Book Review: Sins We Accept

Sins We Accept. Jerry Bridges. 2013. NavPress. 59 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: A pastor invited the men in his church to join him in a prayer meeting. Rather than praying about the spiritual needs of the church as he expected, all of the men, without exception, prayed about the sins of the culture, primarily abortion and homosexuality. Finally, the pastor, dismayed over the apparent self-righteousness of the men, closed the prayer meeting with the well-known prayer of the tax collector: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13). The attitude toward sin reflected in the prayers of those men seems all too prevalent within our conservative, evangelical circles. Of course, this is a broad-brush observation, and there are many happy exceptions. But on the whole, we appear to be more concerned about the sins of society than we are the sins of the saints. In fact, we often indulge in what I call the “respectable” or “acceptable” sins without any sense of sin.

Jerry Bridges challenges readers to re-examine their lives for so-called "respectable" or "acceptable" sins. He urges his readers to get serious about sin. Serious about sin in their own lives. He's not calling for readers to get more serious about the sins in others' lives. No, it's personal. And Bridges wants YOU to take a long look at your own life. What sins in your own life do you not see "as sin"?!

He writes,

"Why do we not also mourn over our selfishness, our critical spirit, our impatience, and our anger? It’s easy to let ourselves off the hook by saying that these sins are not as bad as the flagrant ones of society. But God has not given us the authority to establish values for different sins."

He points out,

"The truth is, all sin is serious because all sin is a breaking of God’s Law. All sin, even sin that seems so minor in our eyes, is lawlessness. It is not just the breaking of a single command; it is a complete disregard for the Law of God, a deliberate rejection of His moral will in favor of fulfilling one’s own desires. Sin is sin. Even those sins that I call “the acceptable sins of the saints”—those sins that we tolerate in our lives—are serious in God’s eyes. Our religious pride, our critical attitudes, our unkind speech about others, our impatience and anger, even our anxiety (see Philippians 4:6)—all of these are serious in the sight of God."

His book has a timely, relevant message for us all--both as individuals and as a community.

Sin is not a popular subject. Our culture dismisses sin all the time. In fact, rare is it for a culture these days to have a concept of sin and the guilt that accompanies that concept. Anything and everything is okay but holding to the doctrine of sin.

Some churches hold onto the doctrine of sin. But some have a tendency to look at sins without the church more than sins within the church. That is, they are experts in identifying their neighbors' sins, their coworkers' sins, the general sins of society. But they are weak in the area of confessing their own sins, repenting of their own sins, recognizing their sins as an offense against God. My sin is not that bad. Your sin will see you burn in hell.

The truth is any sin--every sin--no matter how "big" or "small"--makes us guilty and fit only for hell. The truth is if we got what we deserved, the justice our actions called for, we'd all be destined for hell.

We tend to segregate sins into categories, types, levels. That sin, well, God doesn't care about that sin. It's not a big enough deal for me to have to deal with. This sin of mine isn't keeping me and God apart. Don't be ridiculous? Me need to repent?! I already prayed a prayer once to take care of all that sin business.

Bridges writes,

"All sins—both the so-called respectable sins of the saints, which we too often tolerate, and the flagrant sins of society, which we are quick to condemn—are a disregard for the Law of God and are reprehensible in His sight. Both deserve the curse of God."

He continues,

"Ralph Venning, the author of The Sinfulness of Sin, uses especially colorful (in the negative sense) words to describe sin. Over the space of only a few pages, he says that sin is vile, ugly, odious, malignant, pestilent, pernicious, hideous, spiteful, poisonous, virulent, villainous, abominable, and deadly. Take a few moments to ponder those words so as to get the full impact of them. Those words describe not just the scandalous sins of society but also the respectable sins we tolerate in our own lives. Think of such tolerated sins as impatience, pride, resentment, frustration, and self-pity. To tolerate those sins in our spiritual lives is as dangerous as to tolerate cancer in our bodies. Seemingly small sins can lead to more serious ones."

The good news is only GOOD because we recognize the bad news as being BAD. We will never be thankful, never rejoice in God's grace, never have compassion for others, never have zeal for sharing the good news, IF we never recognize that we deserved hell but that another bore our sins in our place. Jesus SAVES us from something that we deserved. Jesus paid the price for our rebellion against God. He took my sin so I could take his righteousness. Sin was as foreign to Jesus as righteousness is foreign to me. But God made a way to reconcile himself with sinners, and that way was--is--Jesus.

