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Be of Good Cheer: A Christmas Devotional
Be of Good Cheer: A Christmas Devotional
by Susan Hill
The season of Advent has come and gone on the Christian calendar as we remembered the arrival of Jesus, the King of Kings, who was born, as predicted in the Old Testament, in the little town of Bethlehem. His humble birth was just the beginning of the earthly story of the long awaited Messiah who was both fully God and fully man. He experienced in his perfect body all the things that we experience—grief, joy, pain, love, hunger, disappointment. Then he sacrificed himself on the cross to redeem men from their sins.
Be of Good Cheer is a 40 day devotional that draws the reader to the character of Jesus and focuses on words that are elements of a Christ-filled life. In fact, if you are looking for your “word” for 2025, this could be a resource for inspiration for that project.
This small book is a visual delight with illustrations that are both photographs and paintings. It makes a nice coffee table book that can be read through as an Advent devotional according to each day or picked up by a casual guest to peruse at their leisure. The smooth, heavy weight paper adds touch to the pleasures of holding this book. Each chapter has a one word title followed by a relevant Scripture reference. For example, Chapter 1 is “Cheer” with the verse “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4). A short message ends with a suggestion on how to live out the word, how to apply it. This is followed by a brief prayer.
I enjoyed reading each passage. I think this book would make a nice gift for many in 2025.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Nonfiction, Christian, Devotional
Publication: October 1, 2024—Zondervan
Memorable Lines:
From Glory: To give glory to God doesn’t mean to give God something He lacks—it means to proclaim the magnificent glory He already possesses. God’s glory can be defined as all the things that make Him heavenly—His omniscience, omnipotence, and perfect love.
From Miracles: Christmastime is the ideal time to reflect on the reality that God is in the miracle business and routinely accomplishes the impossible. Is there a specific area in your life where you need God to work? Be encouraged that you serve a God who can do all things.
From Kindness: God, thank You for the countless ways You have lavished acts of kindness on me. Help me see the ways You are kind, and lead me to people who need my kindness.
The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith
The Prodigal God
by Timothy Keller
You may feel the urge to read that title twice. Wait, you say, the parable in the Bible is commonly referred to as “The Prodigal Son”! One of the meanings of prodigal, however, is “recklessly extravagant,” and that is the kind of love God has for us.
The Prodigal God is a fairly short book that uses Jesus’ parable about a spendthrift son who wastes his inheritance on immoral living to explain the good news of God’s love and salvation. If you are not familiar with the tale, it’s okay because Keller shares the story as told by Luke at the first of his book. As you read it you will be reminded that there are two brothers who both have bad attitudes. The younger brother engages in wild living, but the older brother who exemplifies the religious leaders listening to the parable has an attitude problem as well. These self-righteous scribes and Pharisees try to follow the letter of the law but not the spirit of the law. One of the chapter titles is “The Two Lost Sons.” Neither son shows the respect for the father that would be expected according to the customs of their culture.
This is a great book to read if you are seeking a personal relationship with God. It is also good for those who are already followers of Jesus. I particularly appreciated the examination of the characters’ actions in the light of the time and place where they lived. It made a story I have long been familiar with come alive. Keller compares the feast at the end of the parable with “the great festival of God at the end of history” and explains four ways in which salvation is like a feast. This book will challenge your mind and heart.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Christian, Nonfiction, Religion, Theology
Publication: 2008—Penguin Group
Memorable Lines:
…sin is not just breaking the rules, it is putting yourself in the place of God as Savior, Lord, and Judge just as each son sought to displace the authority of the father in his own life.
…the prerequisite for receiving the grace of God is to know you need it.
We must learn how to repent of the sin under all our other sins and under all our righteousness—the sin of seeking to be our own Savior and Lord. We must admit that we’ve put our ultimate hope and trust in things other than God, and that in both our wrongdoing and right doing we have been seeking to get around God or get control of God in order to get control of those things.
