Tag: spiritual growth

“Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts” by Jerry Bridges

~ Bob Hayton ~ 6 Comments

Author: Jerry Bridges
Publisher: NavPress
Format: softcover
Publication Date: revised edition, 2008
Pages: 240
ISBN: 9781600063053
Stars: 4 of 5

In Trusting God, Jerry Bridges tackles some big and important questions. How are we to approach the hurdles life throws our way? How can we trust God in spite of difficult circumstances? How are we to trust him even when life hurts?

These questions all give us pause to think at some point in our Christian life. And there are many books which aim to help us deal with these issues. This book stands apart. Bridges points in an uncommon direction for finding help: the sovereignty of God. Most don’t like to think of God’s being behind the very difficulties that make life so painful.

Bridges is under no illusions as to his ability to provide all possible answers to this age old dilemma. He offers hope but the answers aren’t easy or glib. He doesn’t reveal how he has personally conquered all such doubts and how his life story provides the answers to ours. Instead I picture him sitting down, opening his big black Bible and applying Scripture with care. This book is a Bible study, that will pay great dividends to those who dig in and hear what the Bible has to say about trusting God.

Three themes are explored in depth, in Trusting God. The author explains:

In the arena of adversity, the Scriptures teach us three essential truths about God — truths we must believe if we are to trust Him in adversity. They are: God is completely sovereign. God is infinite in wisdom. God is perfect in love. (pg. 16-17)

Most of the book explores God’s sovereignty since so many Christians today are unfamiliar with the term and the concept. Bridges carefully shows the extent of God’s control over this planet and each of our lives. If you are unfamiliar with the Bible’s witness to God’s sovereignty you will be amazed at the number of Bible verses and passages that are examined.

God’s rule over all things gives His children hope. God knows what He is doing, and this circumstance is not out of His control. Jerry Bridges explains, “There is no agonizing by God, no hoping He has made the right decision, no wondering what is really best for us. God makes no mistakes.” (pg. 126)

After exploring the three themes of God’s sovereignty, wisdom and love, Bridges deals with how we can apply these Bible truths to our lives. The author’s great confidence in God, by the end of the book, becomes infectious. I particularly appreciated his insight into Christian’s common obsessing over knowing God’s will for us when it comes to a decision. I think his advice on this point is worth repeating at some length:

Consider the book of Acts. The only reference to the disciples seeking to determine the will of God occurs in the choosing of Matthias to succeed Judas. From that point onward, it is a record of God’s guiding His people…. God does have a plan for each of us. He has given each of us different gifts, abilities, and temperaments and has placed each of us in the body of Christ according to His will…. We do have a responsibility to make wise decisions or to discover the will of God, whichever term we may prefer to use. But God’s plan for us is not contingent upon our decisions. God’s plan is not contingent at all. God’s plan is sovereign. It includes our foolish decisions as well as our wise ones. (pg. 181-182)

Isn’t that perspective refreshing? Bridges shares his heart in this book. It doesn’t appear to have been an easy one for him to write. You can tell he’s been through a lot personally and has shared the grief of many who have suffered even more. His personal accounts and illustrations add life to the book. His openness about his sin and failures to trust God is inspiring. He writes with an earnestness and confidence that can only be accompanied by prayers for those of us who would read this important book.

This book will be challenging at times, but the effort is rewarding. I encourage you to pick up a copy of this book and spend some time learning from Jerry Bridges as he takes you through the Bible. You will be better equipped to face the suffering that is in store for all of us. And you will find yourself trusting God, even when life hurts.

JERRY BRIDGES is an author and conference speaker. His most popular book, The Pursuit of Holiness, has sold over one million copies. Jerry has been on the staff of The Navigators for over fifty years, and currently serves in the Collegiate Mission where he is involved primarily in staff development, but also serves as a speaker resource to the campus ministries.

Disclaimer: this book was provided by the publisher for review. The reviewer was under no obligation to provide a positive review.

This book is available for purchase at the following sites: Westminster Bookstore, Amazon.com, and direct from NavPress.

“Dug Down Deep: Unearthing What I Believe and Why It Matters” by Joshua Harris

~ Bob Hayton ~ 3 Comments

Author: Joshua Harris
Publisher: Waterbrook Multnomah
Format: hardcover
Publication Date: 2010
Pages: 241
ISBN: 9781601421517
Stars: 5 of 5

In today’s world, doctrine and orthodoxy get a bad rap. Many sincere Christians assume studying doctrine is primarily a waste of time. Doctrine usually leads to cold and dead religion, or else it promotes a divisive and bitter spirit that splits churches and wounds people. What really matters is one’s personal relationship with God, and his love for fellow believers.