One of the sins that Bridges talks about a good deal is the sin of ungodliness.

"Ungodliness may be defined as living one’s everyday life with little or no thought of God, or of God’s will, or of God’s glory, or of one’s dependence on Him. You can readily see, then, that someone can lead a respectable life and still be ungodly in the sense that God is essentially irrelevant in his or her life. The sad fact is that many of us who are believers tend to live our daily lives with little or no thought of God. We may even read our Bibles and pray for a few minutes at the beginning of each day, but then we go out into the day’s activities and basically live as though God doesn’t exist. We seldom think of our dependence on God or our responsibility to Him. We might go for hours with no thought of God at all. In that sense, we are hardly different from our nice, decent, but unbelieving neighbor. God is not at all in his thoughts and is seldom in ours. One cannot carefully read the New Testament without recognizing how far short we come in living out a biblical standard of godliness."

He argues that ungodliness is at the center of all our other sins.

"For the godly person, God is the center and focal point of his or her life. Every circumstance and every activity of life, whether in the temporal or spiritual realm, is viewed through the lens of this God-centeredness; however, such a God-centeredness can be developed only in the context of an ever-growing intimate relationship with God. No one can genuinely desire to please God or glorify Him apart from such a relationship. Sins of the tongue—such as gossip, sarcasm, and other unkind words to or about another person—cannot thrive in awareness that God hears every word we speak. The reason we sin with our tongues is due to the fact that we are to some degree ungodly. We don’t think of living every moment of our lives in the presence of an all-seeing, all-hearing God."

Bridges, as you might have gathered by now, gives us PLENTY to think about. He asks hard questions. He challenges his readers to really examine their hearts, minds, and souls. He asks you to go beyond what you profess, and examine if how you are living your life day-to-day matched what you profess to believe.

Bridges advocates preaching the gospel to yourself daily. The cure for sin is the gospel. Since Christians are still sinners, since temptation is still very much a part of Christian warfare, the gospel is the way to go about it.

"Make no mistake: Dealing with our sin is not an option. We are commanded to put sin to death. It is our duty to do so. But duty without desire soon produces drudgery. And it is the truth of the gospel, reaffirmed in our hearts daily, that puts desire into our duty. It is the gospel that stokes the fire of our motivation to deal with our respectable and subtle sins. It is the gospel that motivates us to seek to be in our daily experience what we are in our standing before God."

"As we struggle to put to death our subtle sins, we must always keep in mind this twofold truth: Our sins are forgiven and we are accepted as righteous by God because of the sinless life and sin-bearing death of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is no greater motivation for dealing with sin in our lives than the realization of these two glorious truths of the gospel."

We are responsible to put to death the acceptable sins in our lives. We cannot simply lay this responsibility on God and sit back and watch Him work. At the same time, we are dependent; we cannot make one inch of spiritual progress apart from His enabling power.

I would recommend this short little book because it is rich in truth, very relevant to how we live our lives, speaks to anyone and everyone no matter their age or vocation, and is practical not abstract. The book isn't about sin in the abstract, the doctrine of sin; no, it is about the effect of your sin on your life.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life

Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. Donald S. Whitney. 1991/2014. NavPress. 341 pages. [Source: Bought]

Since reading Donald Whitney's book on prayer last fall, I've been wanting to read his earlier book on spiritual disciplines. What I most loved about his book on prayer was that it was passionately practical, extremely straightforward, and ENCOURAGING. It approached the subject of prayer honestly, the fact that most Christians struggle--have struggled, will struggle--with prayer, with the act of daily prayer. It was a book that built-you-up and supported you. It was just a life-changing book. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, however, takes a different approach. For the record, it was written at least two decades before his newest book on prayer. I wouldn't say I felt encouraged or supported after reading the book. Instead, I'd say I felt discouraged, overwhelmed, and not knowing HOW anyone would ever truly apply the "practical" aspects found in each and every chapter. I wouldn't go so far as to say that Whitney makes the disciplines an aspect of earning one's salvation, or earning God's attention or approval. Far from it. I get the idea that Whitney understands--grasps--the concept of grace. But surely there is a more reader-friendly approach to spiritual disciplines to help believers learn and grow.

