How to Gain the Most From This Book:
I hope this book will be one of the most life-enhancing, biblically practical books about God you’ll ever read. To that end, I want to provide you with insights into how to get the most out of it. Each chapter of this book can be separated into three important parts:
- The body paragraphs
- The footnote references
- The contemplations
The Body Paragraphs
Each chapter highlights a different attribute of God and a different facet of His character, as you can see by the chapter titles in the Table of Contents. The chapters are then divided into smaller sections covering various aspects of that attribute and, in addition, contain numbered footnote references to aid you in your study of what Scripture affirms about that facet of God’s character.
The Footnote References
An abundance of footnote references accompanies each chapter. Predominantly, these provide Scripture verses to support the truth of the material discussed in the chapter. They also provide references to other Christian saints and scholars who either contributed to this writing or whom you can read further to go deeper into a concept.
Although we are all accustomed to reading books chapter by chapter and ignoring the footnotes, I do not recommend you use this book in that fashion, as the footnotes are the most important part of the entire book. I have provided them so you can meditate on multiple passages, lingering with God in His living and active words of truth. So, I would encourage you not to gloss over the footnotes. Follow them and let them lead you to God’s Word. Spend time there – meaningful, fruitful time. Enough material is in the footnote references for you to meditate on for hours and days and months and years.
The Contemplations
The Contemplations at the end of each chapter contain thoughts, ideas, and observations – contemplations – based on the concepts that are covered in that chapter. They are directed toward God in the form of conversational prayers and are taken from journal entries that I and others have kept and shared. Sprinkled with elements of inspiration, struggles, insights, questions, and much more, they are there to stir your thoughts toward areas you may not have considered as you seek to know God better. Our intent is that they serve as an example to follow as you are learning to journal, pray, and read more deeply, since the goal is not to just scan words on a page, but to engage your mind, soul and spirit as you seek to interact with God.
Using All Three Components
Let me suggest one way you can use all three parts well. First, read the entire chapter all the way through just as you would any book, leaving out the contemplations and the footnotes.
Second, pray and ask God to show you how to adore Him. Ask Him to ignite a passion within you to seek Him. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you as well as to reveal any misconceptions about Him you may hold. Pray that He will help you understand who you are as well – the good, the bad, and the ugly – and help you more vividly see your need for Him. And pray that He will make ever more real and beautiful to you the grace He shows in the gospel. Such prayers may make the difference between filling your head with thoughts about God versus meeting with Him and engaging with Him.
Third, re-read the chapter more slowly, with the contemplation questions in mind. With pen and paper or journal in hand, perhaps add contemplations of your own, writing down some of your own questions or thoughts that may be similar or altogether different from those provided.
Fourth, read the footnote Scriptures for that section of the chapter. Don’t skim or read quickly just to confirm that the passage supports what the chapter has said. Ponder the Scriptures. Pray over them. Pray that the Lord will reveal Himself to you in them. Meditate on the truth and power of each passage.
Take note of your thoughts, insights, convictions, and confessions in your prayer journal. Re-read the Scriptures, the sentences in the chapter, the contemplations, and your own journaling. Repeat the cycle, meander among all the components, pondering further, writing further, praying, journaling, and so on. As difficult as it may be, do not engage in all these areas in a hurried fashion. Devote time to developing your relationship with God Almighty. Ideally, I envision you spending an hour or so at each session doing this. At such a pace, you will probably cover a chapter per week and finish the book over several months.
Further, it is my hope that you will return to the material in this book again and again throughout your Christian life. An ever-deepening relationship with God requires meditation on who He is as He has revealed Himself in His Word. And meditation requires focused, attentive, dedicated time; it cannot be accomplished in a quick and hasty manner.
Group Study
You may also choose to use this book as part of a group study. If you do, I suggest that after spending time in one chapter, you meet each week with your group to share your journal entries, your questions, your struggles, etc. Keep the primary focus of the group discussion on God, and don’t let it drift to discussions that ignore God and His character.