Walking with God

Browsing a Christian bookstore is both encouraging and distressing. Well-stocked aisles are wonderful testimony that believers crave Biblical perspective on dozens of subjects such as marriage, money, leadership, emotional wellness, household management, education, and so forth. But one wonders if all this interest in Christian things distracts us from Christ himself. Would we need so much advice on so many subjects if we were solidly grounded in THE Book?The answer lies in yet another book! "Walking With God," compiled from writings by J. C. Ryle, convincingly explains that first things must indeed come first. Those first things--the foundational disciplines and hallmark attitudes of a Christian life--are succinctly addressed in 19 brief chapters further divided into short sections. The theme of the first chapter, "Self-Examination," suffuses the entire book.Ryle's writing style is forceful and simple. He has a special talent for leading the reader to compare his own spiritual state directly to the ideals revealed by scripture. So led, the reader confronts the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. Certainly that was the effect on this reader.I found the chapters "Prayer," "Bible Reading," "Zeal," and "Heirs of God" most convicting. Here is some of Ryle's crystal-clear, compelling prose: · "Some people complain that the Bible contains many things that are hard to understand. This is perfectly true, but it is no reason to stop reading it. The fault lies in our understanding, not in the Bible itself, and it is only as we continue to read it that we shall understand more.... It would be extremely foolish to ignore what we can understand because of the parts which are difficult." · "Prayer will choke sin, or sin will choke prayer. When I remember this and then look at men's lives, I believe that few people pray."· "Perhaps you are someone who loves and believes the Bible, yet you don't read it very much. You are likely to get little comfort from the Bible in times of need. And you are never likely to be firmly grounded in the truth. Moreover, you are likely to make big mistakes in life...."But Ryle, an Anglican pastor who died in 1900, goes beyond instilling in the reader an urgent need to repent and deepen his walk with God. He drives home the truth that the proper response to grace is thankfulness and obedience, and then he links this to our joy and freedom from sin's bondage through Christ's atoning sacrifice.A most remarkable aspect of "Walking With God" is Ryle's ability to reach Christians and unbelievers alike with an economy of words. His warnings to the lost are seamlessly intertwined with exhortations to believers. Mature Christians will not lose interest while Ryle addresses the unsaved, and those who have yet to respond to God's call will not be put off by jargon or deep theology. Penetrating questions at the end of most chapters target those of varying levels of spiritual development.Like myriad other Christian book

J.C. Ryle (the first Anglican bishop of Liverpool) was renowned for his clear, practical writings. "Walking With God" is an abridged version of Ryle's "Practical Religion" in modern English. In clear, simple language it covers many aspects of day-to-day Christian living: not only prayer and Bible-reading, but issues such as happiness, love, zeal and the place of self-examination. As Derek Prime says in his Foreword, "Both Christians and those seeking the truth about God and his Son Jesus Christ will find instruction, challenge and encouragement." "Walking with God" is the thirteenth in an on-going series of easier-to-read abridgments of important Christian books from the past. A series well worth collecting!