Book Review: Exalting Jesus in Galatians

Exalting Jesus in Galatians (Christ-Centered Exposition) David Platt and Tony Merida. 2014. B&H. 288 pages. [Source: Bought]

This is the second commentary I've read in the Christ-Centered Exposition series published by Holman. I've also read and reviewed Exalting Jesus in Matthew. I am enjoying this series, and I do plan to seek out other titles and read and review them in the future. It's hard for me to imagine that just a few years ago, I was too intimidated by commentaries to give them a try. Now commentaries are one of my favorite things to read! Do you read commentaries? Do you have a favorite series or a favorite author? Share in the comments!

So this September, I am attempting to read Galatians thirty times. I like using the 'John MacArthur' approach to reading the Bible though I admit that if I tried to do it every single month, I wouldn't get much other Bible reading done. So it's something I do a few times a year instead of once a month. Because I am reading and studying Galatians, I wanted to read a commentary. And I chose Exalting Jesus in Galatians. I am so glad I did. It is a WONDERFUL book.

Each chapter focuses on a section of text and begins with a main idea and an outline. Each chapter concludes with discussion/reflection questions. I admit I do like books with structure! It does make it easier to digest the information.

I don't know about you, but, to me Galatians has always been something of an intimidating read. It's not that I find it impossible to understand start-to-finish, more that there are sections within it that take some work to process and absorb. And that's something I'm not always willing to do when I read it. So at times I'm guilty of rushing through it. This commentary on Galatians was quite helpful and reader-friendly. The writers acknowledging that the book isn't always easy and obvious and presenting the material in a way that is packed with insight. I loved the passionate writing emphasizing WHY Galatians is such a great book and WHY it's important to take the time to understand it. And HOW it is ever-relevant today. (All the talk of circumcision and Jews and Gentiles, well, it isn't always obvious how it is relevant to me today. But when the author(s) stress that the book is about legalism and hypocrisy and the importance of avoiding both extremes in the Christian life, that is when I saw the book's relevance in a whole new way. I saw that Galatians was all about answering the question: HOW AM I MADE RIGHT WITH GOD? Paul's answer: JESUS, ONLY JESUS, ALWAYS AND FOREVER ONLY JESUS.

Quotes:

To distort the gospel is to destroy the church because the church is created and lives by the gospel. The greatest troublemakers in the church are those who wish to distort the gospel message. I believe Satan operates more effectively through false gospels than through any other avenue. He twists, confuses, and changes the gospel, using philosophy and rule-keeping to put people in mental manacles that blind their eyes to the truth.

The gospel of grace is like water: people did not invent it, and people cannot live without it. We are spiritually thirsty creatures in need of the living water of the gospel. As believers, we need to keep drinking from this well of grace. Many Christians think they should move on from the gospel—as if there is something more important that Christ’s work. No, keep drinking more of grace; keep working the gospel into your heart. You will be prepared to tell unbelievers that what they desperately need is not good advice or moral improvement, but the good news from God about new life in Jesus.

Despite how we normally think about Christianity, we are not in debt to Christ. We typically reflect on what He did in the past on the cross, which is obviously a good thing to do, but if we’re not careful, we will leave it there and start to think, Jesus has done this for me, so what can I now do for Him? The reason we must be careful here is because Jesus hasn’t stopped doing for you. You’re not paying Him back, because He’s still paying you. We are indwelt by Christ! Christ is in us. And the Christian life is not so much about you and I living for Christ as it is trusting Christ to live for us and through us and in us. This is faith. By faith we are accepted before God, and by faith we are alive to God because we are attached to Christ.

We live by faith when we believe Christ every moment of every day. We believe Him to be our sustenance and our strength. We believe Him to be our love and joy and peace. We believe Him to be our satisfaction—more than money and houses and cars and stuff. We believe Christ to be our purity and our holiness and our power over sin. This is Christianity: believing Christ to be everything you need for every moment you live. You live by faith in the Son of God.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks: “What does every sin deserve?” Answer: “Every sin deserves God’s wrath and curse, both in this life, and that which is to come.” That answer may not be popular, but it’s true that each of us stands guilty before God’s law. And the more you try to obey it—the more you go to church, the more you try to pray, the more you try to be good, the more you try to lead your family the right way—the more the law says, “Guilty.”

Praise God that though there was nothing in us to draw Him to us, God determined to redeem us. And lest that sound like an exaggeration of our evil and sinfulness, look at the cross. Look at the picture of God’s wrath against sin. It was no minor offense for which Jesus died.

