Book Review: “The Good Life”

Book Title: The Good Life: What Jesus Teaches About Finding True Happiness

Author: Derwin Gray

Publisher: B & H Publishing Group

Happiness. That is one topic that is on the mind of most people. We all want to be happy and enjoy life. There is nothing wrong with that. But could we have a misguided idea about what happiness is and how to achieve it? That is what Derwin Gray seeks to share in his book, The Good Life: What Jesus Teaches About True Happiness.

I have been a fan of Derwin Gray ever since I saw him in the video as the “Evangelism Linebacker” over 10 years ago. Gray serves as the Lead Pastor of Transformation Church which he planted in 2010. I appreciate his heart for people knowing Jesus in a real way. I also appreciate that he is willing to take a stand on the truth of Scripture.

In The Good Life, Gray points to the Beatitudes from Matthew 5 to show what happiness is truly about and how to achieve it. There are so many thoughts about what happiness is and how to get there, it is good to see someone pointing his readers to the truth of God’s word.

The American Dream and the pursuit of happiness – both addressed within the book – seem to have many in the United States of America in a stranglehold. So many people seem to think that if I can just get a nice job, a nice house, a great mate, and a comfortable bank account, then I will be happy. I laugh at this because people have been happy long before the United States and “the American Dream” was around.

I believe that Gray does a good job of walking through each of the Beatitudes and relating them to how they lead to true happiness. I greatly appreciate the focus and weight that is given to the words of Jesus on this topic. Gray also uses both personal experiences and other people’s stories to help illustrate the truths that are found in the Beatitudes.

Recommendation

I believe that anyone who is looking for a good tool to help in the study of the Beatitudes shared by Jesus would find this book to be a good resource. It is solid in its explanation of the text and application to everyday life. There were not any major new revelations that I gained from this book, but it did help think about various ways to flesh out the truths of the Beatitudes.

I would recommend picking up a copy of The Good Life and taking the journey of finding what true happiness is and where it comes from.

***I received a copy of this book from B&H Publishing in exchange for an honest review.***

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A Good Foundation for 2014

Another  year has come and gone.  2013 was one that I can look back on and see some really good things and some not-so-good memories.  What in the world will 2014 hold?  Will there be any major events that take place, or will it be a pretty average year?  No one really knows.  We'll just have to wait and see.

One thing that I have learned and shared with our church family this past week is that God has given us a solid foundation to build our 2014 upon.  It can be found in Matthew 7:24-29.  In this passage, Jesus is concluding the Sermon on the Mount.  He shares that there are two foundations that people build their lives upon.  The good foundation is used by those who hear and do the words of Christ.  The poor foundation is used by those who may hear the words of Christ but never do anything with them.

So it all comes down to what do you do with the teachings of Christ.  To hear them is good, but according to Jesus doing is what builds on the solid rock.  James 1:22 reminds us to "Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."  What you will do with Christ's teachings will determine what kind of foundation your 2014 is built upon.  That foundation will determine whether your "building" stands or falls when the storms come... and they will come.

One cannot do anything with the teachings of Christ if they do not know what they are.  It is important to get into God's word (the Bible) - all of it - and study it.  I would encourage you to find a reading plan this year and go through the Bible in 2014.  Many good ones can be found at YouVersion.  Build your 2014 on the solid foundation of God's word so that it might stand when the storms come.

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