The Danger of Trusting Your Own Good Life

"My Brothers and Sisters, it is a grand thing to have led a virtuous life. It is a matter for which to praise God to have been kept in the very centre of the paths of morality. But this blessing may, by our own folly, become a curse to us if we place our moral excellences in opposition to the righteousness of our Lord Jesus and begin to dream that we have no need of a Saviour! If our character is, in our own esteem, so good that it makes a passable garment for us and, therefore, we reject the robe of Christ's righteousness, it would have been better for us if our character had been, by our own confession, a mass of rags—for then we should have been willing to be clothed with the vesture which Divine Love has prepared!"
- C.H. Spurgeon, from a sermon entitled,  A Business-Like Account (Volume 23, 1877) (Italics mine.)

Book Review: What's Best Next by Matt Perman

I want to commend to you Matt Perman’s new book, What's Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done

  

WBN is a really helpful look at how to get your life organized so that you end up doing what matters most. Perman has culled the best from classics like, First Things First and Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity and other productivity thinkers. But, as helpful as resources like this are, they lack the one thing that matters most to Christians – Jesus! Perman corrects this and not in your typical “slap the word ‘Gospel’ on it” way. He takes a rather Biblical-theological approach to both time and the purpose of our existence and shows you how to funnel this into your daily planner.

The chapters are well laid out and the progression of thought is easy to follow. A lot of readers will likely find themselves ignoring some of the minutae on lesser matters, but jumping in with both feet when it comes to the big ideas.

It is amazing how much you can get done in life when you learn a few of these big ideas and start to implement them in ways that actually work. It may sound counter-intuitive to read a book like this on your vacation, but I loved it during my week away. Buy a copy and get our your notepad. You will not be disappointed.

Free Summer Reading

Just noticed that The Great Gatsby is available for FREE at Amazon.ca for your Kindle.

Fitzgerald's turn of phrase is second to none in my estimation. I like to read this one just for the sheer joy of seeing the English language used so well. And the story will serve to help you contemplate heart idolatry of various kinds and what it gets you. David wisely wrote of all idols:

Those who make them become like them,

so do all who trust in them.

(Psalm 135:18 ESV)

If Gastby is too dark for you, then there is always Anne with an "e" Shirley! Looks like 99 cents will buy you the entire collection. Anne: The Green Gables Complete Collection (All 10 Anne Books, including Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, and 8 More Books)