Let me put this into contemporary language: if you go to church, sing songs, and study the Word, thinking this is how you’re going to work to earn God’s favor, then you are no different from the over one billion Hindus in the world today who are bowing down to their gods. If your Christianity is a check-off box in order to make you feel good about yourself before God, in order to save your skin on the day of judgment, then your Christianity is no different from every other religion in the world, and ultimately it will condemn you. What if Satan actually wants you to come to church, lead a small group, teach, and lead your home in an upright way? What if he’s in favor of you doing all those things, just so long as you think that by doing those things you’re working your way to God?

Do not be a Christian ninja, just sliding in and out of worship services without anyone seeing you! The Lord saved us so we could love and serve others.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Week in Review: September 6-12

Not only do we need God to help us to live out the truth when it’s not easy, but we also need God to help us to hear it when it’s not popular. ~ David Platt & Tony Merida, Exalting Jesus in Galatians

Waiting time is not wasted time. God wastes nothing in the lives of His servants. ~ David Platt & Tony Merida, Exalting Jesus in Galatians

ESV Reader's Bible:

• Isaiah 40-66
• Jeremiah
• Lamentations
• 1 Thessalonians
• 2 Thessalonians

NIV Zondervan Study Bible

• Ruth
• Ecclesiastes
• Obadiah
• Jonah
• Galatians
• Titus
• Philemon

Living Bible:

• Galatians

New English Bible

• Galatians

Modern English Version

• Galatians

Good News Translation

• Galatians

NIV-UK Audio Bible

• Lamentations
• Ezekiel

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: Praying the Bible

Praying the Bible. Donald S. Whitney. 2015. Crossway. 112 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Crossway publishes the best, best books. In my opinion. Last week, I reviewed the amazing Newton on the Christian Life, and, this week I'm reviewing Donald S. Whitney's Praying the Bible. Both books are excellent. But in very different ways I suppose. There is something so very practical and just NECESSARY about Praying the Bible. (Not that Newton on the Christian Life wasn't practical. But it was more food for thought, ideas to let resonate.)

Praying the Bible is simple, straight-forward, and PRACTICAL. Have a troubling prayer life? Is your prayer life boring, routine, nothing-special? Is prayer a matter-of-fact duty to check off your to-do list? Do you hate to pray but hate to admit that you hate to pray? Are you embarrassed at your passion-less prayer? Do your prayers feel scripted or manufactured? What if you can't remember the last time you finished a prayer? What if--your prayer life is even non-existent?  This book is for you. I promise. It is. I know it's hard to believe that there really is a book about prayer that could actually help you PRAY. Sometimes you can know you have a problem, but, be hesitant to do something about it. What if you read a hundred books on prayer, and, still can't pray? Wouldn't that prove the problem is you? But give this one a try. It is a bit different than other books on prayers.

It’s possible that you have been saying the same old things about the same old things in prayer for so long that it’s hard for you to believe that you could easily learn to pray any other way, as though you were listening to a lung specialist say that you could easily change the way you breathe. Many who are reading this book have endured the guilt of an incurably wandering mind and feelings of boredom in prayer for decades, and here comes a writer asking you to believe that there is a simple, permanent, biblical solution to a problem that’s plagued you for most of your life. Would I really ask you to believe that? Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. I do realize that after all these years of unsatisfying prayer, you might find it challenging to believe that the problem is not you, Christian, but your method. But once again, let’s return to the facts. The Lord has his people all over the world, and among them are believers of every sort of demographic description. And yet by his Spirit, he gives to all of them a desire to pray. Would he do this for all if meaningful prayer was doable only by some? Would your heavenly Father make prayer so difficult or confusing that you could never enjoy it or, rather, never enjoy him through prayer?

In the book, Whitney describes the problem most people have with praying. And it does indeed sound oh-so-familiar. He then proposes a solution that is simple and wise. And all you need is the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. Oh, I suppose you also need time--a little or a lot.

His solution is to pray the Bible: to sit down with an open Bible, to read through a passage of Scripture, and verse by verse, pray as the Spirit leads you. Let the Bible itself--the words of the Bible--drive your prayers forward. Not every single phrase in every single verse will speak to you directly and lead to praise or a prayer request. But if something--or someone--comes to mind as you're reading, PRAY. As part of the book, he requires you to actually pray for seven minutes using his method before continuing on with the book. I only hope every reader does it!!!

To pray the Bible, you simply go through the passage line by line, talking to God about whatever comes to mind as you read the text. See how easy that is? Anyone can do that. If you don’t understand the meaning of a verse, go on to the next verse. If the meaning of that one is perfectly clear but nothing comes to mind to pray about, go on to the next verse. Just speak to the Lord about everything that occurs to you as you slowly read his Word. You do this even if— and this page of the book is potentially the one most likely to be misunderstood— even if what comes to mind has nothing to do with the text.

