A Book About A Book Of The Bible

We've asked everyone who accepted our challenge to read 12 books in 12 months to submit one sentence from every book they read. As John Piper says, “Books don’t change people, paragraphs do — sometimes sentences.”

This month's category was "A book about a book of the bible." Lisa sent in her report on A Sweet and Bitter Providence (The Book of Ruth) by John Piper. Here are her sentences...

Life is not a straight line leading from one blessing to the next and then finally to heaven.

Life is a winding & troubled road. Switchback after switchback. And the point of biblical stories like Joseph & Job and Easter & Ruth is to help us feel in our bones (not just know in our heads) that God is for us in all these strange turns. God is not just showing up after the trouble & cleaning it up. He is plotting the course and managing the troubles with far-reaching purposes for our good and the glory of Jesus Christ. 

Proud people don't feel amazed at being treated well.

They don't feel deep gratefulness. But humble people do. In fact, they are made even more humble by being treated graciously. They are so amazed that grace came to them in their unworthiness that they feel even more lowly. But they receive the gift. Joy increases, not self-importance. Grace is not intended to replace lowliness with pride. It's intended to replace sorrow with joy.