God’s Love Letters to You
By Larry Crabb
(Thomas Nelson, 2010)
This compact devotional is a condensed-Crabb sampler. For the reader who hasn’t been challenged with Crabb’s perspectives this is an ideal starter. Each of 40 brief devotions is loosely based on a book of the Bible. After a key verse each ‘love letter’ begins with “God says…” These are not emotional, feel-good letters but bracing truths that cut through the blind spots and sloppy theology of a hedonistic culture. They reflect the idea that God is more concerned with our holiness than our immediate happiness. A sampling from the “Daniel” devotional represents the flavor of these letters: “The greatest danger My people face today is prosperity, blessings that reinforce the false hope that nothing serious will ever go wrong in their lives if they just keep believing, expecting, trusting, and smiling…” Following each single-page devotional are three of four penetrating application questions, well worth taking time to think through, and a prayer written in the first-person. The ‘letters’ are designed to be read over the span of 40 days.
I have long appreciated Crabb’s writing and very much enjoyed this latest devotional, marking lines to re-read on most pages. There is much food for thought here. One potentially disconcerting factor is the way words that are not directly traceable to Scripture are put in God’s mouth. Scripture has been filtered through Crabb’s own spiritual walk and life experience as a counselor giving it a distinctive ‘Crabb’ flavor. While I happen to believe his emphasis is a timely corrective for a Christian culture addicted to self-fulfillment, still it would be good if the devotionals were more directly referenced to the Word. I would still highly recommend this book. Even if you don’t agree with every word Crabb speaks for God you will be challenged to face potential blindspots and misconceptions about what the Christian life is really all about.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers for review purposes.
--DW
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