God has revealed himself to us through his Word. And praying this way, does indeed come closer to having a conversation. As opposed to say, the feeling that you're ordering off a menu. More specifically, he urges--encourages--believers to pray using Psalms. Though it's possible to use this method with other Scriptures. (Particularly the New Testament.)

So. His examples primarily comes from the Psalms. And he encourages a systematic way of praying through the Psalms. Take the day of the month--say the 10th--and keep adding thirty. So on the 10th of the month, you'd skim through Psalm 10, Psalm 40, Psalm 70, Psalm 100, Psalm 130. You'd then after skimming, choose ONE to pray through that day. On the 31st of the month--choose a section or two from Psalm 119.

I would definitely recommend this one. This is another Crossway book to gush about!!!

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: Mistress of Tall Acre

Mistress of Tall Acre. Laura Frantz. 2015. Revell. 400 pages. [Source: Review copy]

I loved, loved, loved The Mistress of Tall Acre by Laura Frantz. Loving it was not a surprise, though I admit that I didn't expect to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. Dare I say that The Mistress of Tall Acre may just be my FAVORITE Frantz novel?

Sophie Menzies is the heroine of The Mistress of Tall Acres. The American Revolution has disrupted her life, torn apart her family. Her father left the country during the early years of the war, I believe, and her brother is rumored to have turned traitor as well, perhaps around the time of Benedict Arnold. Not that Sophie Menzies is fully aware of this rumor. But the folks in and around the village/town where she lives, certainly believes that the family is/was on the wrong side of the war and want absolutely nothing to do with her. (A few actively want her GONE from the community). Her property is in danger of being confiscated.

The war has also proved costly to General Seamus Ogilvy. His wife was a stranger to him, as was his only child, a daughter. (He enlisted very soon after they married. They really had no time together to build a relationship, a home, a family.) He returns home at the end of war to reclaim his daughter from his wife's relatives. (His wife died during the war.) It isn't easy to have an instant relationship with a daughter you've only seen once or twice. He hates that his daughter is a bit scared of him. But he isn't proving to be a natural with children...it will take time and effort...

But Sophie has a way with children, particularly General Ogilvy's daughter. He sees the two together, and, he knows that she can help him out tremendously. And he may just be able to help her out as well...

The idea of marrying for convenience did not come suddenly within the novel. I almost expected it to, in a way. But I am glad now it didn't.

I really loved, loved, loved both Sophie and Seamus. I really did. I thought they were GREAT together.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Quotes from the Cloud #36

This year, I hope share weekly posts of quotes. These quotes are from authors I'm reading and enjoying from the Clouds of Witnesses Reading Challenge. 

For fellow participants, what I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to see is for people to share quotes from what they're reading. I'd love for you to share quotes occasionally with your readers and let me know about it. If you don't have a blog, you could always leave quotes in the comments here.

“To know him [Jesus], is the shortest description of true grace; to know him better, is the surest mark of growth in grace; to know him perfectly, is eternal life.” ~ John Newton

“Jesus is always near, about our path by day, and our bed by night; nearer than the light by which we see, or the air we breathe; nearer than we are to ourselves; so that not a thought, a sigh, or a tear, escapes his notice.” ~ John Newton

We will not be without sinful desires as long as we live in these bodies. Consequently, none of us will be free of temptation either. But each person is tempted in a different way according to individual differences. One person will be attacked emotionally, such as with depression, blasphemy, unbelief, or despair. Another will be attacked with coarser sins, such as sexual desire, anger, or hatred. But Paul demands that we live by the Spirit and resist the sinful nature. Those who obey the sinful nature and continue to gratify its desires should know that they don’t belong to Christ. Even though people may label themselves with the name “Christian,”they are only deceiving themselves. ~ Martin Luther, Faith Alone, August 18

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: Convenient Bride Collection

Convenient Bride Collection. 2015. Barbour Books. 446 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Did I enjoy reading The Convenient Bride Collection published by Barbour?! Yes!!!! So very, very much! To be fair, these novellas are all built around a predictable premise: convenient marriages that all end with the couple falling head over heels in love with each other. I happen to have a weakness for this romantic sub-genre. Predictability can be a strength as well as a weakness, depending on personal preferences, of course. So if you happen to dislike this sub-genre (convenient marriages) or if you happen to dislike historical romances in general, then this isn't the collection for you. (And that's okay!)

