Rating: Summary: A Reality Many Are Unfamiliar With Review: A Life God Rewards explains a simple concept---God really is planning to reward His children for their good works. Although many Christians, including me, feel somewhat apprehensive about thinking that there are consequences in heaven for what we do or not do here, this should be good news---it should fill us with anticipation, vision, & perseverance: "Live with an unshakable certainty that everything I do today matters forever." In the end he faces the reader with 2 questions: What treasure has God given me? What is God asking me to do with my treasure?---and challenges you to search for the answer.
Rating: Summary: Excellent Book For Spiritual Motivation Review: A Life God Rewards is an excellent book that focuses on "how" we will spend eternity in heaven. Christianity teaches that Jesus is the answer to "where" we spend eternity, but Bruce Wilkinson talks more in this book about how that life will be and how we can improve our time there.
Wilkinson takes us through how our choices here on earth will affect the rewards we are given. It also goes on to say that many people who believe they have great rewards stored up for them will be mistaken because their intentions aren't right.
This book is a very easy read and quite short. I'm not impressed with the price for such a short book and some of the text was repetitive when he should have been giving more examples or practical advice.
However I still think this book is worth the read. It will definitely help set your heart on service and get you thinking about how you want to live your life in eternity. 4 out of 5 stars.
Rating: Summary: Serious Implications! Review: Bruce hits it hard with this book about the little things we do or don't do every day...at the office, at home, on the road. Does God really see the small things we do? If we believe he only cares about our final decisions concerning eternity (you know, "Smoking or Non?"), we're wrong! A Life God Rewards explains some of the easily missed verses in the Bible about how we'll be rewarded in Heaven for each thing we do on earth. And how the opposite is true as well. Is Heaven going to be the same for me as for Mother Teresa? Not on your life! (I better start looking for elderly ladies who need help crossing the street...) Excellent book, meaty teaching, and if you think there's a God watching over us, as I do, this will affect your daily life!
Rating: Summary: Connecting Heaven and Earth! Review: Bruce Wilkinson connects the dots, showing how our actions on earth impact life in heaven for eternity. It is both sobering and exhiliarating! It reminds me of an interesting explanation of the connection between heaven and earth that I read in a powerful novel every parent should read called The Gravel Drive by Kirk Martin: "heaven and hell are merely eternal extensions of what you have experienced on earth. If you have a relationship with God here, that will continue into eternity." Both books reinforce the fact that eternity does not begin at some later date, it begins now! I emailed the author at thegraveldrive.com and even received a personal response saying that he hopes the book can be used as a tool for evangelism. I would recommend both of these books and ordered five copies of The Gravel Drive to give to my unchurched friends - what a powerful way to put into practice what Bruce Wilkinson teaches in sharing your faith.
Rating: Summary: Someone should write a book on John the Baptist Review: By the "equation" set out in the author's two books, someone like John the Baptist should have been more blessed than King David. But, God chose to bless each of us according to "His Plan". After all, Paul was chosen to carry forth the Gospel with many other brethrens. According to the standards set "by men" today, Paul, a predator who hunted down early Christians wouldn't have had a chance of being elected as a major contributor for the New Testament. Would you anoint a serial killer with wisdom, and cleanse his sins with the sacrifice of your only Son? No, because our society cannot even forgive an adulterer or a serial rapist. But God chose to bless Paul according to His Plan. I am glad Jesus did not pray in the Garden of Gethsemane, "God, give me your entire 'warehouse' of blessings now!" Rather, our Lord said, "Your will be done." Do you know of any Christians today who would be willing to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and give up his/her possessions, or better yet, John the Baptist, live out in the desert and eat locust? Think about that: That is an even greater blessing than Jabez experienced, and yet nothing is written about it. John had nothing coming into the world except the Holy Spirit and had nothing when he left but the Holy Spirit. Someone should write a book on how John the Baptist prayed and see how popular that book becomes in today's society.
Rating: Summary: Focus on the race, not the reward. Review: Further Clarification from an athlete's point of view: It was written in the review that "The Bible mentions MANY times about our "rewards". But as Christian, we need to look beyond that, as God intends for all of us to set our (mature) spirit on the race." I LOVE running a race. I have NEVER met an Olympic runner (a mature athlete) who focuses on the reward in a 100 meter dead heat. At the professional level, it is not even conceived. It is "written" and well known among athletes and spectators that there is a prize (a promised reward) at the end, but no one focuses on it. NO ONE. As the 100 meter last "less than" 9.9 seconds, so do our lives by God's eternal clock. Focus on the race.
Rating: Summary: This book does not breakthrough to anything new. Review: Having read Wilkinson's previous two books, I thought it might be beneficial to read this newest one. The book has a few bright moments, but is a general disappointment containing some confused theology, especially in the area of what the Bible teaches about death and resurrection. His logic often leaves you thinking, "Huh?"One example of the confused theology is when he quotes Luke 14:13-14 on page 30. He is trying to make a point about eternal rewards that believers supposedly receive immediately after death, yet in the text Jesus says believers will be repaid "at the resurrection of the just." The Bible plainly teaches that the resurrection occurs at the Second Coming of Jesus which is the end of the world. (Job 19:25-27; Daniel 12:2-4; John 14:1-4; 1Corinthians 15:50-55; 1Thessalonians 4:13-18; Titus 2:11-14). At His coming Jesus brings His rewards with Him. (Revelation 22:12). They are not received before that time. Though a part of the "Breakthrough Series" I kept waiting for the breakthrough to break through in each chapter only to be let down. The book may have been intended for readers with a basic knowledge of the Bible, but anyone seeking to deepen their spiritual walk with God would do better spending more time in the Bible itself. Many will eagerly purchase this book due to the popularity and "frenzy" over the "Prayer of Jabez," though Wilkinson's book, "Secrets of the Vine" is the most valuable/accurate of the three in terms of practical faith and Biblical theology. He might have done better by leaving this newest topic alone. Save your money on this one.
Rating: Summary: The Big PIcture Review: I agree with the other reader who said that this book has really helped put some perspective on this important issue. It's shown me how God's Grace extends beyond who we are to what we do. I've also come to understand an important aspect of the character of God. God as a perfect parent. A Life God Rewards has also given me a fresh perspective of how I relate to my own kids and pour righteousness and grace into their lives. It's really given me an accurate sense of how I should respond to God in the day to day.
Rating: Summary: Life based on works? Review: I found this book difficult to be enthusiastic about. It is definitely the most controversial of Wilkinson's books so far. Wilkinson maintains that in order to be rewarded in Heaven we must have good works. It seems like he is saying that we must have rewards in Heaven in order to be satisfied. This is off the mark. We should be striving for God's will and do as He would have us to, but not only to get rewards. The books reasonings seem selfish. There is little information about faith. I expected much better.
Rating: Summary: Saved By Works? Review: I got my copy of this book as a freebee from "Crossings Book Club". I'm glad I didn't spend any money on it because in a nutshell, this book is totally wrong. If you listen to Bruce Wilkerson, your heavenly reward is based on your works. Nothing in scripture supports this. I always refer people who are lulled into this kind of thinking to the parable of the laborers. Those who were hired at the end of the day received the same pay as those who started at six o'clock.. And didn't Jesus promise the thief on the cross that he would be with him in paradise? He didn't tell the thief that since he was a "Johnny-come-lately" that he would be in a lesser place in heaven. He said "you will be WITH ME." Once we have committed ourselves to Christ, the Holy Spirit will guide our works. We don't have to keep our own scorecard. We just have to be obedient to the Spirit and he will show us what our work is to be.
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