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HIS MIRACLES
DEVOTIONAL FOR EVERY DAY OF THEYEAR
Integrity Publishing
(Integrity, 386pp, $15h)
Yesterday I read the daily selection from His Miracles: Devotions for Every Day of the Year. Its a devotional built around the Gospel accounts of Jesus miracles. Yesterdays inclusion focused on the raising of Jairus daughter, in particular Jesus words to the distressed father, Dont be afraid. Just have faith, and she will be healed. When I reflected on the circumstances, I could only imagine what Jairus must have thought. Healed? Man, its too late. Shes already dead. So, Dr. V. Raymond Edmans insight was timely: Believe in the dark what the Lord has said in the light. He tests us that we may trust him, he waits that we may know his grace, he tarries that we may learn with Jairus and Mary and Martha, that if we believe we shall see the glory of God. And again in this mornings selection Oswald Chambers: Gods silences are actually his answers. God trusts us with silence. Only a true friend can communicate through silence. So, I wonder, does God trust me like that or do I insist on being assured by something audible or visible?
For me, reflecting on the miracles of Jesus, performed over 2,000 years ago, has shed new light on the supernatural nature of my own Christian walk. Each of his miraclesfrom walking on water to turning water into wine, from feeding thousands from a little boys lunch to opening blind eyes, from casting out demons to raising Lazarus from the deadhas been the source of inspiration for writers and scholars for generations. In this handy bedside volume Augustine, Luther, Edwards, Chambers, Graham, Chesterton, Lewis, Manning, Lucado, Sproul, and others, all contribute bite-size insight in 365 readings, one for each day of the year.
Profound reflections like these are why I am hooked on daily devotions. A good devotional is like learning a daily life lesson from someone wiser than you, like daily ingots from Christianitys greatest mentors. I especially love reading about the miracles Jesus because, as another of my mentors has said, without miracles Christianity is just another religion, meaning that what sets Christianity apart from other religions is that Christianity works in real time, not just on paper. The accounts of Jesus life, the Gospels, begin and end with miracles, from his miraculous birth to his bodily resurrection. Even the Acts of the Apostles is filled with miracles performed by his followers and Jesus did tell us plainly, Anyone believing in me shall do the same miracles I have done. Well, I believe in him and have learned that Christianity really works for those who dare try it. If it didnt work, it would just be another pious philosophy, a lifeless religion.
Many of the books publishers send for review I pass along to others. Not this one. This one is a keeper to be treasured, a truly delightful addition to my stack of books.
Ref.: His Miracles: The Most Moving Words Ever Written about the Miracles of Jesus: Livingstone: 9781591452713: Amazon.com: Books
DEVOTIONAL FOR EVERY DAY OF THEYEAR
Integrity Publishing
(Integrity, 386pp, $15h)
Yesterday I read the daily selection from His Miracles: Devotions for Every Day of the Year. Its a devotional built around the Gospel accounts of Jesus miracles. Yesterdays inclusion focused on the raising of Jairus daughter, in particular Jesus words to the distressed father, Dont be afraid. Just have faith, and she will be healed. When I reflected on the circumstances, I could only imagine what Jairus must have thought. Healed? Man, its too late. Shes already dead. So, Dr. V. Raymond Edmans insight was timely: Believe in the dark what the Lord has said in the light. He tests us that we may trust him, he waits that we may know his grace, he tarries that we may learn with Jairus and Mary and Martha, that if we believe we shall see the glory of God. And again in this mornings selection Oswald Chambers: Gods silences are actually his answers. God trusts us with silence. Only a true friend can communicate through silence. So, I wonder, does God trust me like that or do I insist on being assured by something audible or visible?
For me, reflecting on the miracles of Jesus, performed over 2,000 years ago, has shed new light on the supernatural nature of my own Christian walk. Each of his miraclesfrom walking on water to turning water into wine, from feeding thousands from a little boys lunch to opening blind eyes, from casting out demons to raising Lazarus from the deadhas been the source of inspiration for writers and scholars for generations. In this handy bedside volume Augustine, Luther, Edwards, Chambers, Graham, Chesterton, Lewis, Manning, Lucado, Sproul, and others, all contribute bite-size insight in 365 readings, one for each day of the year.
Profound reflections like these are why I am hooked on daily devotions. A good devotional is like learning a daily life lesson from someone wiser than you, like daily ingots from Christianitys greatest mentors. I especially love reading about the miracles Jesus because, as another of my mentors has said, without miracles Christianity is just another religion, meaning that what sets Christianity apart from other religions is that Christianity works in real time, not just on paper. The accounts of Jesus life, the Gospels, begin and end with miracles, from his miraculous birth to his bodily resurrection. Even the Acts of the Apostles is filled with miracles performed by his followers and Jesus did tell us plainly, Anyone believing in me shall do the same miracles I have done. Well, I believe in him and have learned that Christianity really works for those who dare try it. If it didnt work, it would just be another pious philosophy, a lifeless religion.
Many of the books publishers send for review I pass along to others. Not this one. This one is a keeper to be treasured, a truly delightful addition to my stack of books.
Ref.: His Miracles: The Most Moving Words Ever Written about the Miracles of Jesus: Livingstone: 9781591452713: Amazon.com: Books
