important about gratitude that is discussed by Kendall is that it puts things in perspective, especially when times are tough.  We shouldn’t wait until everything seems good to be thankful.  We should always be acknowledging kindnesses, mercies, answer, help and other good things; we experience them even in the midst of trouble.  In addition, Kendall wrote, “Every trial has a built-in time scale.  It will end!  God will see to it.”  We can be grateful that better times are ahead, and for Christians the trials of this age will seem very brief in comparison to eternity in God’s blessing.

Unfortunately, gratitude does not come naturally to us.  It is something we must learn.  We must intentionally remember the good God and others have done for us.  We need to rehearse the benefits that have come our way and do it often.  When we forget, we easily become ungrateful, and I think unhappy as well.

If you’re interested in this book, you may also be interested in

365 Thank Yous by John Kralik

The 4:8 Principle by Tommy Newberry

Gratitude by Melody Beattie

Power in Praise by Merlin R. Carothers

Thanks! by Robert A. Emmons

Google

Exodus

Exodus. The Holy Bible. (NKJV). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Exodus continues the history of the Israelite nation that began in Genesis. The main emphasis is on the how God acted to lead them out of Egypt.

Back in Genesis, Israel (Jacob) and his large family moved to Egypt to escape a famine. They thrived there under the patronage of one of Israel’s sons, Joseph, who God had placed in a position of great power in the Egyptian government.

At the beginning of Exodus, Joseph was dead and so were the pharaohs who knew him. A pharaoh came to power who felt threatened by the many foreigners who were flourishing in the midst of his nation. He decided to enslave and oppress the Israelites, even to the point of having their male children exterminated.

Moses escaped this fate by the shrewd, faithful actions of his family and the providence of God. He grew up in the household of Pharaoh, with Pharaoh’s daughter as his guardian and his own Hebrew mother as his nursemaid.


Moses is a huge figure in the Bible, so one would expect to find a lot about his life. It’s not so. Exodus is a story about God, and even though Moses is a great prophet, his early life and his many years in exile are treated briefly with a focus on how God preserved and equipped His prophet for the work He had in mind

The remainder of the first half of the book deals with how God acts to win the Israelite’s release from Egypt with Moses as His spokesman. This was famously accomplished with ten plagues. It may seem excessive, but the intent was to drive home, especially in the minds of the Israelites, the power and providence of God. The Egyptian gods, god-king, and magician-priests were powerless against the God of their fathers, who was generous and loving toward them. (The Israelites forgot this lesson with amazing speed, just as we often do.)

The second half of Exodus deals with the establishment of those things that identified Israel as a nation: the law and the tabernacle. The law was given by God, through Moses, because God would be their king. The tabernacle was a place of religious ceremony, but also the thrown of God, who produced a physical manifestation of His presence there.

I suspect others, like me, can find the second half of this book to be rough going. The directions for making the tabernacle and its furnishings are so detailed that one could build a reasonable reproduction of it. Even in this part of the book, there is a demonstration of God’s power and provision.

If you’re interested in this book, you may also be interested in
Genesis
The Gospels

Power in Praise by Merlin R. Carothers

Carothers, Merlin R. Power in Praise. Escondido, CA: Merlin R. Carothers, 1972.

I bought a copy of Power in Praise by Merlin R. Carothers at a library book sale. It sat on my shelf for months. I have more appetite for books than time. I was surprised to find it listed in bibliography of Melody Beattie’s last self-help book, Make Miracles in Forty Days. Because reviewing books is inherently about comparing and contrasting books, I made reading Power in Praise a priority.

At a very basic level, Beattie and Carothers have a similar message. Be grateful for everything. Carothers would say praise God in everything.

Our thanks and praise, especially for those things we for which we don’t necessarily feel grateful, brings about in us a peace, contentment, and new perspective on our situation. It often leads to a change in our circumstances, too.

The two authors differ on their view of how this works. For Beattie, it is a universal law. It works because that is the nature of the universe. You can blend it with whatever religion you like or none. Expressing thanks for the hard things will change your life regardless of your religion.

Carothers, in contrast, sees God as the author of our lives. He is in control of all. The hardships, pain, setbacks, and everything else in our life is under His control.