Joshua Harris would have agreed with this basic sentiment at one time. Dug Down Deep is the story of how he came to realize how important and even life-changing the study of the Bible’s doctrine really can be. Harris invites the reader along as he explains what the basic doctrines (or teachings) of the Bible are and illustrates the impact they have had in his own spiritual walk.

Harris writes in a refreshing, open manner. He lets you into his life even sharing some of the dark secrets of his past. He shares the story of his father Gregg’s conversion to Christ, as well as his own journey from a seeker-sensitive church youth group to being pastoral intern to C.J. Mahaney.

The book’s readability helps it to communicate so effectively when Harris explains such doctrines as the sovereignty of God, sinfulness of man, substitutionary atonement, and the gospel of God’s grace. It is the books focus on grace which most dramatically stands out. This is what drew Harris to the joy of knowing Bible doctrine, and it is worth quoting him at some length on this point.

…it was this message of the gospel of grace for which C.J. Reserved his greatest passion. Most preachers and zealous Christians I knew got fired up over what we needed to do for God. But C.J.’s greatest passion was reserved for exulting in what God had done for us. He loved to preach about the Cross and how Christ died in our place, as our substitute.

For someone who had practically been born into church, I found this surprisingly new. The deeper I delved into Christian doctrine, the more I saw that the good news of salvation by grace alone in Jesus, who died for sin””the gospel””was the main message of the whole Bible.

I suppose it might seem completely obvious that this is the center of the Christian faith, and yet it felt new to me. I began to see orthodoxy as the treasuring of the truths that point to Jesus and his saving work. Doctrine was the living story of what Jesus did for us and what it means…. (pg. 27)

As you can see, Harris’ own story provides the perfect backdrop for illustrating how important it is to learn Bible doctrine. Harris argues that we need to dig down deep in order to build our lives on the rock of the solid Biblical teaching of Christ.

This book will introduce the young Christian to the glory of orthodox Christian doctrine. It will also encourage those who do know doctrine, to aim for a humble orthodoxy and see how such knowledge should fuel love and service for others. Dug Down Deep will be an easy read for anyone, but it packs a punch. It will challenge you to make sure you are building on a sure foundation. I recommend this book highly.

Joshua Harris is senior pastor of Covenant Life in Gaithersburg, Maryland, which belongs to the Sovereign Grace network of churches. A gifted speaker with a passion for making theological truth easy to understand, Joshua is perhaps best known for his runaway bestseller, I Kissed Dating Goodbye, which he wrote at the age of twenty-one. His later books include Boy Meets Girl, Sex Is Not the Problem (Lust Is), and Stop Dating the Chruch. The founder of the NEXT conferences for young adults, Joshua is committed to seeing the gospel transferred to a new generation of Christians. He and his wife, Shannon, have three children.
Disclaimer: this book was provided by the publisher for review. The reviewer was under no obligation to provide a positive review.

This book is available for purchase at the following sites: Amazon.com or direct from Waterbrook Multnomah.

“Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear” by Max Lucado

~ Bob Hayton ~ 3 Comments

Author: Max Lucado
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 221
ISBN: 9780849921391
Stars: 4 of 5

Fearless is the latest book from best selling author, Max Lucado. In fact it officially releases today. I jumped at the chance to receive an advance review copy of this book, partly because I had never read Lucado before. I’ve heard good things of his writing, but had just never read one of his books. Often, popularity doesn’t translate all that well into Biblical faithfulness, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from Max Lucado. As I worked my way through the book, I found it not only faithful, but accessible, well-written and timely.

Lucado interweaves stories, analogies and practical Christian advice in a masterful fashion. Each chapter focuses on a specific species of fear. He examines the fear and brings the Scriptures to bear upon it. The book also includes excellent discussion questions for each chapter. They would serve well as a general outline for small group sessions. Usually discussion questions are minimal, but with Fearless, they include a time of discussing the particular fear at hand, Scripture passages to look up and some final application questions.

Max Lucado displays a well-seasoned faith and he knows how to address the spectrum of fears that face us today. His pastoral warmth shines through the book. I particularly enjoyed his thoughts on parenting and fear for the well-being of your children.

