Dear Fellow Students of the Word,
In my letters and blog posts to pastors, I usually write about a recently published book that is geared particularly toward pastors. This time I’ve chosen to write about a devotional book (actually a two-part set) that is intended for any mature Christian reader. At the same time, I think most pastors will appreciate Professor Daniel M. Deutschlander’s On Giving Advice to God: Devotions on the Wisdom of God and the Foolishness of Man.
Part 1—available now—offers 97 devotions on mostly gospel texts that cover themes from the first half of the church year: Advent through Easter and the Ascension. Part 2—available for preorder, releasing in June 2018—offers 107 devotions that pick up with Pentecost and end with the Last Things. The set containing both parts is also available for preorder.
Three elements especially stand out for me in all of the devotions.
First, because the devotions are a little longer than most devotions published today, Prof. Deutschlander can go into more depth as he expounds and applies the Bible texts. In fact, over and over again, my reaction to these devotions was, “I hadn’t thought of that before. That’s a great insight on that text.”
Second, Prof. Deutschlander artfully weaves the theme suggested by the title and subtitle of the book into many of the devotions without it ever being forced or getting tiresome. Again and again he exposes the natural, inborn tendency in all of us to want a “theology of glory,” which God has confounded and saved us from by his own revealed theology of the cross. At the same time, the devotions always remain text specific and apply law and gospel in a way that the reader is convinced, “This is me being condemned in this law message” and “This gospel message is for me!” Or to put it perhaps a little more parochially, these devotions are so . . . Lutheran!
Finally, besides being very edifying reading—great food for thought and food for the soul—the devotions also provide a fine model for us all to emulate as we strive to faithfully expound and apply specific law and gospel to specific hearers in our own sermons, Bible studies, and devotions.
So for both your edification and emulation—together with your just plain spiritual enjoyment—I commend to you Prof. Deutschlander’s On Giving Advice to God: Devotions on the Wisdom of God and the Foolishness of Man.
With you in Christ,
Curtis Jahn
Vice President of Publishing Services
Professional Books Editor