We all have trusted friends who serve as references for good books to read. Two of those friends for me recommended the same book within a week of each other. The book is entitled: Gentle & Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners & Sufferers.
Some of you have already read or are in the processing of reading this book. However, with this blog post, I want to strongly encourage you to pick up a copy and join us in reading through this book. If you need a copy, just contact me directly and we will figure out a way to get you a hard copy or a Kindle copy.
I happened to mention the book at one of the recent Ministry Support Centre board meetings, and a board member followed up with a call to ask me more about the book. He asked this insightful question: How did the book actually impact your walk with Christ?
Here is what I said: One of our guiding principles (perhaps THE guiding principle) within World Team is the Gospel. We often talk about it, write on it and even preach on it. However, this book will push each one of us to reflect on how that Gospel practically addresses and changes our own heart and actions. We need this constant rehearsal of Gospel for ourselves. The book will also cause each of us to stop and to reflect on truths that we know, but consider them from a different perspective or angle. It’s like holding up a gem and turning it in a variety of directions to notice every aspect of the gem.
On my first read through the book, I came across this statement: “Christ died to confound our intuitive assumptions that divine love has an expiration date. He died to prove that God’s love is, as Jonathan Edwards put it, “an ocean without shores or bottom.” God’s love is as boundless as God himself.” When I read that bolded phrase, I couldn’t help but pause to reflect on the “boundlessness” of His love. How often I have limited it and fallen back into a “I need to do more for God” approach in order to earn His favor and love.
I hope that I have whetted your appetite a bit for reading this book. And here’s hoping you will join me!
Filed under: Gospel, Heart of Christ, Jesus Christ |
Thoughts Along The Journey 
David, I really like this book. Watch for short, one line thoughts that are real gems but not followed through to a conclusion. They are often off topic, sort of dropped into the text as an aside, so you have to pursue them on your own. These short, one line thoughts are true gems so watch for them.
In Jesus’ love,
Gary
Thanks Gary! Looking forward to hearing about your short one line thoughts you pull from the book!
A teammate and I started reading and discussing this book last fall. We both found it quite profound. We had to finish separately, but still continued to talk about it from time to time. It took me a couple of months to finish because I had to re-read and chew on every chapter. I find myself in a different place with the Lord these days and I attribute it, in part, to the thoughts stimulated by this book.
Thanks Laura! I would recommend reading it with someone else or a small group as you do need to ‘chew’ on the thoughts shared.