You might get the impression, I didn't like or enjoy the book. That isn't true. I did. In parts. A chapter or two at a time. I loved his two chapters on Bible reading. One focused more on hearing and reading the Bible. The other focused more on studying and meditating on the Bible. (He includes, I believe, SIXTEEN methods of meditating on Scripture.) Both were great chapters. I also enjoyed his chapter on prayer, though, it wasn't nearly as good as the book he's recently written on the subject. I liked that he recommended reading theology as a way to grow spiritually.

So what does the book cover besides bible-reading and prayer? It has chapters on worship, evangelism, serving in the church and community, stewardship both of your time and your money, fasting (yes, fasting which he urges can't be skipped over), silence and solitude, journaling, learning (reading theology), and perseverance.

One thing I definitely appreciated was Whitney quoting other believers--Puritans, Spurgeon, etc.

Overall, I think the book makes some valid points, and offers a few practical tips on how to become more disciplined spiritually. But read cover-to-cover, even taking a week to do so, will more likely overwhelm you than encourage you.


© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Bible Review: Message 100

The Message 100: The Story of God in Sequence. Eugene H. Peterson. 2015. NavPress. 1600 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Soon after receiving a review copy of The Message 100, I decided to read the whole New Testament and the book of Psalms.

What makes The Message 100 unique? (What makes it different from other Message Bibles? OR  even what makes it different from all other Bibles?)

First. It is in the Message "translation." (It is actually a paraphrase.)

Second. It is "the story of God in sequence." The books, while remaining whole books, are not ordered in the same traditional way. In the New Testament, for example, this is the arrangement:

• Matthew
• Mark
• Luke
• Acts
• James
• Galatians
• 1 Thessalonians
• 2 Thessalonians
• 1 Corinthians
• 2 Corinthians
• Romans
• Colossians
• Philemon
• Ephesians
• Philippians
• 1 Timothy
• Titus
• 2 Timothy
• 1 Peter
• 2 Peter
• Jude
• Hebrews
• John
• 1 John
• 2 John
• 3 John
• Revelation

The Old Testament is also arranged differently. Don't open to the middle of the Bible expecting to find Psalms! Psalms is the last book of the Old Testament in this Bible, placing it directly before Matthew!

Other "chronological" Bibles I've read in don't keep books whole, and, they break up books of the Bible down to chapters and verses in an attempt to make it perfectly chronological--at least according to their best guess. I really appreciate that The Message 100 keeps whole books. Books are meant to be read whole, to rearrange books, in some ways complicates study.

Third. The Bible is broken into 100 readings. They are numbered, but, not dated like some "daily reading" Bibles. There is nothing whatsoever that implies you have to read this Bible for 100 consecutive days! Or even that you have to read all 100 within one year of beginning.

What's a typical reading?

001 -- Genesis 1-16
002 -- Genesis 17-28
003 -- Genesis 29-41
004 -- Genesis 41-50
072 -- Psalm 1-20
073 -- Psalm 21-36
074 -- Psalm 37-51
075 -- Psalm 52-71
076 -- Psalm 72-89
077 -- Psalm 90-109
078 -- Psalm 110-119
079 -- Psalm 120-150
080 -- Matthew 1-11
081 -- Matthew 12-20
082 -- Matthew 21-28
090 -- James, Galatians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians
091 -- 1 Corinthians
094 -- Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians, Philippians

But isn't that A LOT of text to read in one sitting? in one day? Yes and no. I'll explain.

The Bible is best read in large doses. That is, it is better understood if you read it in sections that make sense, that get you going, and keep you focused on the big picture, and the message of the Bible. As opposed to say, reading one or two chapters per day. Would you approach any other book--fiction or nonfiction--and just read it two pages at a time and think you were doing it justice? Don't you at least aim to read whole chapters of other books? Be those chapters five pages or twenty pages?

I also have found that once you expand your spiritual appetites, once you've started reading large chunks of Scripture, that you can't be satisfied with less. It's not that you feel obligated and duty-bound to keep on reading. No, you DESIRE more, more, more. You have tasted and seen that God is GOOD and you honestly desire MORE of his Word daily. You are finding delight and satisfaction IN the Word and you wouldn't want it any other way. (I expanded my spiritual appetite several years ago with the Bible in 90 days plan, and I haven't been the same ever since.)

 Fourth. Each reading is introduced by a devotion. Here is an excerpt from the devotion for 082.