We can take our parenting fears to Christ. In fact, if we don’t, we’ll take our fears out on our kids. Fear turns some parents into paranoid prison guards who monitor every minute, check the background of ever friend. They stifle growth and communicate distrust…

On the other hand, fear can also create permissive parents. For fear that their child will feel too confided or fenced in, they lower all boundaries. High on hugs and low on discipline. They don’t realize that appropriate discipline is an expression of love. Permissive parents. Paranoid parents. How can we avoid the extremes? We pray.

Prayer is the saucer into which parental fears are poured to cool. Jesus says so little about parenting, makes no comments about spanking, breast-feeding, sibling rivalry, or schooling. Yet his actions speak volumes about prayer. Each time a parent prays, Christ responds. His big message to moms and dads? Bring your children to me. Raise them in a greenhouse of prayer. (pg. 60)

The book’s conclusion addresses how to react to the fear that is so rampant in this dark time of economic upheaval and terrorism on a global scale.

Let others breathe the polluted air of anxiety, not us. Let’s be numbered among those who hear a different voice, God’s. Enough of these shouts of despair, wails of doom. Why pay heed to the doomsdayer on Wall Street or the purveyor of gloom in the newspaper? We will incline our ears elsewhere: upward. We will turn to our Maker, and because we do, we will fear less. (pg. 177-178)

I confidently recommend Fearless. You will be enjoy the book and be encouraged to trust God more

Disclaimer: This book was provided by the publisher. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a positive review.

This book is available for purchase at the following sites: Amazon.com or direct from Thomas Nelson.

Legalism Versus Grace

~ fundyreformed ~ 4 Comments

I stumbled across a great blog post that relates with the theme of our last several posts: the Gospel’s work in believers. The post actually was first an article for Discipleship Journal. Let me quote a relevant portion of it here, but encourage you all to go over and read the whole thing. It’s also available as a .pdf scan from the magazine here.

Legalism is the opposite of living by grace. It is the belief that one can be justified (attain right standing with God) by following his rules. Paul addressed the error of this belief throughout the book of Galatians, explaining that it’s impossible to be right with God by obeying the law. We need grace.

Most evangelical Christians today know enough to avoid the most basic form of this error. We understand that our entrance into life in Christ””salvation””comes through faith in Christ alone, and not by keeping God’s law. Yet even when our theology of salvation is thoroughly grace-based, we can still fall into legalism. Colossians 2:6-7 says as we have received Christ we should also walk in Him, rooted and grounded in faith. That is, the way we walk in Christ should be consistent with the way we received him.

Many times, though, we fail to extend our understanding of grace and faith past the foundation of receiving Christ, to the daily matters of following him. Instead we begin to think that we stay right with God by keeping his rules. That’s what the Galatians were doing. After entering a relationship with God through grace, they thought they also needed to obey Jewish laws. Paul’s instruction to them””and all believers””is clear: just as we receive salvation by faith and grace, not by following rules, we also walk in Christ by faith and grace, not by keeping a list of commands.

Explore my other posts on gospel-centered living, and the dangers of legalism.

The Gospel’s Work in Believers, Conclusion

~ fundyreformed ~ 1 Comment

Continued from part 2.

We have seen that the Gospel has many purposes for believers beyond initial conversion. It is as much for believers as unbelievers. I’d like to start this final post by quoting Tim Keller once more at some length. (I should mention that the quotes from Keller in this series come from this online article.)

…the gospel is not just for non-Christians, but also for Christians. This means the gospel is not just the A-B-C’s but the A to Z of the Christian life. It is not accurate to think “the gospel” is what saves non-Christians, and then, what matures Christians is trying hard to live according to Biblical principles. It is more accurate to say that we are saved by believing the gospel, and then we are transformed in every part of our mind, heart, and life by believing the gospel more and more deeply as our life goes on.

If we think of the gospel as only pardon or forgiveness of sins, we will trust in God for our past salvation, but will trust in our own present strivings and attainments for our present relationship with God…  the entire Christian life is a life lived (in a continual present progressive) by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Gal. 2:20) …we must continually remind ourselves of our status as legally righteous, adopted children of God.

Applying the Gospel to Yourself

It’s time to get more practical, how can we live in light of the Gospel? How can we apply this Gospel-power, that is at work in us believers, to our lives?

1. Live in the light of what is supremely true.

The only remedy for sin is Christ. We are accepted by God because of His sacrifice. This world is passing away while God’s promises offer hope for eternal life.   The sin we so enjoy offers a false pleasure which offends our God and injures us. Even though we can’t see it, God’s word and the glorious city of Heaven, the New Jerusalem, is more true than the reality we endure each day. We need to live as if we really are citizens of a Heavenly country.

