Pages

Thursday 30 October 2014

Book Review: "God Took Me by the Hand" by Jerry Bridges


Review by Ian Acheson

This was a delightful read of a very humble man who is able to look back at his 80+ years and see how God had His hand on so many small and large happenings during his life.


I haven't read any of Jerry's books (eg, “Pursuit of Holiness”)and felt led to read this for some reason and am so glad for it.

There are so many takeaways from this short memoir of sorts, a few of which I'll mention in this review. Jerry was born with a number of physical shortcomings and grew up in a very unassuming home. It reminds me how God loves taking those who the world wouldn’t expect to make an impact and use them to do great things for His Kingdom.

Jerry is a disciple of the Navigator Scripture Memory System and throughout this book he demonstrates how important the memorisation of Scripture has been in his life. As he says, if there are no verses hidden in your heart, what words can the Spirit nudge you with when He wishes to make a point? I love that.

Jerry's idea of "dependent responsibility" in terms of sanctification which I believe is a theme through many of his works is a great concept. As he writes:

"We are responsible for sanctifying our lives but we cannot make one inch of progress in the Christian life apart from the enabling power of the Holy Spirit." (p 75)

And finally, Jerry attributes his greatest period of fruitfulness to the last 20 years of his life. To this day, in his eighties, he continues to teach to large groups and bear the fruit from books he has written since retiring from "corporate life". That gives me great hope that there is still much I can do that can bear fruit for the Lord.

I'm so appreciative of having read Jerry's memoir and I plan to start working through some of his other books in due course.




Ian Acheson is an author and strategy consultant based in Northern Sydney. Ian's first novel of speculative fiction, Angelguard, is now available in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. You can find more about Angelguard at Ian's website, on his author Facebook page and Twitter

10 comments:

  1. Great review, Ian. As a Navigator girl from long ago, I enjoyed reading about this inspirational man and champion of faith.

    Thanks for introducing me to Jerry Bridges. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great to know a Navigator girl, Dotti. I'm thinking of becoming a Navigator boy but wish my memory was as good as it was when I was a wee bit younger. Memorising verses just takes that little bit longer these days.

      Thanks for popping by and sharing. Bless,

      Delete
  2. Hi Ian, Thanks for your insightful review. I remember reading Jerry's book, The Pursuit of Holiness, when I was in my late teens. I was in a Bible study group that studied the book and it was a very challenging read. His memoir sounds inspiring and fascinating.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Narelle. Great that you've read Jerry's most known book. It was his first and has sold over a million copies by all accounts. Interesting he didn't write another one until about 15 years later and it's in the last 10 years or so where he's been his most productive in terms of producing books.

      Thanks for your encouragement.

      Delete
  3. He sounds like the man the Bible says 'is fruitful in old age'. I'm a little like you with memorization. The verses I learned when young have stuck but it's getting harder now! Still, I'm trying.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. But, Rita, we keep on trying those memorisation's don't we?

      And yes, Jerry makes almost that identical comment about fruitfulness.

      Thanks for sharing once again, Rita.

      Delete
  4. I've read a few of Jerry's books and appreciate his authentic message. This looks like it would make a great Christmas gift for a few people I know!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You'll enjoy this book, Cherie, if you've enjoyed his others.

      And yes, it would make a good Chrissy present.

      Thanks so much, Cherie, for popping over. We especially appreciate overseas friends joining in on ACW. Bless,

      Delete
  5. I haven't read anything by this author, so thanks for the review Ian and bringing him to my attention

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pleasure, Dale, and thanks for leaving a comment.

      Delete

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.