Help is Here: Finding Fresh Strength and Purpose in the Power of the Holy Spirit
Help is Here
by Max Lucado
In the way Max Lucado presents information in all of his writings, he tells us in Help is Here about the Holy Spirit—with lots of Scripture as the basis to which he adds humor and anecdotes to make his point clear and personalize it for the reader. I never realized how many verses of the Bible, especially the New Testament, talk about the Holy Spirit: who He is, His job description, and how we can access His power and help. As always, Max points the reader to God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
When you are in such despair that you don’t know how to pray, the Holy Spirit will intercede and pray for you. When you have a task that is too big for you, you can have the Holy Spirit walking beside you, empowering you. Nothing is too big or too hard for Him. When you need direction, the Holy Spirit is there. When you feel totally undone, the Holy Spirit can breathe new life into you. If you have never investigated the role of the Holy Spirit, I urge you to read Help is Here. Max explains His role in the world and urges you to welcome the Holy Spirit into every part of your day. Practical and inspirational, Help is Here is a treasure for Christians whether you have been walking with Jesus for a lifetime or you have just met Him. If you are a seeker wanting to know more about God, this is a good book for you too.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Christian, Nonfiction, Inspiration
Notes: Help is Here ends with “Questions for Reflection” prepared by Max’s daughter Andrea Lucado. There is a set of questions for each chapter. The book concludes with a few pages of footnotes.
Publication: September 13, 2022—Thomas Nelson
Memorable Lines:
…your Father is more than willing to release blessings in abundance. You have the Spirit as your advocate and your Father as your provider. You may feel weak, but you’ve never been stronger.
We have a helper, a divine instructor. He will save us from the cul-de-sac of confusion and the dead end of doubt. He does this by enrolling us in the primary course of his university: Jesus Christ.
The chief aim of the Spirit is to escort you into the Sistine Chapel of Jesus and watch you grow wide-eyed and slack-jawed. He will enchant you with the manger, empower you with the cross, embolden you with the empty tomb. He will infect you with his love for the Savior.
The help you need is here. Ask the Spirit to infuse you with his power. Throw open the door! Swing wide the gate! Stand on the threshold and say “Come in!”
Some Golden Daybreak–the Second Coming of Christ
Some Golden Daybreak
by Lee Roberson, D.D.
Having worked through two different current Bible studies on the book of Revelation, I came away with more questions than answers. I learned that there are three major perspectives that scholars adopt to address this New Testament book of prophecy. I remember clear teachings when I was a child at Highland Park Baptist Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee, so I searched online for a book by the pastor at that time. On a used book site, I found Some Golden Daybreak, a collection of 17 sermons on the Second Coming of Christ written by Dr. Roberson. Since then, I discovered that Amazon has both paperback and a Kindle version so this book has clearly passed the test of time.
I highly recommend Some Golden Daybreak. Its teachings are based on Scriptures found in both the New and Old Testaments and address such topics as the mark of the beast, Armageddon, and the much debated Great Tribulation. It answered many questions for me satisfactorily. If you have wondered about eternal life and salvation, this book will provide hope, inspiration, and answers.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Christian, Religion
Publication: 1957—Sword of the Lord Publishers
Memorable Lines:
He invites all sinners to come and to drink of the water of life. No one is excluded. All are invited. What is the water of life? It is salvation through faith in Christ. How do we take it? Freely, without money and without price. It is for everyone.
He is coming again. He is coming in power and great glory. The Christ who was prophesied to come as Saviour hundreds of years before He was born; the Christ who walked upon the earth and died upon a cross; the Christ who arose triumphant from the grave; the Christ who ascended back into Glory; the Christ who gave His promise before leaving this earth that He would come again—this Christ is coming.
The more we study the truth of His coming and the more we observe the trends of the times, the more we feel like fervently praying, “Even so, come Lord Jesus.”
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