I want to tell you that God comes to you. And I want to prepare you to recognize and receive him when he does. Come is a gospel verb. The distinctive biblical and Christian message is not that God is but that he comes. And he's going to come again, because that's the very nature of God--to come. That's his basic character--God comes. He's not a professor who delivers ideas to us; he's not a social worker who arranges discussion groups among us to to help us raise our standard of living; he isn't a government agent bringing the latest set of regulations so that we can stay out of jail. He comes. He arrives…. God has been doing this for a long time; the Bible reports his comings. He's still doing it. Jesus Christ is the primary way in which we recognize both that God comes and the way he comes. . . . (1417)

Fifth. It is single column, paragraph format. There are no verse numbers within the paragraph itself. The chapters and verses are in super-tiny print in the margin. So while it isn't technically verse-less like the ESV Reader's Bible (which I recently reviewed), it comes close. This is a good thing in my opinion. There are still headings or subheadings.

http://themessage100.com/

What do I think of The Message 100?

If you'd asked me a week or two ago, I would have admitted that I am not a fan of The Message. But I'd probably also admit that I hadn't ever actually read The Message in any real way. That is, while, I'd looked up verses at Bible Gateway, I'd never sat down to read whole books of the Bible in the Message translation. In part, because I would stumble across less than appealing chapters and verses, and make some quick judgements.

First this: God created the Heavens and Earth—all you see, all you don’t see. Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. God’s Spirit brooded like a bird above the watery abyss. (Genesis 1:1-2)

How well God must like you—
you don’t hang out at Sin Saloon,
you don’t slink along Dead-End Road,
you don’t go to Smart-Mouth College. (Psalm 1:1)

Who is this King-Glory?
God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
he is King-Glory. (Psalm 24:10)

But after spending a week reading it, I must admit that I was too harsh. Sure, there are a handful of verses that still read painfully to me, like nails on a chalkboard. But more often than not, it worked for me just fine. Even refreshing at times.

“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
“You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
“You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.
“You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.
“You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.
“You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
“You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.
“You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom. (Matthew 5:3-10)

“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)

“Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don’t make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won’t be applauding. (Matthew 6:1)

“Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor. Matthew 7:1-5)

There is something practical about the paraphrase. And by the end of the week, I'd come to appreciate more than I ever thought possible.

In fact, I would encourage skeptics to spend a week with The Message. BUT at the same time, I would encourage those who rely on The Message as their primary Bible to spend a week in another translation as well. Perhaps even the KJV!!! I do believe that dramatic changes can engage you with the text in a new and beneficial ways.

Conclusion: I ended up REALLY enjoying The Message 100. I love the concept of the 100 readings. I like the arrangement of the books. I appreciate that they kept the books whole. If it was available in additional translations, I'd be absolutely thrilled. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: Respectable Sins

Respectable Sins. Jerry Bridges. 2007. NavPress. 192 pages. [Source: Bought]

Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate was a great read. This Jerry Bridges' book addresses SIN. He argues that Christians tend to tolerate "respectable sins" (their own "little" sins) while harshly judging BIG sins. Bridges points out that in God's eyes--sin is sin is sin. And that Christians have no business tolerating sin in their lives--big or little. In other words, no sin is "respectable" from God's perspective. He does make a good case!

I loved how Bridges' chapters flow. I do. You can really see some connections between sins or sin patterns. He might surprise you--like he surprised me--when he argues that the greatest sin of all--the root of all other sin--is ungodliness. Furthermore, Christians are far from immune from this particular sin. "Ungodliness may be defined as living one's everyday life with little or no thought of God, or of God's will, or of God's glory, or of one's dependence on God." (54)

Other sins he addresses are: anxiety, frustration, discontentment, unthankfulness, pride, self-righteousness, selfishness, lack of self-control, impatience, irritability, anger, resentment, bitterness, judgmentalism, envy, jealousy, gossip, slander, lying, worldliness, etc.

I love that the book is relevant. Every reader will be confronted--or challenged--by Bridges at least a couple of times while reading Respectable Sins. (If not every chapter!) Sin is a reality. Whether Christians want to be upfront with their struggle or battle with SIN or not, the Christian life is a struggle from start to finish.

I love that the book is practical. Bridges not only points out common sins that believers struggle with, he, tells readers how to address these sins--all sins. He walks you step by step through the process. And these tips are well worth reading again and again.

I love that the book is encouraging. Bridges doesn't point out negative truths and leave readers without hope. He reminds readers again and again that JESUS PAID IT ALL, and that YOUR SINS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN. By all means, fight your war with sin. Strive to be holy. Take your life seriously--not only your words and actions, but your thoughts as well. But never, ever forget that JESUS PAID IT ALL…for you. That IT IS FINISHED. Take comfort in Christ's victory.