We can praise God even in the worst situations because we trust Him. God loves us and had a good plan for our life. If He permits difficulties, it is because it will produce good. First is the good of coming to God and acknowledging Jesus Christ as our savior. After that comes the producing of a godly character and preparation for work that shows God’s power, love and grace.



Power in Praise is, in part, a book of stories about people who have put Carothers’ principle to the test. Some of these come from the Bible, especially from Paul, who suffered all manner of calamities, but remained contented, peaceful, and even joyful, because He trusted God in all things. Many of the cases come form his experience as an Army chaplain.

As you might expect, people were reluctant to praise God for disease, accidents, failures and other troubles. Some were willing to try even if they didn’t feel it; Carothers writes that it is a matter of faith and not feeling or understanding. Those that tried discovered a transformation in themselves. For Carothers, this is the main thing. To know God and be closer to Him, trusting Him more, is the best thing. In many cases, these people saw quick changes in their circumstances, too.

Carothers also deals with the flipside of praise and thanksgiving with a chapter on grumbling and complaining. He says that to complain is to make accusations against God. It is an expression of distrust. Arguably, mankind’s fall into sin came from distrusting God and it has caused us a lot of trouble sense. The better stand, the position of power, is to trust God in everything, believing that He has a good plan even when bad things happen.

If you’re interested in this book, you may also be interested in
365 Thank Yous by John Kralik
Gratitude by Melody Beattie
Into the Depths of God by Calvin Miller
Make Miracles in Forty Days by Melody Beattie
Thanks! by Robert A. Emmons

Google

Epic by John Eldredge

Eldredge, John. Epic: The Story God is Telling. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2004.



Did you ever feel you were acting in a play or a character in a book? According to John Eldredge, you are a character in a story that is actually happening. The author and protagonist of that story is God.

The story begins with love and relationship before the beginning of time. God, the trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, existed and had perfect love and relationship within him. Most stories start somewhere in the middle; there are things that have gone on before that are in the background. Even the Bible starts at the beginning of humankind, but much has happened before humans come on the scene. Eldredge believes one of the wonderful things about God’s story is that we are invited to be part of a wonderful relationship that has already been going on for a long time.

Evil also enters the scene before man. The first fall is that of angels, and of a particular angel who pridefully attempts to usurp God’s place. This enemy of God became the enemy of men, too, and by deceiving the first couple, he introduced sin and evil to all of us. At the root of this is pride and the belief that God is not as good as he claims; we need to watch out for ourselves. We go off on our own and soon fall into all kinds of trouble.

Like all epic stories, this one has a hero. The hero is God, who rescues us from the destruction we have brought on ourselves. Jesus, God the Son, is the great hero and lover of humankind. He humbled himself, gave his all, suffered torture and death to save us.

Fortunately, this story also has a happily-ever-after ending. For those who respond to God’s loving rescue, there is an eternity even better than we can imagine. This story does not end with our spirits floating in the clouds as we sing hymns on an unending Sunday morning. God’s plan is for us to be perfect men and women (with spirits and bodies) reigning eternally with him over a perfect creation. The creation that was corrupted by sin will be restored to perfection, and God is calling us to live in that world with him.

So how do we live in this story? Eldredge suggests we keep three things in mind. First, there is more to this story than meets the eye. The world we cannot see is a bigger part of reality than the world we can see. Second, we are at war with a real enemy. He is the enemy of God and he is our enemy, too. Finally, we have important roles in this story. If we are to fulfill our roles, we must be alert and believe that what we do is important.

Walking with God by John Eldredge

Eldredge, John. Walking with God. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008.

Walking with God is a book for Christians who want, really need, an intimate relationship with God. This is not an abstract walk, but real, daily communication with the real, living God in which we not only send up our prayers, but in which He talks to us.


This is not a how-to book. It is a series of stories, incidents and anecdotes from about a year of Eldredge’s life that are meant to illustrate what it is like to walk with God.

It’s not easy. The Christian who desires to abide in Christ will find many things that come against him. Much of it is just facing the tiring trials of being an imperfect human in a fallen world. It is also difficult be cause we have an enemy who’ll do everything he can to prevent us from having the relationship to which God is calling us. The vignettes of walking with God are also pictures of spiritual warfare.

