The Good and Beautiful God: Falling in Love with the God Jesus Knows

by James Bryan Smith

Publisher:

IVP

, 2009

Overview

We all have ideas that we tell ourselves about God and how he works in our lives. Some are true—but many are false. James Bryan Smith believes those thoughts determine not only who we are, but how we live. In fact, Smith declares, the most important thing about a person is what they think about God. The path to spiritual transformation begins here. Turning to the Gospels, Smith invites you to put your ideas to the test to see if they match up with what Jesus himself reveals about God. Once you’ve discovered the truth in Scripture, Smith leads you through a process of spiritual formation that includes specific activities aimed at making these new narratives real in your body and soul as well as your mind.

Contents

Top Highlights

“If we adopt Jesus’ narratives about God, we will know God properly and right actions will follow. And the opposite is true. We change not by mustering up willpower but by changing the way we think, which will also involve changing our actions and our social environment. We change indirectly. We do what we can in order to enable us to do what we can’t do directly. We change by the process of indirection.” (Pages 22–23)

“I believe there is a reliable method of changing our hearts. It is not complicated, nor is it difficult. It does not rely on willpower. We begin with the triangle of transformation.* It involves four basic elements: (1) changing the stories in our minds, (2) engaging in new practices (3) in reflection and dialogue with others who are on the same path, (4) all under the leading of the Holy Spirit.” (Pages 23–24)

“The reason they failed was not a lack of willpower. In fact, the will actually has no power. The will is the human capacity to choose.” (Pages 21–22)

“The human person is not merely a soul housed in a body. Our bodies and souls are unified. If our bodies suffer, so do our souls. We cannot neglect the body in pursuit of spiritual growth. In fact, neglecting our bodies necessarily impedes our spiritual growth.” (Page 34)

“We must do something, but we rely on God to provide what is needed in order to change. Sleep is a perfect example of the combination of discipline and grace. You cannot make yourself sleep. You cannot force your body to sleep. Sleep is an act of surrender. It is a declaration of trust. It is admitting that we are not God (who never sleeps), and that is good news. We cannot make ourselves sleep, but we can create the conditions necessary for sleep.” (Page 34)

Product Details

• Title: The Good and Beautiful God: Falling in Love with the God Jesus Knows
• Author: James Bryan Smith
• Series: The Apprentice Series
• Publisher: IVP
• Print Publication Date: 2009
• Logos Release Date: 2014
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: God (Christianity) › Worship and love; Spiritual life
• ISBNs: 9780830878345, 9780830835317, 9780340996027, 9780830835348, 0830878343, 0830835318, 0340996021, 0830835342
• Resource ID: LLS:GDBTFLGDFLLNGLV
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T00:12:02Z

About James Bryan Smith

James Bryan Smith is the author of The Good and Beautiful God and the Apprentice series. He earned his MDiv at Yale and his DMin at Fuller and is a theology professor at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas. He also serves as the director of the Apprentice Institute for Christian Spiritual Formation at Friends University. A founding member of Richard J. Foster's spiritual renewal ministry, Renovaré, Smith serves as a teaching pastor at Chapel Hill United Methodist Church. He is the editor of A Spiritual Formation Workbook and Devotional Classics (with Richard Foster), and the author of Embracing the Love of God, Rich Mullins: An Arrow Pointing to Heaven, and Room of Marvels. His most recent books are The Magnificent Story and The Magnificent Journey.