For this point, I like to think of Abraham as described in Hebrews 11. He was living for a heavenly city, which He didn’t physically see. He was living in light of a glorious inheritance which he only could hope for, not truly experience in this life. He is our pattern, we are citizens of a Heavenly Kingdom on a pilgrimage through this life. We need to live in light of what is supremely true.

2. Become what you are.

John Piper explains this point well (in When I Don’t Desire God: How to Fight for Joy):

One of the ways the Bible talks about our action in relation to our standing in Christ is to command us to become what we are. For example, using Old Testament ceremonial language Paul says, “Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened” (1 Cor. 5:7). In other words, become what you are. You are unleavened (sinless in Christ); therefore become unleavened (sinless in practice). You have already died with Christ (Rom. 6:5-6); therefore “consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 6:11). You have already been made alive together with Christ (Eph. 2:5); therefore, “seek the things that are above” (Col. 3:1). You are already holy in Christ (Col. 3:12); therefore “be holy in all your conduct” (1 Pet. 1:15). You already are the light of the world in Christ (Matt. 5:14); therefore, “let your light shine” (Matt. 5:16).

3. Keep your Indicatives and Imperatives straight.

This is basically a reiteration of the point above. You’ll have to forgive me but I get excited about this: something about saying indicative and imperative together so appeals to the intellectual in me!… The indicative is the statement about what you are in Christ, the imperative is the commands for what we should do. To put it another way: Indicative is Be, and Imperative is Do. In the New Testament, every Do is firmly rooted in a Be. Ephesians and Romans split nicely into two sections Eph 1-3 builds the basis for the commands in 4-6. Romans 1-11 builds the gospel basis for the commands in 12-16. Other books, like 1 Peter, intersperse commands and statements together. Titus 2 illustrates this well, the commands for how to live in vs. 1-10 are connected to the Gospel reality in vs. 11-14 by the word “for” (gar). Because we’ve been forgiven and given the Spirit, we will want to obey God’s commands, not to gain favor with Him, but because He has so blessed us.

4. Preach the Gospel to yourself.

Perhaps the best way to let the Gospel impact you day to day is to constantly remind yourself of the truth of the Gospel. I have a lot of quotes on this point, but they have really helped me and perhaps we can share with one another how to practically live out this point better.

D. Martin Lloyd Jones used to use the phrase “preach the gospel to yourself” often. Piper gives a few insightful quotes from Jones’ most famous book Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cures. Jones is commenting on Ps. 42:5: “Why art you cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted in me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance” (KJV).

Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself? Take these thoughts that come to you the moment you wake up in the morning. You have not originated them but they are talking to you, they bring back the problems of yesterday, etc. Somebody is talking. Who is talking to you? Your self is talking to you. Now this man’s treatment [in Psalm 42] was this: instead of allowing this self to talk to him, he starts talking to himself. “Why art thou cast down, O my soul?” he asks. His soul had been depressing him, crushing him. So he stands up and says, “Self, listen for a moment, I will speak to you. The main art in the matter of spiritual living is to know how to handle yourself. You have to take yourself in hand, you have to address yourself, preach to yourself, question yourself…. You must turn on yourself, upbraid yourself, condemn yourself, exhort yourself, and say to yourself: “Hope thou in God” instead of muttering in this depressed, unhappy way, and then you must go on to remind yourself of God, Who God is, and what God has done, and what God has pledged Himself to do. Then having done, that, end on this great note: defy yourself, and defy other people, and defy the devil and the whole world, and say with this man: “I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance, who is also the health of my countenance and my God.”

We need to encourage our own self to believe the Gospel on a daily basis. Jerry Bridges has much to say on this topic. From The Discipline of Grace:

…preaching the gospel to ourselves every day reminds us that we are indeed sinners in need of God’s grace….It helps us to consciously renounce any confidence in our own goodness as a means of meriting God’s blessing on our lives. Perhaps more importantly, though, preaching the gospel to ourselves every day gives us hope, joy, and courage. The good news that our sins are forgiven because of Christ’s death fills our hearts with joy, gives us courage to face the day, and offers us hope that God’s favor will rest upon us, not because we are good, but because we are in Christ.

These three posts have now come to an end, but life goes on and our need for the Gospel’s power will always remain. I pray we all are encouraged and spurred on to let the Gospel transform us. How are you doing that now? And does anything in these posts ring true for you? Please continue the conversation in the comments.