At the beginning of the book, Eldredge breaks from the memoir format to make the case that God still talks to his people personally. It’s not a theological dissertation, but it is an argument from the Bible that makes that case that God does want to relate to us intimately and communicate to us directly. This in no way diminishes the role of the Bible, but goes hand and hand. The book presents the case that revelation and wisdom are needed to effectively hear from God.

In some of his other books, Eldredge talks about people being wounded and are in need of healing that only God can provide. In those books, he writes about inviting Jesus into those wounds, into those parts of our live and experiences where we’ve been hurt. I found it to be like getting a diagnosis without getting prescription. That may be unfair to his other books, but I thought Walking with God does a much better job of showing what it is like to bring Christ’s healing and redemptive power into the hurts of life.

Other books by John Eldredge:
Epic

Fathered by God by John Eldredge

Eldredge, John. Fathered by God. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2009.

Fathered by God presents again material previously published in The Way of the Wild Heart. It’s a map of the masculine journey.

Finding that I’ve writing the flowery metaphor “map of the masculine journey,” let me launch directly into a rant. Sometimes Eldredge’s writing annoys me. He writes too much in phrases when complete sentences are within his grasp. His outdoorsy examples miss me as often as they connect. For a guy into a lot of manly activity, he can come across as very touchy-feely.

In spite of this, I’ve read a half-dozen of Eldredge’s books. He talks directly about the difficulties of walking with God in a world bent on taking out those who undertake it. It’s stuff I deal with as a Christian, even if I don’t always like they way he writes about it.

The message of Fathered by God, in tough language, is, “Grow up. You need it and the people you love need it from you. Growing up is hard. You need help, especially from God.” That is where the map comes in.



The maturity of a man comes in stages, beginning in boyhood and ideally leading to sagacity in old age. In between, a man needs to be an adventurous cowboy, a dutiful warrior, a lover (of God in every case and of a woman, too, for most men), and a king of some sort of realm. These terms are mostly metaphorical. Few men are literal cowboys, but young men need challenges and hard work. Fewer will be literal kings, but every man is made to be a leader of something and hold dominion over some part of the earth.

At each stage of a man’s life, there are many opportunities for the enemy, the world or other people to take him out. This is exacerbated by the loss of the man-to-man and generation-to-generation connections that once served to help a man experience, mature, and succeed in each stage. Eldredge sees these networks of men helping men as important and encourages men to take there places in one, both to receive and give support.

Eldredge’s encouraging message is that even if a man has be damaged at some stage and hasn’t grown up the way he need to, it’s not to late to do it. The ultimate Father, God Himself, is willing and able to lead His sons into maturity. Whatever wounds a man received, God can heal. Whatever a man missed, God can supply. The masculine journey can begin or resume now.

John Eldredge also wrote
Epic
The Sacred Romance (with Brian Curtis)
Walking with God
The Way of the Wild Heart

If you’re interested in this book, you may also be interested in
Into the Depths of God by Calvin Miller
No More Christian Nice Guy by Paul Coughlin

Stories for a Man’s Heart by Al and Alice Gray

Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy. The Holy Bible. New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

After 40 years of wondering, the Israelites are about to enter the land God promised to their forefathers. Their leader and prophet, Moses, won’t be entering with them because of his sin in the wilderness, God ordained that he would not go in. He appoints Joshua to lead the people.

This is the setting of Deuteronomy. The name means “repetition of the law” because Moses takes the opportunity to reiterate to this generation the history of Israel and the law God has given them. Much of the Deuteronomy is a reiteration of the laws found in the books that precede it.

The law, recorded by Moses in writing, was comprehensive. The ecclesiastical law covered religious ceremonies. Other laws dealt with crime and punishment, dealing with accidental deaths, sanitation, construction, safety, marriage, family, commerce, foreign affairs, war, property, inheritance, contracts and other issues of importance to a people who are to live together peaceably. It was not he first recorded law, and it contrasts with its antecedents in its relative humanity, value of life, and emphasis on God. The Israelites were to eradicate the inhabitants of the promised land, God had proclaimed it as a judgment for those nations’ wickedness, but otherwise they were to treat law-abiding foreigners who live among them with fairness, even generosity, which was rare in ancient times and certainly not what they were experiencing when they fled Egypt.

