ministry – Freshly Printed

delighting in god

“Delighting in God” is a follow-up to “Knowledge of the Holy”, and is published posthumously from Tozer’s sermons. Aiden Wilson Tozer used his words to speak TO the church about finding peace and contentment with God. He had a conversational style approach to his words, reminiscent to me of how Dr. Charles Stanley speaks when he preaches. He really gets your attention, and states his case as if he’s processing Scripture with you and then comes to an important conclusion.

A. W. Tozer writes as a man determined to point the church back to the Word of God, so as a church family, we can be content in the Christian life and realize the peace Jesus brings. His words are timeless, and any one of his sermons are still relevant today. I’ll share with you one point he made about Apostle Paul in speaking on Paul’s passion:

“To know God was Paul’s passion, and nothing else really mattered to Him. Three things helped Paul focus on God (from the Scripture quoted [Philippians 3:10-11]).

The first was ‘the power of his resurrection.’ Becoming a Christian is not just nodding to a few truths and then saying, “I accept Jesus.” It is infusing into your life the divine power, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. This is the tremendous work of the Holy Spirit to bring you into the divine world of redemption.

The second was ‘the fellowship of his sufferings’. This was Paul’s identification with the Christ who died on the cross and rose the third day. What Paul meant by this was that his Christianity was a result of his relationship with God. And Paul was willing to follow Him at all costs. This passion of Paul got him into a lot of trouble. I think I can safely say that Paul’s attitude was that Christ’s enemies were going to be his enemies and Christ’s friends were going to be his friends. Paul did not expect the world to treat him any better than people treated Christ. They crucified Christ, and they finally killed the apostle Paul. All of this was the result of his love for God that could not be satisfied with anything but God himself.

Paul’s third focus was ‘being made conformable unto his death’. This was the key to the apostle Paul’s ministry and the passion he had for God. When Jesus died on the cross, it was for our sin. It was his desire to bring his life into conformity with the death of Jesus Christ so that the resurrection power of Christ could usher him into worship and praise.”

Grab this book for spiritual, Scriptural truths from a man steeped in godly wisdom. It will benefit your spiritual life and challenge your faith. And once you’re done, pick up some of his other titles.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Baker Publishing House (Bethany) book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

This title just leapt out at me! When scrolling through the list of books to choose for my next review, I thought, “I’ll read this and pass it on to my friends: Worrier A, Panic Attack Freak B, and Hypochondriac C”. And before you judge me, I don’t normally categorize my dear friends as such. It’s just so easy to point fingers at the people in our lives who could learn (insert goal of book fix here), isn’t it? And yet, not so surprisingly, as I began to read, I realized that I could use some focus as well. Imagine that!

Author Jane Rubietta wrote a book that not only gives practical advice on how to worry less, but she also takes instances from her own life, which gives us readers relatability and points us in the ONLY direction that can take away our worry. It was so refreshing to see a woman whose life is immersed in women’s ministry share her fears and worries amidst conferences and personal interactions. Gone was the facade that doing the Lord’s work eliminates stress and worry. Jane made it clear that it is very much a part of her life, and that she has a few ways to deal with anxiety.

Jane shares about the need to empathize with others, and how isolation takes away from our ability to heal and cope with some of life’s struggles. Now, to give away all of the details of her solutions would take away the reason to pick this book up for yourself, so I will not divulge any further. But I will share that the Lord indeed plays a huge part in recovery, and that reminding ourselves that it is okay to play, to have imagination, to go back to a time in our lives when time didn’t exist and childlike nature was acceptable…those moments can definitely relax and refresh you. So often, I was transported to Jane’s visual destinations by her ornate descriptions. I felt like I was in a field with wildflowers all around, and seeing lightning bugs at nighttime. I genuinely saw her desire to go to (and her desire to take us to) the places where we were allowed to give ourselves permission to just be still. As adults, we don’t do that. And we certainly need to.

Her book is a fast read, with wonderful questions. She also includes Votums and a Benedictus for the end of each chapter. My recommendation: Grab a cup of hot, fresh coffee, a warm blanket, and curl up in your favorite reading spot with your Bible, and begin this journey with Jane. You won’t be disappointed. And you’ll also feel as if you’ve made a new friend, one who “gets” you and will continue to pray for you. 🙂

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through Bethany House. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 (http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html): “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”