Skip to main content

40 Days of Grace




40 Days of Grace: Discovering God’s Liberating Love by Rich Miller
http://store.kregel.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=3111

This new book entitled 40 Days of Grace is author Rich Miller’s attempt to help his readers see that living by grace is much more fulfilling than any other path.  Each day of the journey has a short devotional, a Scripture passage, thought to chew on, question and a prayer.  Some days focus particular things in our culture that gnaw at people like the father wound, fear, or death.  Other days focus on dignity, victory or community.  The encouragement in this book is unmistakable. 

Rich says something simple yet profound on Day One.  He writes, “Living by grace doesn’t end when you come to Christ; that’s just the beginning” (18)!  Living by grace through faith is fundamental for the Christian.  We are not saved by grace and then go on to live a life of self-assured works without reference to grace, but grace is at the center of everything you do.  Rich is right to point out that at a certain point in the Christian life many people feel a need to go the road alone, leaving apart the tie of grace that binds them to Christ.   Further along, Rich indicates that the Christian life is one based upon life, not primarily about what we are against.  Rich writes that we need the truth but without love our truth rants will be boisterous soundings without compassion.  Rich writes, “love doesn’t act like a jerk either, “ commenting on the way Christians should understand 1 Corinthians 13 (49). 

I particularly found Rich’s prayers in the book to be very edifying and encouraging for believers.  From the prayer on the Father wound to prayers about those who have endured under great abuse, physical and sexual, Rich gives his readers solid wisdom that their identity is not found in their past brokenness but in the God who rescued them.  Yet, Rich is careful also to help his readers take captive thoughts and fears that keep them from experiencing freedom in Christ.  There are times when we seek the approval of other people more than the approval we have in Christ, and in those times we need to be reminded of the truth.  If we seek to the approval of men we will eventually be crushed because we can’t possibly live up to their expectations.  Rather, knowing that our self-worth is not tied to other people means that we look to Christ for our hope, image, and life.  Lastly, I thought the way Rich pointed his readers time and time again to Jesus as the one who is to be worshipped, followed, and praised is right on. 

I hope this book is a great encouragement to all believers walking the road of life, through suffering and joy, hope and devastation.  The only downside of the book is that these topics could certainly be expounded upon in a more comprehensive way, but I realize that this is not the aim of this particular book.

Thanks to Monarch Books/Kregel for the copy of this book in exchange for review.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Rise of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman

  The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman Navigating the culture that we take up residence in, with its laser focus on sexual identity, tolerance, and an individualism that raises its head at every corner, Christians need a robust account of how we got to this point in our Western culture without retreating to our churches nor morphing with the latest trends.   Carl Trueman, professor of religion and theology at Grove City College, brings his keen historical research to bear on this issue in his new book, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self.   Part historical survey and philosophical analysis, Dr. Trueman traces the trajectories of key thinkers such as Rousseau, Freud, and Marx, while also incorporating the insights of Charles Taylor and Phillip Rieff to form a cogent argument as to how we got to this point in our history, both in our expressive individualism and sexual freedom outlooks.   The book is surprisingly insightful and yet demands from the reader the pa
Post a Comment
Read more

The Conditioned Mind

The Conditioned Mind: Overcoming the Crippling Effects of Sin and Guilt by Michael J. Mannia Counselor and author Michael J. Mannia knows firsthand how the spiraling of sin and guilt can eat away at life.  His new book, The Conditioned Mind, is a look into how believers can overcome the effects of sin and guilt and live in the freedom that we have in Christ.  Through a careful look into the patterns that we develop and the mindsets that we get ingrained in, Michael is able to offer ways through guilt that bring freedom and healing.  I think this is not only a timely but a book that aims toward bringing real healing to its readers. In the first chapter Michael looks at two needs that we have: our need for love and our need for security.  Love isn’t something optional for the human race, but something it needs at its core.  “Additionally, we need to reciprocate love.  We need to feel loved as much as we need to love others (8).”  Love is a two-way street that inv
Post a Comment
Read more

Passover and Jesus

The Messiah in the Passover , Edited by Darrell Bock and Mitch Glaser Why should Christians celebrate and remember the Passover?   This is a striking question that needs to be understood as well as the historical and theological context of the Passover.   However obscure we sometimes view the Old Testament, there is some significant reasons why we should reach back and study the Passover.   Mitch Glaser in the Introduction states, “When Christians celebrate the Passover, they grow in their understanding of the Old Testament, affirm the Jewishness of the Gospel, deepen our understanding of the Lord’s Supper, and build community with fellow Christians…” (20).   This book is answer to why celebrate the Passover but even more importantly an answer to what the Passover is and what it signifies to us today.   The various contributors of this book, Messiah in the Passover, bring a wealth of ministry experience in relating the Jewishness of both Jesus and the Old Testament to
Post a Comment
Read more