Deuteronomy is not necessarily boring or devoid of new material. It is full of hope and warnings for a nation that was finally coming into its own. God, speaking through Moses, foretold that the people would fall away from the law and that trouble would follow. He foretold that they would seek a king some 400 years before they put a crown on Saul’s high head. The coming of Christ was also predicted.

Moses also composed a song. It was intended to help the people to remember their God, their history, and the law. After teaching them the song, he blesses the tribes of Israel.



It seems sad that Moses, who led Israel out of Egypt and in the wilderness, and who was faithful in comparison to his fellows, would die before he could enter the promised land. God led him up on a mountain to see the whole land that another generation of Israelites, raised in the hardships of the wilderness and fed from God’s special provision, would take. With this vision in his eyes, alone with God on a mountain, he died.

Even at this moment of Moses’ death, we see a picture of God’s justice and mercy mingled. It was just that Moses should not enter the promised land. However, Moses had the unique privilege to have is body laid in a grave prepared by God Himself. The funeral may be the most sparsely attended in history, but the Almighty officiated.

If you’re interested in this book, you may also be interested in
Exodus
Genesis
Leviticus
Numbers

Google

Galatians

Galatians. The Holy Bible. New King James Version. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

The church at Galatia was another founded among the Gentiles by Paul. The apostle kept up with the churches, revisiting and corresponding with them, and sent to them letters, like the one we call Galatians, to encourage and correct his fellow believers.

As with his other letters, Paul encouraged the church to stay true to the Gospel as they were taught by faithful messengers, firstly himself. There were people and sects who were trying to reshape Christianity in their own fashion. The same is true today. Paul defended the received faith.

The particular group active in Galatia are called Judaizers. They sought to institute Mosaic Law in the church, especially amongst the new Gentile believers. This included all manner of laws, ceremonies and traditions. The primary practice, symbolic of them all, was circumcision.

To strengthen their case, the Judaizers attempted to undermine Paul. Paul devoted part of his letter to defending his authority and teachings. The main point is this: Paul taught the same Gospel that the other apostles taught and he taught with the approval of the other apostles, though he did not necessarily need it. In addition, the point on circumcision in particular was long settled among the apostles.



As far as I know, advocates of circumcision for religious purpose aren’t active in or around the church today. There are major religions that have borrowed superficially from Christianity to build religions of laws that depart from the Gospel of grace. The Jehovah’s Witnesses and Latter Day Saints come to mind, though they both depart from orthodox Christianity on almost every major point. Even working within the church are those who teach some kind of law or ethic that binds men with hardly a meaningful mention of the liberating grace of God.

Paul sets up this contrast in his letter: law or grace. It depends on us or it depends on God. God’s law is perfect, as is His justice. Imperfect and sinful Christians can’t keep even a portion of the law and can’t compare to the spotless character of God. A person who looks to the law will only find himself condemned by it. The purpose of the law is to push us to the grace and mercy of God, which is revealed in full in Jesus Christ.

The hymn “Jesus Paid it All” sums up the idea of grace. Jesus fulfilled the law, so in Him, the faithful are no longer condemned by the law, but they are made righteous in God’s sight. In Jesus, we are remade as children of God and given God’s Spirit. As children and heirs of God’s, we are not bound, constrained, and coerced by laws. Instead, we are free to live a new life, quickened by a new Spirit, and having faith in the unshakable work of God and not our flimsy works under the law.

Though the Judaizers attempted to undermine Paul’s teaching as aberrant, he shows himself to be both true to the Gospel and a master of scripture. His arguments are substantially founded on exposition of the Old Testament.

Paul presents the question to the church. If we can trust God, having faith in Christ that He has worked out everything to save us from the destruction of sin and gave us a new life of liberty, why on Earth would we trust ourselves to somehow earn God’s approval by submitting ourselves to laws we don’t keep except though self-delusion? If we truly believe the Gospel, how could anything else turn our heads?

Paul also wrote
First Corinthians
Romans
Second Corinthians

If you’re interested in this book, you may also be interested in
Acts
Genesis
The Gospels
The Pentateuch

Google

It's Not About Me by Max Lucado

Many of our problems arrive from our focus on us. The cure, which leads to fulfillment, is a life focused on Christ. Max Lucado makes the case for this idea in his book It’s Not About Me.

