Books!

I have a pretty extensive library. In my mind, it's divided into basically four sections: fiction, non-fiction read, non-fiction unread, and non-fiction pre-conversion. The fiction books are ones that I like to read to unwind and have time to free think. I don't turn my brain off during these books, but I get to analyze the books the way that I want to rather than how school would want me to. It's enjoyable for me to fill in the spaces between the lines with whatever I want: worldview, Biblical comparisons, or moral lessons. I find this one of the most enjoyable pastimes.

Non-fiction make up the most of my library and all of them are either theology books, devotionals or my Bible. I read these most of all and I love them. Anything to paint the gospel in such a great light, often from different angles so that I can see the glorious sides that I may have missed. I love to read about how the gospel should affect the rest of our lives: morals, relationships, and world views. I have built my knowledge quite well, and I am trying to apply it to my life. Unfortunately, my head far exceeds my heart in this area. I am grateful that Christ has shown me this and is gracious to me to allow me to continue to pursue Him.

My non-fiction is split into read and unread like most, but I also have the category of pre-conversion. This list consists of all the theology books I read before Christ came into my life and changed my heart. Sadly, I can't remember what great truths these books share, so I am dedicated to re-reading them. My current reading is "The Gospel for Real Life" by Jerry Bridges. Pretty much any book with the gospel as it's centerpiece is worth reading.

Most of the time when I read one of these books, there are several things that just slap me in the face and remind me of how much of a sinner I am (which just makes God's grace and mercy that much more glorious). I want to share some of these face-slaps from this book:

"Every day we sin, both consciously and unconsciously, both willfully and unintentionally. We evangelical believers generally abstain from the grosser sins of society; in fact, we tend to sit in judgment of those who practice such things. But beneath the surface of our own lives we tolerate all kinds of 'refined' sins such as selfishness, covetousness, pride, resentment, envy, jealousy, self-righteousness, and a critical spirit towards others."

He goes on to talk about the greatest commandment: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37). Going deeper, he provides a list of different aspects of this command:

"1. Your love for God transcends all other desires (Ex. 20:3)
2. Like David, you long to gaze upon His beauty and seek fellowship with Him (Ps. 27:4)
3. You rejoice in meditating on His Word, and, like Jesus, you rise early to pray (Ps. 119:97, Mark 1:35)
4. You always delight to do His will, regardless of how difficult it may ve (Ps. 40:8)
5. A regard for His glory governs and motivates everything you do - your eating and drinking, your working and playing, your buying and selling, your reading and speaking - and, dare I mention it, even your driving (1 Cor. 10:31)
6. You are never discouraged or frustrated by adverse circumstances because you are confident God is working all things together for you good (Romans 8:28)
7. You recognize His sovereignty in every event of your life and consequently receive both success and failure from His hand (1 Sam. 2:7; Ps. 75:6-7)
8. You are always content because you know He will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)
9. The first petition in the Lord's Prayer, "hallowed be your name," is the most important prayer you pray (Matt. 6:9)"

Another list was written about the second greatest commandment (Love your neighbor as yourself), but I felt that this one was hefty enough for now. Pay attention to how absolute the commands are. It unveils our failure to this command in every way. It makes me so glad to know that Christ lived 33 years on this earth without sinning and with fulfilling all righteousness, so that in the great substitution we would be credited with his perfect life. Through this substitution, Jesus was credited with all of our failures and took on God's wrath. This is true love. This is what John was talking about in 1 John 4:8 when he said "God is love."

I am so thankful for this gospel and for authors that love to write about it. However, though these books are great, they can never replace the original. The Bible is the best, most important book in the world. Books written about the Bible are great and they can help us understand some parts, but they are not directly inspired by God. This word is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16) as well as alive and active (Hebrews 4:12). It is our bread and our water. Don't try to live without consuming what's necessary for life!