I first encountered J. Oswald Sanders when a good friend of mine recommended the book Enjoying Intimacy with God. It seemed to have a rather profound effect upon him. I read it as well, and was able to see where the effect came from. When I encountered the three book series from Moody by Sanders--including Spiritual Maturity, Spiritual Discipleship, and Spiritual Leadership--I was eager to jump in.
The first one that I ordered was Spiritual Maturity: Practices of Spiritual Growth for Every Believer, which was first published in 1962. The book is divided into 21 chapters, with seven each devoted to maturity in The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Each of the chapters is deeply biblical and also makes use of spiritual wisdom from individuals throughout the history of the church. As an aspiring poet, I particularly enjoyed his inclusion of both his own rhymes as well as those of others, such as George Hebert.
Although they were all excellent, two chapters in particular stood out as exceptional. Chapter 6, entitled "the moral antipathy of God" dealt quite effectively with the pervasive issue of pride. Also chapter 11, "Christ's ideal of character" examined the blessed life through the eyes of the beatitudes. Chapter 11 contained one of the sentences that may be amongst the most glorious sentences outside of the Bible I've read: "Many Christians bring unnecessary opprobrium upon themselves and the cause of Christ by their aggressive tactlessness" (Page 138).
One final thought. Though I typically prefer hardbacks, the construction of this little volume is exceptional. There are two color pages throughout, bright clean paper, and a sturdy cover.
I suspect this book I will revisit, and certainly chapters 6 and 11. I also think that for most believers, it would be a worthwhile resource as well.
I received a free copy of this book from Moody Publishers in exchange for my review. I was not required to give a positive review. The opinions presented here on my own.
No comments:
Post a Comment