I love that it is Christ-centered and gospel-focused. Bridges urges readers to preach the gospel to themselves each and every day. He reminds them that it is impossible for them to grow beyond the gospel. The gospel isn't only for unbelievers. The gospel isn't something that you only "need" to hear the one time. The gospel is EVERYTHING. And God is the gospel. The more you live in the gospel--the more you cling to it--the more precious it becomes.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: Transforming Grace

Transforming Grace. Jerry Bridges. 1991. NavPress. 207 pages. [Source: Borrowed]

I loved, loved, loved Jerry Bridges' Transforming Grace. It is a MUST READ in my opinion. If you've never read Jerry Bridges before, you don't know what you're missing. He is a GREAT author that every Christian--every Christian who reads--should try. And Transforming Grace would be a great introduction to his work.

Why? Well, because people NEED to know about grace, to embrace grace, to come to a greater, deeper appreciation of what grace is and all that it means. Not that any person can fully and totally comprehend God's grace and 'all that it means.' But you can live in awe of it, and let it transform you day by day, year by year. Grace isn't something to celebrate a couple of times in your life. It's something to celebrate each and every day.

Believers need to preach the gospel to themselves daily--and reading Jerry Bridges, well, may just help you remember to do just that. I believe that the book would prove beneficial to new believers and to old believers--those who have perhaps been in the faith for decades, but, could use a little refreshing. (Who doesn't need refreshing from the Spirit?!) The truth, in my opinion, never gets old. The good news is GREAT news. And one never outgrows one's need for gospel-truth, for the richness of grace.

Table of Contents:

• The Performance Treadmill
• Grace--Who Needs It?
• Grace--It Really Is Amazing
• The Generous Landowner
• Does God Have A Right?
• Compelled by Love
• The Proof of Love
• Holiness: A Gift of God's Grace
• Called To Be Free
• The Sufficiency of Grace
• The Least of All God's People
• Appropriating God's Grace
• Garments of Grace

Quotes:

One of the best kept secrets among Christians today is this: Jesus paid it all. I mean all. He not only purchased your forgiveness of sins and your ticket to Heaven, He purchased every blessing and every answer to prayer you will ever receive. Every one of them--no exceptions. Why is this such a well-kept secret? For one thing we are afraid of this truth. We are afraid to tell even ourselves that we don't have to work anymore, the work is all done. We are afraid that if we really believe this, we will slack off in our Christian duties. (19)

What, then, is the grace by which we are saved and under which we live? Grace is God's free and unmerited favor shown to guilty sinners who deserve only judgment. It is the love of God shown to the unlovely. It is God reaching downward to people who are in rebellion against Him. Grace stands in direct opposition to any supposed worthiness on our part. (22)

You are loved and accepted by God through the merits of Jesus, and you are blessed by God through the merit of Jesus. Nothing you ever do will cause Him to love you any more or any less. He loves you strictly by His grace given to you through Jesus. (73)

To live by grace is to live solely by the merit of Jesus Christ. To live by grace is to base my entire relationship with God, including my acceptance and standing with Him, on my union with Christ. It is to recognize that in myself I bring nothing of worth to my relationship with God, because even my righteous acts are like filthy rags in His sight (Isaiah 64:6). Even my best works are stained with mixed motives and imperfect performance. I never truly love God with all my heart, and I never truly love my neighbor with the degree of consistency with which I love myself. (101)

God never allows pain without a purpose in the lives of His children. He never allows Satan, nor circumstances, nor any ill-intending person to afflict us unless He uses that affliction for our good. God never wastes pain. He always causes it to work together for our ultimate good, the good of conforming us more to the likeness of His Son (see Romans 8:28-29). (139)

The Bible is God's self-revelation to us of all He wants us to know about Himself and His provision for our salvation and our spiritual growth. It is God's only objective, authoritative communication. to us. If we are to appropriate the grace of God then, we must become intimate friends with the Bible. We must seek to know and understand the great truths of Scripture: truths about God and His character, and truths about man and his desperate need of God's grace. (177)

It is difficult for us to see God's hand of love in the adversities and heartaches of life because we persist in thinking, as the world does, that happiness is the greatest good. Thus we tend to evaluate all our circumstances in terms of whether or not they produce happiness. Holiness, however, is a greater good than happiness, so God arranges and orchestrates circumstances to produce holiness before happiness. He is more concerned about our eternal than our temporal welfare and more concerned about our spiritual than our material welfare. So all the trials and difficulties, all the heartaches, disappointments, and humiliations come from His loving hand to make us partakers of His holiness. (183)

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: Love Walked Among Us

Love Walked Among Us: Learning to Love Like Jesus. Paul E. Miller. 2001/2014. NavPress. 272 pages. [Source: Library]

Want to learn to love like Jesus? Consider reading Paul E. Miller's Love Walked Among Us.

