Lent gives Christians the opportunity to slow it down and take time to reflect on the life, death and resurrection of Christ. Different Christians approach lent differently all over the world. There are some tremendous books that were written with Lent in mind. Some books are for informing, some are more devotional and some are for the whole family to be pointed to Jesus. Here are two books that I’ve recently read that could help you focus on Jesus at this time of Lent.
An Ocean of Grace by Tim Chester
This is a devotional book with a twist. Instead of a walk through of the usual passages, reflection questions and prayers, this book takes you on a journey with saints of old.
Why did a Chester take this approach? Because Christians are not alone, but the path that we walk to follow in Christ’s footsteps is a well trodden one. The writer of Hebrews calls this a ‘great cloud of witnesses’ (Heb. 12:1). There are plenty of Christians, who have since gone to be with the Lord, who can help us from their own experience to gaze at Christ in all of His glory.
Every day you will read a short introduction written by Tim Chester and then a quote, reflection, prayer or poem from an old saint.
The book is split into sections based on the weeks of Lent and you’ll journey through;
- The Light of Love
- The Welcome of Grace
- The Exchange of Places
- The Assurance of Faith
- The Gift of Christ
- The Victory of God
This book would be a good companion to your devotional life this year. It will help you see familiar truths through the eyes, insights and experiences of other people. But most importantly this book will point you to Jesus!
From Glory to Golgotha by Donald Macleod
Macleod is one of my favourite theological authors. He writes about the depths of theological truths that you can swim for years in and yet he does it with such a simple writing style.
This book is a collection of articles written by Professor Macleod in the Free Church of Scotland’s magazine and for Desiring God. The articles vary in length and depth, but each one is written with the desire who help you grow in your love for and knowledge of Jesus.
Some of the chapters are taken from Scripture, for example;
- Unto Us a Child is Born
- The Word Made Flesh
- To Live is Christ
Other chapters tackle some questions that you’ve probably asked before, for example;
- Did Christ have a Fallen Human Nature?
- Was Christ Really Tempted?
- Why Did God Sacrifice His Own Son?
This book would be a great tool to use by reading a chapter a day, or a week, to expand your mind and fuel your devotion to Christ. If you’ve not read anything of MacLeod’s yet, you’re missing out.
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