Living Sacrifice: Willing to Be Whittled as an Arrow

I heard Dr. Roseveare speak at a Women's Conference and was incredibly drawn to her humility and deep understanding of what it means to "walk worthy of the calling". Her book, "Living Sacrifice", has become a trusted devotional, helping me to realize just what it means to love God with all of my heart, mind, soul and strength. It seems that Christianity today celebrates our faith when things go well for us. This "pop" faith recognizes Jesus' ministry and miracles, His resurrection and the resulting power, but skips over the deep struggles experienced in His death. This paints an unrealistic picture of our own lives when we are called on to "die to self" - many people do not know how to respond when things go wrong, and really struggle in their faith. Dr. Roseveare's book gives meaningful illustrations from her own ministry in the Congo that show how tough it is to die to one's own understanding and trust God when things go wrong. That is the measure of the love that God wants from believers - to let go in the face of every situation and honestly believe that God will provide for our needs. I have used this book as a devotional, reading a chapter a week and letting God show me areas of my life that need deeper surrender and trust. It has profoundly deepened my relationship with God, and helped me to relate more thoroughly with the life of Jesus.