Everything and everyone was made to reveal the glory of God. God is holy. It is hard to imagine how higher and more is God than anything else is, and He made everything else. Contact with God changes us and we become holy, different and set apart, too. When Moses was given a glimpse of God, his face shown so that people were afraid to look at him.

We are to shine, too, as mirrors that reflect the glory of God. We have reason to praise Him. He is our stable foundation; He never changes though all else does. He saved us entirely for His own purposes and pleasure even though we could never deserve it. He redeems our suffering, and our fleeting suffering for His name’s sake will be rewarded with eternal blessing. If we have success in life, it is His gift. Even our bodies are His and make to glorify Him, so it important for us to take care of our bodies and avoid sin.

I found a personal connection to one of the stories recounted by Lucado. As a Texan, he was aware of the collapse of the Queen Isabella Causeway on September 15, 2001,when it was struck by a barge. I was vacationing nearby in Corpus Christi at the time. One of my in-laws reacted in fear, assuming my wife and I must have been trapped, or worse killed (even though the bridge collapsed in the middle of the night), and frantically called anyone in the family or at work who might have some contact with us. A close relative of mine shrugged it off, saying a call from the Texas Highway Patrol would come if something happened to us. One reacted with fear (surely, something was wrong), one reacted with faith (we were in God’s hands, whatever happened).

You might note that this happened only days after terrorists crashed airplanes into the World Trade Center towers in New York. On the first day of that vacation, we were struck by another car under strange circumstances in Arkansas, leaving us stuck in Morrilton; we ended up skipping a planned stop at Hot Springs. The collapsing bridge was the last straw, we were too heartsick to enjoy our vacation and we came home early.

Even after all that, we were grateful. We were alive and well when so many others were not. We had our family with us when others did not. We knew God was with us, comforting us, and that even if the worst had happened to us, we would be with Him, which is the thing our hearts long for.

If you’re interested in this book, you may also be interested in

Into the Depths of God by Calvin Miller

Life's Not Fair, but God is Good by Robert H. Schuller

Stop Whining, Start Living by Dr. Laura

Walking with God by John Eldredge

I previously posted a review of this book here->.

Lucado, Max. It’s Not About Me. Nashville, TN: Integrity, 2004.

Into the Depths of God by Calvin Miller

Miller, Calvin. Into the Depths of God. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2000.

I’ve wanted to read this book again since the first time I read it. I’m not sure why I was drawn back to a book that challenged me to live a kind of life I wasn’t leading, nor is it easy. Even so, I hunger and thirst for God, like every other Christian, and find myself seeking more of the One for whom my heart most yearns.

Miller begins by challenging worldliness. He puts it more elegantly than that. We live in an age of that values pleasure, material wealth, and making the most of the moment. Even spirituality is focused on how it makes us feel good, though it is rarely so blunt. The alternative to these things is a deeper relationship with the One who satisfies because of who He is.

I’m particularly challenged by Millers take on self-denial. He is far from ascetic. If anything, he is an advocate of art, desire, engagement, and action. Self-denial for a Christian isn’t about the sins we give up (though we should eschew sin); it’s about the things we take up as part of the new life we have. We love God more than any other thing. We see to please Him and obey him rather than to please people. We seek His will instead of ours.



This kind of godliness, this ravenous hunt for more of God, does not make use remote from the world. It draws us into the work God is doing in the world. Christ took on humanity and entered our world to save people and part of what He want His saved people to do is continue the work of saving people until He comes again. I’m reminded of how Jesus said he saw the work His Father was doing and He did the same work. That is how Christians are supposed to be. Each of has a calling; we see some work our Father is doing and we are to do it to as imitators of our savior.

It’s not dogged work. It should be joyous living. Whatever we do, we should do with as much excellence, beauty and art as we can because we are in a relationship with the most beautiful One, the author of beauty in nature and the ultimate inspiration for beauty in art. A Christian’s calling is the most imaginative, creative and fulfilling thing he can do.

It is not an easy life to live. It goes against the grain of the world. It takes us out of the insular coziness churches. We must face truths than can make us uncomfortable. We must humbly acknowledge God and our need for Him in everything.

