Wow. This little book by a pastor in university-city Michigan contained much more wisdom than I anticipated. I know in my review of
Pursuit of God, I said, "nearly this entire book is quotable." I don't want to sound like a broken record, but nearly this entire book is quotable.
In this book, DeYoung attempts to help the reader understand how to make biblically-wise decisions without relying on "dreams, visions, fleeces, impressions, open doors, random Bible verses, casting lots, liver shivers, writing in the sky, etc." He succeeds in spades.
What I Liked:
DeYoung calls things like they are. He beautifully mixes humor, pith, biblical exposition, challenges, and understanding into an extremely accessible volume. Some authors spend several hundred pages saying a fraction of what DeYoung communicates into a 123 page book. I read it in just a few days, but have been digesting it for weeks.
My favorite part of this book is that he deals with the logic behind our interaction with the "will of God" and helps us understand how we think, why we think that way, and why most of our thoughts about how God works is not biblical. But he doesn't simply diagnose the problem. In the second half of the book, he helps the reader apply biblical truths into how we please God with our futures. That is, he gives us practical ways to make decisions based on Scripture. This book was a breath of fresh air.
Favorite Quotations:
- "Waiting for God's will of direction is a mess. It is bad for your life, harmful to your sanctification, and allows too many Christians to be passive tinkerers who strangely feel more spiritual the less they actually do."
- "That's often what we are asking for when we pray to know the will of God. We aren't asking for holiness, or righteousness, or an awareness of sin. We want God to tell us what to do so everything will turn out pleasant for us."
- "We risk because God does not risk. We walk into the future in God-glorifying confidence not because the future is known to us, but because it is known to God. And that's all we need to know. Worry about the future is not simply a character tic, it is the sin of unbelief, an indication that our hearts are not resting in the promises of God."
<----- that's what we call a verbal punch to the gut.
- "The only chains God wants us to wear are the chains of righteousness - not the chains of hopeless subjectivism, not the shackles of risk-free living, not the fetters of horoscope decision making - just the chains befitting a bond servant of Christ Jesus. Die to self. Live for Christ. And then do what you want, and go where you want, for God's glory."
Recommendation:
This review isn't very in-depth because the book is so short and so full of godly wisdom that I simply want you to go out and read it. All of you.