The book is divided into five parts: "Love Shows Compassion," "Love Speaks the Truth," "Love Depends on God," "Love Is Energized By Faith," and "Love Moves Through Death Into Life."

Miller presents the life of Jesus in detail. By studying the life of Jesus, by reading carefully, reflectively, prayerfully, what can we learn about how Jesus loved? But it isn't just a book about what Jesus has done--how Jesus has loved--it's a book challenging readers to love as Jesus loved. It aims to practically teach believers to love like Jesus.

Of course, I appreciated the premise of Love Walked Among Us. And I did enjoy reading it overall. But it almost felt weighed down by personal stories and examples. The focus seemed to be exclusively on learning to love like Jesus loved within specific roles. How learning to love like Jesus can make you a better husband or wife. How learning to love like Jesus can make you a better father or mother. I wish it was less exclusive, that the examples were less so. The principles are solid enough however.

I've also reviewed Paul Miller's A Loving Life.

Favorite quotes:

When we love we cease to be the master and become a servant. (32)

We analyze one another all the time… Analyzing provides the disciples with a safe and tidy world that keeps everything in its place. So they talk about the blind man while they are right in front of him. But Jesus moves toward him, makes mud, and touches his eyes. Jesus lowers himself in order to care, while the disciples elevate themselves in order to judge. The disciples see a blind man; Jesus sees a man who happens to be blind. The disciples see an item for debate; Jesus sees a person, a human being like himself. They see sin, the effect of man's work; Jesus sees need, the potential for God's work. The disciples see a completed tragedy and wonder who the villain was; Jesus sees a story half-told, with the best yet to come. It is one thing to notice a blind man; it is quite another to stop and talk with him--that gets scary. He might ask for money or interrupt our schedule… Compassion affects us. Maybe that's why we judge so quickly--it keeps us from being infected by other people's problems. Passing judgment is just so efficient. (39)

The first step toward God is realizing you are on the wrong path going the wrong way. It's actually quite freeing if you think about it. With your mask off you can get real and relax. When we realize that we don't have it all together, we can care for people because we no longer feel morally superior to them. Consequently, we are quicker to help than to give advice, quicker to listen than to lecture. (55)

Unless you deal with "self"--with human ego--focusing on rules is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic while it is sinking. (59)

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: Beside Bethesda

Beside Bethesda: 31 Days Toward Deeper Healing. Joni Eareckson Tada. 2014. NavPress. 176 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Beside Bethesda is a 31 day devotional written by Joni Eareckson Tada. It is concerned with pain and suffering and "deeper healing." Within the devotional, she shares personal stories and insights. Several times she's mentions within the text that she has been in her wheelchair for 47 years. She reflects a bit on what she's learned in those decades. It's honest reflecting. Her desire for physical healing, but, her ever-increasing joy in the spiritual healing that God has blessed her with instead. In addition to telling her personal story, which, some readers might already be familiar with, she shares more about her recent battle with cancer.

There were a few things that stood out to me as I was reading. One thing is her memorization of Scripture. She tells of how memory work has helped her tremendously through the years. How foundational it was to her clinging to hope and joy and peace. She shares several verses that have been a big help to her. Romans 15:4, in part, reads "whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." It's something to keep in mind always. The Bible is a Christian's treasure. God speaks to us through his Word. His promises to us are within the Word. And it is our privilege, our joy to find those promises, to cling to them, to treasure them. Scriptures should be influencing our prayers and our lives. The other thing that stood out to me was the struggle--the fight--against depression and for contentment. She writes about how discouraging thoughts, depression, and boredom can weigh you down, can strip you of joy and peace. Go to God with how you feel, but, don't hold onto those negative feelings, don't meditate on them, dwell on them. Feed instead on the word of God. Let his promises have a place in your heart and mind.

I would definitely recommend this little devotional to believers that enjoy reading devotions.


© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible