Living Close to God

If you're looking for a new daily devotional book, let me encourage you to pick up Reflections for Ragamuffins by Brennan Manning. It is one that I return to year-after-year. I love the way this man talks about grace and God's unspeakable love for us. I believe it is because he has experienced it so deeply in his life. I think you'd enjoy his reflections. They are filled with Truth and will both encourage and challenge you on the journey. You can find it at Barnes and Noble and countless other places (in stores or online).

Anything you can find by Brennan Manning will bless you and convict you. I have read A Ragamuffin Gospel more than once and find it to be one of those books I return to in dry seasons. I am currently reading A Glimpse of Jesus: The Stranger to Self-Hatred slowly. It is blessing me and bringing me to my knees, as everything else I've read by this man has done. This particular book is especially good if you struggle with inadequacy and self-doubt.

If your budget is tight right now, put this on your Christmas list and start your year with one of these books. Any of his books will re-order the way you think about God, yourself, and your call as a Christian. He just has a way with words!

Here are a couple of quotes from his books:

"God is tender and loves us as just as we are, not in spite of our sins and faults, but with them. God does not condone or sanction evil, but he does not withhold his love because there is evil in us. The key to this understanding is the way we feel about ourselves. We cannot stand or accept love from another human being when we do not love ourselves, much less believe or accept that God could possibly love us." - A Glimpse of Jesus

"In essence, there is only one thing God asks of us--that we be men and women of prayer, people who live close to God, people for whom God is everything and for whom God is enough." - A Ragamuffin Gospel

I have been convicted lately that more than anything God just wants us to let Him love us. Receiving that love will lead us to trust Him. Allowing ourselves to trust Him will lead us to worship Him. Worshipping will lead us to serve Him. And serving Him will cause us to lean on Him and rely on His love all over again. In the best of all possible worlds that cycle will repeat itself until it all bleeds together and we experience the love, trust, worship, service, and reliance all at once...everyday.

The books I've suggested will help you along the way, but they are no substitute for The Book. They will only serve to point you to The Book. Start with the Psalms. There you will find 150 of the most honest prayers of praise and frustration, joy and pain. From there, move to one of the letters in the NT (Ephesians is always a good one...).

That is all for now...