Abiding Dependence - A Book Review

 

Abiding Dependence by Ron Block is written as a devotional book for a 40 day period.  I came across this book last fall when I was given some credit through Moody Publishing.  I had asked a lady I knew quite well at that time for a recommendation and she recommended this book.  It did not disappoint.

As one might guess by the title, the book's focus is about abiding in Christ...living our lives in Him rather than trying to live life in our own strength and power. 

This would be an excellent read for the Lenten season.  Even though I have read it straight through I plan to put it back to use as my Lenten devotional for next year.  Due to the number of daily readings, the subject matter and the fact that each chapter is between 3-5 pages long (mostly 3) makes it ideal for something like that.

The author reminds the reader many times of who we are in Christ if we are a Christian...a true Believer in Him.  

As I read through the book I was trying to make mental notes of parts that I would want to share.  It's one of those books that the Holy Spirit may speak to each person differently as they read through it, but there are a couple of quotes that I would like to share here.  Perhaps they will be helpful for someone.

The chapter titled "Be Weak" gives a clear description on what rest is.  "To clairfy, rest is not passivity; it produces the opposite.  Resting in Christ gives us a capability to do much more than working from our own strength.  It's active.  We sit, we quiet our soul-noise, and listen.  We expect God to give us the wisdom we lack, the strength we need.  These are all actions - inner actions.  And taking this kind of inner action and making it a habit begins to transform our thoughts, attitudes, and outer actions." page 99

He then continues to illustrate what he is saying. "Practicing guitar from a sense of confidence, ability, and sufficiency gives me a  sense of trust and hope about improving and playing well.  This give me a more restful attitude and allows me to pay attention to my technique. I learn more quickly, and faster learning builds a sense of confidence, ability, and sufficiency.  It's a positive, self-fulfilling loop.  Confident faith makes me more active, not less, because I work from hope - the expectation of good things coming." page 100

Mr. Block continues, "Which is more passive in a heated discussion - taking a breath or two to rest in Christ and recognize He is in you and in the other person, and then responding with love and patience, or reacting with fleshly effort to convince the other person you're right?  Entering His rest, or a primal reaction?" page 100

And to continue with the last example he gives, "Which is more passive - to live every day in fear, tension, and stress, letting our minds wander willy-nilly over every possible bad scenario, or to be continually 'casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you'(1 Peter 5:7 ESV), and using our imaginations to think through possiblities?  Tumbling in the flood of our natural reactions, or trusting God to be our strength to get us to the solidity of the riverbank?"page 100

"Recognizing our weakness is the way to standing in His strength."  page 100

I would definitely recommend this book because it is a rich reminder of who we are in Christ and how He desires us to rest in Him.