For years I’ve listened to Dennis Rainey on Family Life Today. I was eager to read his latest book, and reading it was just like listening to his practical, biblical advice on the radio.

Dennis writes with an engaging down-to-earth style. This would be an excellent gift book for a graduating senior, whether a girl or boy. This book would also make a great group discussion guide for youth ministry. I may use it as a one-to-one Bible study springboard with my own children.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from his book:

Our hearts were made to hunger, which is one reason temptation can pull us so easily along.

Wisdom is a godly skill for everyday living. It is the application of knowledge…in how to “do life” the way God designed it. Wisdom takes the raw components of life and skillfully crafts them, makes them beautiful and purposeful as God intended life to be.

Seeking God requires a determination, a commitment, a wholehearted pursuit. We won’t wish our way into it; there’s no such thing as an ambivalent God seeker.

Dennis illustrates the book with real-life stories of his own childhood, his marriage, and his intentional parenting years. I enjoyed his humble spirit and friendly, yet firm, advice. He also includes many different reading references which would be a blessing to explore. Full of sound advice, this book is a gentle and kindhearted inspirational read.

Netgalley was gracious to provide me a free review copy of this book.

To seek God is the greatest quest.
To fear God is the greatest respect
To Love God is the greatest affection
To obey God is the greatest act.
To believe God is the greatest adventure
To Worship God is the greatest experience
To Serve God is the greatest privilege.
All this so that God may be glorified and exalted.

It all comes down to do we really know God and the implications of who God is? We were created to reason and this devotion/study gives a seeker of their creator hope and encouragement. Each chapter is a mantra of the above. Seek God, not Sin, ..Fear God, Not Men...Love God, Not the World...Believe God, Not the Deceiver...Obey God, Not your feelings...Worship God, Not comfort...Serve God, Not Self.

As you can see we do one or the other. There is no in between. This being black and white can put the fear in a believer or a seeker however, it is meant to direct us to the Gospel. The bad news - we can't do it on our own...the Good news - we have Jesus. Each one of these if we are honest, we struggle with. Our hearts are unrest until we find rest in Him. Love is all about choosing and being intentional with our choices. When our choice is God, we have true freedom but we are deceived and seek freedom else where. Rainey is a seasoned communicator of living in that freedom with the choices we make . He brings his own choices to the table and how his heart was affected.

The choices we make reflect the God we worship.

Some of the quotes I found inspiring.

When we do not fear God, we lose our respect and awe for who He is, and as a result we do not live our lives as if in the presence of almighty God. As we forget who God and lose our sense of accountability to Him, we make a play to become our own authority. Then, with God nudged aside, we redefine our purpose and commitments to suit ourselves.

The fear of the Lord delivers us from the fear of man.

Invariably we allow feelings to control our lives. When we feel slighted, we sulk. When we feel wronged, we take revenge. When we feel lonely, we binge. If we fail to check our feelings against the truth of God's word, they can take up permanent residency. When this happens, our outlook on life becomes distorted and toxic, and we may end up doing things we would never have imagined.



A great study on God's word and the character of God that keeps the focus on his Glory of salvation.

A Special Thank You to Bethany House Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

About a decade ago Rainey was asked to speak at the commencement ceremony of a prominent divinity school. He wanted to give the graduates something that would help them choose a life that matters. As he pondered what to say, he determined the essence of what the Bible teaches about what God expects of us. He came up with seven concepts and writes about them here.

Seek God, not sin
Fear God, not man
Love God, not the world
Believe God, not the deceiver
Obey God, not your feelings
Worship God, not comfort
Serve God, not self

Rainey writes from a life time of serving the Lord in Christian ministry. He has developed a good understanding of the kind of life that pleases God. These seven concepts have served him well as boundaries and direction for his thoughts as he lived life. He has tested them for a decade and now offers them to readers.

This is a good book, one that can be read over and over again. We need reminding of what God desires of us. We need encouragement to live in a manner pleasing to Him. Rainey has provided that for us in this small but powerful book.

Rainey wanted his readers to be able to make quality decisions and be able to carry them out. He has included suggestions of life skills at the end of each chapter. My favorite was the section on fearing God, not man. Essential, Rainey writes, is practicing the presence of God. He gives several practical suggestions to help us be more aware of God and reorient our lives around Him.

I recommend this book to Christians who want to live a life pleasing to God. You'll receive some good instruction, read some good stories, and get some practical ideas to live out your godly commitments.

Food for thought: “To me, life in Christ is a process of God weaning us from loving this world while increasing our capacity and experience of loving Him.” (Loc 537/1246)

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

I’ve heard of Dennis Rainey before. I’ve listened to his blurbs on my local Christian Radio station here in Florida many times. But I’ve never really read anything about him or by him before. Honestly, it wasn’t the best experience.

This book wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t anything that made me go “oh, wow” either. It was right there in the lukewarm world of Christian books. For one, it was incredibly short even though there was much that could’ve been expanded upon and by the end of it I had the thought of “well I’ve heard all that before.” And not that a Christian author can’t write on topics that have already been used. People have written on the books of the bible, the nature of sin, being different in a “fit in world” for years but if you don’t bring a new perspective to the topic then the book isn’t going to teach or do much. By the conclusion I just felt like I had read a really good sermon outline and that was about it. Heard it before, know it already, teach me something new please.

The author also used a lot of his own personal stories throughout, but instead of these stories being relational in nature they came off as showy or proud, which I know was not the intention but was how they read anyway. His idea of “choices” was not exactly what I had assumed it to be and even trying to read the book objectively a lot of what he wrote still seemed to come off as “it’s an easy process, do this then this will happen…” which is not the whole truth of a life lived through Christ.

To be honest, this book was just not for me. It’s not a book I’m likely to recommend to others or purchase for myself but I know that everyone is different and that’s why I still gave it three stars. Because the biblical principles are there, the overall merit of what is trying to be taught is there, I just think the execution is lacking. It had some good points but it didn’t stir my soul for more and that’s my biggest critique. Too much was left out, too much was left unsaid. If you’re looking for a book with practical biblical knowledge and how to apply it to your life in a general way, then this is the book for you. If you want to go much deeper in your faith, then this may not be the right book.

My final take on this book is that I hope those who read this book find something they are searching for. I did not, but all walks are not the same and praise to the Lord for that.

Choosing a Life That Matters

7 Decisions You'll Never Regret



by Dennis Rainey

Bethany House

Bethany House Publishers



Christian

Pub Date 19 Sep 2017

I am reviewing a copy of Choosing a Life That Matters through Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley:

In this book we are reminded of the importance of seeking God, rather than seeking sin. The author points out that seeking God is referenced more than fifty times in the Bible. The author points out too that wisdom is an everyday how to seek God.

The author reminds us that we need to fear God and not man. We are reminded too of the importance of being aware of God's presence.

We are reminded too of the importance of Loving God, not loving the world. We are reminded too of how we need to believe God, and not the deceiver.

The author goes on to point out that we need obey God, and not our feelings. The author goes on to remind us that faith, love and forgiveness are not just feelings. The author goes on too to remind us that we should not worship comfort, but worship God. We are reminded too that we need to serve God and not ourselves.

I give Choosing A Life that Matters five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!