The 10 Greatest Struggles of Your Life by Colin S Smith

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Product Details

Finding freedom in God's commands.

The Ten Commandments, huh? Old Testament? Easy, peasy. I can keep all those. I don't swear. I don't have an idols in my house. I only worship God. I take Sundays off. I honor my father and mother. I don't steal, kill, lie, commit adultery or outwardly covet. So I'm good right?

Wrong. Colin views the Ten Commandments as lines on a railroad track and while the end station may be outright stealing or outright adultery, etc. what about all the lines leading up to the station? Ah, that might be what trips you up. And if nothing else trips you up, what about coveting? That's in inward struggle that nobody can see, but is sure to get us.

Colin takes these Ten Commandments and calls them our greatest struggles:
Your struggle with God
Your struggle with Worship
Your struggle with Religion
Your struggle with Time
Your struggle with Authority
Your struggle for Peace
Your struggle for Purity
Your struggle for Integrity
Your struggle with Truth
Your struggle with Contentment

Need I say anything else? Those ten words all of a sudden change the picture? Do I use my time wisely? I'm only given one life to live. Do I steal from my boss by not working as efficiently or as hard as I could for him, but still taking the full paycheck? Do I always tell the truth with kindness? Am I content? There's a lot of room here to grow.

On the last page of the book, Colin says this: "No Christian is everything that God calls him or her to be. The finest Christian you have ever met has only a small beginning of obedience.

"But there is a beginning of true holiness in every believer. No Christian is completely pure, but there is the beginning of purity in every Christian....." 

It's comforting to know that while I can never attain absolute perfection, there can be the beginnings of these things for me and I can continue to allow God to work in me.

At the end of the book, there is a 30 page study guide to go along with each chapter. This was put together by Tim Augustyn. And while I didn't read through it all, it looks very thought-provoking and challenging.

I received this book from Moody Publishers and was not required to write a positive review.

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