Originally posted 1/9/24
One of my Spiritual Goals for 2023 was to read twelve Christian non-fiction books. Reading fictional books is something that I really enjoy, but it doesn’t help draw me closer to the Lord. I had to make a conscious effort to read non-fiction books.
My first step was to look at books I owned but had never read. I wanted to read things that would strengthen my relationship with the Lord. The following is a mixture of books I owned and a few new books. This isn’t the twelve I initially selected, but God directed me a little differently throughout the year.
The first book I chose to read was A Call To Memorize Scripture by Susan Heck. Susan Heck has always intrigued me because she can memorize large portions of Scripture. She memorizes entire books at a time. I wanted to memorize verses and she was memorizing chapters and books. She provides pretty practical suggestions about how to memorize effectively. The first book went pretty quickly, but then again it was only 58 pages.
Women of the Word was my favorite book of the year. I was able to secure copies of this book for the ladies in my church. My Bible study group went through the book together. We had already completed several Jen Wilkin studies, so the material was familiar to us. This book gives great concrete ways to study the Word of God. This book is a must-read for everyone. The content of this book is not limited to just women. Anyone would be able to incorporate these steps.
None Like Him explores the various ways that God is different from us and why it matters. Jen Wilkin has a unique gift of explaining the attributes of God so that everyone can understand. This book explains God’s attributes that are unique to only God. God is self-sufficient, self-existent, immutable, omniscient, sovereign, infinite, eternal, incomprehensible, omnipresent, and omnipotent. We are able to rely on God because He is all of those things and many more.
In His Image addresses how we can strive to be like God. Many people worry about God’s will for their lives. Jen stresses that the better question is how we can become like Him. God is good, merciful, holy, wise, faithful and so much more. We were created in God’s image. What does it mean to be created in God’s image? Read this book to find out.
Study Nehemiah is a verse-by-verse study of the book of Nehemiah. My ladies’ Bible study chose to study Nehemiah last summer. We had just finished the book of Exodus and it flowed really well. This book allows you to really dig in and learn the struggles we can all have in our faith when we obey God’s leading in our lives. I have a new appreciation for Nehemiah’s resolve to follow God no matter what. The enemy used many tactics to distract him, but Nehemiah prevailed. He would not let anything stand in his way of completing the assignment that God had given him.
Hand Me Another Brick is another book about Nehemiah. This book focused on Nehemiah’s leadership skills as he led the charge to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. We can all learn so much from his commitment to the Lord.
Lead Like Jesus is a book that several of us at church were asked to read. It is a book about leadership. It encourages church leaders to lead the way Jesus led.
It Will Cost You Everything by Steven Lawson hammers home that accepting Christ costs nothing, but walking with Jesus daily can and is costly. I am a huge fan of Steven Lawson’s teaching. A friend recently told me that sometimes following Christ is hard. She is so right. (I no longer would recommend Steven Lawson as an approved author.)
Do you wonder who you are in Christ? Identity Theft is an excellent book to help. Melissa Kruger helps people understand what the Bible says about our identity in Christ. The world tries to rob us of this important information.
God’s High Calling for Women by John MacArthur is an excellent book to read if you are grappling with your role in the church. This book is about the basic topic of the appropriate role of women in the church. The push from our society is that women can and should be allowed to do anything a man can do. If we read Scripture with the correct context, that doesn’t seem to be God’s plan for us. Macarthur stresses that just because our role is different, doesn’t mean it is less important.
Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus is the perfect book if you want to gain a greater understanding and appreciation for how the Jewish people would have been impacted by Jesus. We have lost so much of the understanding by ignoring the context of the culture of the day. This book will help you see things differently and deepen your relationship with our Lord.
Growing Together is a book about women mentoring women. Titus 2 gives specific examples of ways the older women are to mentor the younger women. It doesn’t matter what stage of life you are in. You can always learn something from a fellow believer and you can always teach something to someone else. In our fast-paced lives, we often forget this important step.
I encourage you to do this in 2024. I already have my twelve selected. Comment