I fear I’ve made it sound esoteric. Focusing on intimacy with God who is infinite, but deigned to take on humanity and suffer the punishment for our sins so we could have an eternal relationship with Him, seems a world away from helping our neighbors in need, serving the sick, and standing up for the oppressed. Yet in deeper living, these seemingly disparate things are intimately linked. When we abide in Christ, He enables us to live this life of service, and in working close to Him this way, we deepen our relationship with him.

It’s rare for me to read a book twice. I think I could read Into the Depths of God a third time and get more out of it. It whets my appetite for God.

You can find my previous, brief review of this book here.

If you’re interested in this book, you may also be interested in
The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis
The Joy of Supernatural Thinking by Bill Bright
Walking with God by John Eldredge

Break Out by Joel Osteen

In Break Out, Joel Osteen encourages readers to leave behind limiting beliefs and stretch themselves to have faith for and achieve a bigger life. The themes of this book are very similar to those of his other books.

First, Osteen teaches that God can turn things around. Your past is not an indicator of your future. God can make things change quickly. In the meantime, Osteen encourages readers to do what is right.

In light of this, one should dream big dreams. Not only can God turn things around, He can accomplish more in your life than you can imagine. Hope for things that seem beyond your reach; God can help you achieve them.

Because you are not living alone, but always have the aid of God, you don’t have to worry about being inadequate. If you lack anything you need to achieve your God-given dream, He can provide what you need.

This likewise should affect your prayers. Talk to God about your bid dreams. Especially talk to God about the promises in His Word or examples of how He had provided similar help to others.

As I have mentioned in reviews of other books by Osteen, his works are not especially or uniquely Christian. Like the works of Norman Vincent Peale or Robert H. Schuller, if you strip out any mention of God, you’ll still have a self-help book. An the self-help messages may help you be happier and achieve more. A Christian message, however, cannot be stripped of Christ, why we need him, and what He does for us, and still have content.

Joel Osteen also wrote

I Declare

You Can, You Will

If you’re interested in this book, you may also be interested it

Be All You Can Be! by John C. Maxwell

Creative Living for Today by Maxwell Maltz

Life's Not Fair, but God is Good by Robert H. Schuller

Positive Imaging by Norman Vincent Peale

Power in Praise by Merlin R. Carothers

The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale

You Can if You Think You Can by Norman Vincent Peale

Osteen, Joel. Break Out: 5 Keys to Go Beyond Your Barriers and Live an Extraordinary Life. New York: FaithWords, 2013.

Anxious for Nothing by Max Lucado

In the early chapters of Anxious for Nothing, pastor and author Max Lucado describes the kind of harried, distracted anxiety that people suffer in modern life. Many are depressed by troubling things going on all around that repeat all day on newscasts.

Honestly, that is not the reason I picked up the book. I did not have a particularly gloomy outlook. Nor was I consciously worked up about much. I was driving by an amygdala-induced fear that I didn’t understand. Even so, I read the rest of the book.

Anxious for Nothing is an extended sermon, taking its main text as Philippians 4:4-8. The Main points for the acronym CALM:

-celebrate God’s goodness,

-ask God for help,

-leave your concerns with Him and

-meditate on good things.

“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and mind ins Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-8 (NKJV)

For Christians, there is plenty of good to be found in God that can allay our fears. God is in control. He has demonstrated His love and mercy toward us in Christ. He has a good plan for us and He is able to carry it out.

God hears our prayers for help. He invites us to ask for what we want. His own love for us motivates Him to answer our prayers; though sometimes He has better things in mind for us than we might imagine. We can rely on His promises, which He encourages us to rehearse, though He never forgets them.

Because we can rely on God, we can stop worrying. We can let things go. We can remind ourselves of all the way God has already helped us an rest in peace.

Finally, we can choose what we think about. Instead of worrying, we can abide in Christ. We can dwell on what God has done for us and what He has promised, and we can take courage.

Max Lucado also wrote

It's Not About Me

If you’re interested in this book, you may also be interested in

Philippians

Rewire Your Anxious Brain by Catherine M. Pittman & Elizabeth M. Karle

The Solution by Lucinda Bassett

Lucado, Max. Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2017.