Sep292008
Book Review: Life With God
Filed under Book Review by Paul at 10:10 am on Sep 29 2008
Submitted by Steve Ryan
Most Christians believe that the Bible is the word of God. Most Christians also believe that the Bible is a source of wisdom, knowledge and inspiration. For them, the Bible not only records the beginning of creation, but the end of time as well. All Christians, regardless of their beliefs, generally agree that the Bible is a special book.
I think that Richard Foster would agree with this assessment. The first sentence of his book, Life With God: Reading the Bible for Spiritual Transformation, reads:” God has given us a written revelation of who God is and what God’s purposes are for humanity.”
People read the Bible for various reasons. Some people read the Bible to increase their knowledge of God. Other people read the Bible to support their particular point of view. Still others read the Bible like they read the latest self-help book, to feel better about themselves.
Certainly there is a place for reading the Bible in the ways listed above, but it does not produce the lasting fruit and growth that Richard Foster emphasizes. Foster wants Christians to read the Bible for transformation, not just information. He wants reading the Bible to cause change in our lives and keep us humble before God.
Foster points out the importance in reading the Bible from cover to cover. Reading the Bible from beginning to end allows the believer to encounter the Bible in its full context. When we read the Bible from start to finish, we fully enter into the stories of Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Paul and others. We feel the agony of Abraham when called to sacrifice Isaac; stand in awe with Moses when he went to the mountain to meet God; and feel the agony of Jesus when He went to the cross.
Foster also points out that the Bible should be read with both our mind and our heart. When we read the Bible with our mind, we appreciate the different genres it presents. We read about the law, history, poetry, the major prophets, the minor prophets, the gospels, the epistles and Revelation and see how great God is. When we read the Bible with our hearts, we meditate on its contents and ask the Holy Spirit to change what needs to be changed in our lives.
Richard Foster has written several books on spiritual life and formation. His heart and passion is for Christians to grow closer to God and develop the mind of Christ. Life With God encourages Christians to read the Bible for spiritual growth and become more like Jesus.
He certainly would agree with Jerome, who wrote several centuries ago:”Make knowledge of the Scriptures your love. Live with them, meditate on them, make them the sole object of your knowledge and inquiries.”
I encourage everyone to read Life With God. More important than that, I encourage Christians to approach the Bible with a humble heart and encounter the God of creation and loves us beyond measure.