Nine novellas in all:

The Substitute Wife by Amanda Barratt
One Way to the Altar by Andrea Boeshaar with Christina Linstrot Miller
Keeper of My Heart by Mona Hodgson
Blinded by Love by Melissa Jagears
Bonnets and Bees by Maureen Lang
A Groom for Josette by Gabrielle Meyer
Wedded to Honor by Jennifer Uhlarik
A Bride for Bear by Erica Vetsch
Have Cash, Will Marry by Renee Yancy

Since this novella collection focuses on convenient marriages, I thought it likely--very likely--that I would enjoy most of the stories in varying degrees. I didn't expect, however, to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE all of them. Sure, I could probably pick a top three that made me extra-giddy. But really, all of them proved giddy-making and purely satisfying.

My least favorite novella was probably Amanda Barratt's The Substitute Wife. It read a little too closely to Grace Livingston Hill's Marcia Schuyler to my liking. (And Marcia Schuyler was one of my first romances to ever read. It's one I've read two or three times at least.)

My top three novellas are probably A Bride for Bear, A Groom for Josette, and Have Cash, Will Marry. Honestly, picking my third favorite was difficult. I could just as easily have gone with Blinded by Love or One Way to the Altar.

I enjoyed each novella. I worried perhaps that there wouldn't be enough time for character development since they were novellas and not full-length novels, but, I shouldn't have worried. While I wouldn't have minded a little more of my most-favorite stories, I also didn't feel that the stories were lacking either. Plenty happens, and there is time to come to care for the characters.

All of the novellas are set in America, one novella has an English hero, however. Overall, I liked the historical settings for the novellas.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

My Year with Spurgeon #36

Thy Redeemer
Charles Spurgeon
1857
Isaiah 41:14

There are some preachers from whom you will never learn anything; not because they do not say much which is instructive, but because they just mention the instructive thought once, and immediately pass on to another thought, never expanding upon the second thought, but immediately passing on, almost without connection, to a third--just casting forth, as it were bare thoughts, without opening them up and explaining them to the people.

Now, brethren, suffer your thoughts for a moment to enlarge upon the fact, that the promise contained in this verse, “Fear not, I will help thee” (I will help thee), is a promise from Three Divine Persons.

Hear Jehovah, the everlasting Father, saying, “I will help thee.” “Mine are the ages: before the ages began, when there were no worlds, when nought had been created, from everlasting I am thy God. I am the God of election, the God of the decree, the God of the covenant; by my strength I did set fast the mountains, by my skill I laid the pillars of the earth; and the beams of the firmament of heaven; I spread out the skies as a curtain, and as a tent for man to dwell in; I the Lord made all these things. ‘I will help thee.’”

Then comes Jehovah the Son. “And I also, am thy Redeemer, I am eternal; my name is wisdom. I was with God, when there were no depths, before he had digged the rivers, I was there as one brought up with him. I am Jesus, the God of ages; I am Jesus, the man of sorrows: ‘I am he that liveth and was dead, I am alive for evermore.’ I am the High Priest of your profession, the Intercessor before the throne, the Representative of my people. I have power with God. ‘I will help thee.’” Poor worm, thy Redeemer vows to help thee; by his bleeding hands he covenants to give thee aid.

And then in comes the Holy Spirit. “And I,” saith the Spirit, “am also God — not an influence, but a person — I, eternal and everlasting co- existent with the Father and the Son — I, who did brood over chaos, when as yet the world was not brought into form and fashion, and did sow the earth with the seeds of life when I did brood over it, — I, that brought again from the dead your Lord Jesus Christ, the Shepherd of the sheep — 1, who am the Eternal Spirit, by whose power the Lord Jesus did arise from the thraldom of his tomb — I, by whom souls are quickened, by whom the elect are called out of darkness into light — I, who have power to maintain my children and preserve them to the end — ‘I will help thee.’” Now, soul, gather up these three; and dost thou want more help than they can afford? What! dost thou need more strength than the Omnipotence of the United Trinity? Dost thou want more wisdom than exists in the Father, more love than displays itself in the Son, and more power than is manifest in the influences of the Spirit? Bring hither thine empty pitcher! Sure this well will fill it.

“I will help thee:” lay a stress on that word. If you read it so, there is one blow at your unbelief.” I will help thee,” saith the Redeemer. “Others may not, but I have loved thee with an everlasting love, and by the bands of my lovingkindness have I drawn thee. ‘I will help thee,’ though the earth forsake thee; though thy father and thy mother forsake thee, I will take thee up. Wilt thou doubt me? I have proved my love to thee. Behold this gash, this spear thrust in my side. Look hither at my hands: wilt thou doubt me? ‘’Tis I.’ I said that on the waters, and I said to my people, ‘Be not afraid; it is I.’ I say to thee, now thou art on the waters, ‘Be not afraid; I will help thee.’ Sure thou needst not fear that I shall ever forget thee. ‘Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.’ ‘I have graven thee on my hands; thy walls are ever before me.’ ‘I will help thee.’”

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible