Before I start, I must point out that the book was self-published via WestBow Press in 2011 (anywhere from $500 to several thousands) and probably took the author several months to get the money to promote the book (several thousands more). Writing a book’s cheap, but editing and then publishing costs a lot of hard-earned money. I’m glad he got the extra money to promote his book since, otherwise, I might have never found about it.
The following review is true, without favors of any kind. Said the latter, “Who is God, And What Has He Done For Me Lately?” (ISBN 9781449729790) by Baptist Reverend David L Jemison is a book I liked from the beginning. It felt like something I’d write coming from a third person omniscient observing human behavior and its relation with the Devine.
“When the Lord made man, He placed within him a hunger that drives him to search for a power much higher than himself, one that he may refer to as god.”
Right away, the author points out that we (humans, for lack of a better term) have free will to decide. As such, our intelligence makes us realize that we can conclude various tough questions with the existence of God — for example, our need to answer questions of our own existence and purpose of life (what the author refers to as “drive”).
“That drive. is so great within man that he will pull a god out of his imagination, and worship him. There is a void within man that can only be filled with the one and only living and true God, YAHWEH, the Creator, and Supreme Ruler, of heaven and earth.”
I know that I’ve quoted the book too much already, but the author points out the need to worship something “mightier than” we could ever be — regardless how wrong it may be from our Christian understanding, yet correct for other religions as Wicca (Paganism, much too often looked down upon).
“Man has always looked up to what has fed into his life, or that which has provided necessary things to him. That is why we sometimes find him worshiping the sun, the earth, the sea, the trees, animals, etc. Then man has a tendency to reverence things that he perceives to be mightier than he, and things that he believes can destroy him. So sometimes we find man worshiping the mountains, volcanoes, thunder and lightning, and again the sea, and the wind. Then man has always had a reverence for things that he does not know, things that are hidden from him.”
The abhor goes on writing about his ministry pointing out several key concepts of Christianity like
- not giving “Him the glory” (gratefulness) that He deserves,
- confession and acceptance of the full responsibility for his sins
- and complete and honest repentance with godly sorrow of sins
This is similar to what my friend Charlene (a minister at the church I go to) called cheap faith. If we don’t work hard to put our sins behind, we engage in a false sense of Grace — hence cheap, no cost and no value, in other words worthless.
The book provides a good glossary approach explaining words and names that we often hear in the Church that we might often take for granted.
YAHWEH — the name of God
“The Bible teaches in Psalms 33:12, ‘Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord (YAHWEH), and the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance.’ Psalms 40:4 says, ‘Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respected not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.’”
Immanuel — (“God is with us”) God incarnate
“Isaiah 7:14, ‘Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.’”
The only problem (if you see it that way) is the same approach on what we should do as Christians. Part of the book’s too much, “Do this!” or “Do that!” and “Don’t do that!” At least, it doesn’t sound like a “fire and brimstone” sermon.
“Simply put, the Lord has gone out of His way, to see that provisions were made for man to be in a right relationship with Him, and would have shelter, and an abundant, and eternal life. That is what the Lord wants for everybody.
The Lord has given us His word of promise, and simply wants us to believe it, and receive it, so that we might live, and that things may be well with us.
When people begin to accept the reality of God, the next thing that want to know is, what does God want from me. Of course, the answer to that question depends of where you are spiritually.”
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