Gentle and Lowly

It’s always a courageous move to review a book that you haven’t yet finished, but with that caveat, I’d love to encourage you to read with me the latest book of the month, ‘Gentle and Lowly’, by Dane Ortlund.

I’ve been reading a chapter most mornings before I get out of bed, and I’ve been thankful for the insights I’ve been given into the heart of Jesus.

Yet, this book is not merely a textbook on theology, as valuable as that is: it’s a book that seeks to show from the Scriptures what has been revealed about Jesus’ emotions and attitudes to us, and how he acts upon them for us.

The introduction puts it this way: “This is a book about the heart of Christ. Who is he? Who is he really?”

The reason the author asks this question for us is deeply practical, for he says that:

“this book is written for the discouraged, the frustrated, the weary, the disenchanted, the cynical, the empty. […] It is written, in other words, for normal Christians… for sinners and sufferers. How does Jesus feel about them?”

Page 15

Then, chapter by chapter, the author takes a bit of the Bible or a particular aspect of teaching about Jesus, and then looks at what this says about the heart of Jesus.

The reason Ortlund takes us on this journey is that he wants us to be aware of not only Jesus’ atoning work for our sinfulness, “but also of his longing heart amid your sinfulness.”

It is a deeply pastoral book for us as we stop and think about who Jesus really is, and what he thinks of us, and how he’s acted for us and continues to show his wonderful love for us.

So, grab a copy, and maybe read a chapter a day, and come with us on this journey to better know the true heart of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

JODIE McNEILL

PS – grab a copy by visiting our friends at The Wandering Bookseller