Wednesday, December 14, 2016

THIRTY-ONE VERSES FOR THE HEART by Liz Curtis Higgs



This hardback book is attractively arranged. It has a flower photo on the front cover. Higgs begins with an introduction called Well-Versed. Then she launches into the next 31 chapters. She begins each chapter with a Bible verse. Then follow a few pages of meditations with verses laced throughout the text. She wraps up each chapter with a prayer poem. The chapters end with a tip for memorizing Scripture and a Bible verse. Higgs includes a section of steps to commit Scripture verses to memory. She follows this with a study guide for how to get into God's Word. She includes acknowledgments with a Heartfelt Thanks page, followed by notes from the Bible. Liz Curtis Higgs is the author of more than 30 books with 4.6 million copies in print, including It's Good to Be Queen, Bad Girls of the Bible, The Girl's Still Got It, and The Women of Christmas. Higgs is a seasoned professional speaker and Bible study teacher. She has traveled with Women of Faith, Extraordinary Women, and Women of Joy. She's spoken at over 1700 conferences in all 50 states in the U.S. and in 15 countries worldwide.

This book is one for the heart. I just finished it, and mean to read it far more slowly. That's the way that Higgs means it to be read, an individual verse and chapter a week. No more. For this book review, though, I felt the need to read it faster. Her writing is thoroughly conversational, as if she were encountering you, the reader, face-to-face. I liked all the verses that she chose for this book. I was surprised that she left out a verse in the New Testament, that directly addresses temptation. But I know that her other chosen verses are probably meant to be used in times of temptation. I find this book to be most encouraging. I would have liked it to include many more verses, and to be comprehensive. I hope that Higgs will author another book just like this, or will write a more comprehensive devotion, with, say, 52 verses to cover each week of an entire year. But this book is most encouraging, uplifting, and I intend to use it over and over. Hggs breaks up each verse into smaller sentences, taking them apart. This is known as homiletics. This is a skill that, I believe, all Bible teachers have to have. But all of us believers would do well to acquire this skill, in order to know how to store up Scripture in our hearts, giving us strength to live the way that God tells us to.

I recommend this book for all Christians. Period. THere's really not much to say about that. It's ideal for Christians, whatever their stage of growth. Even the newest believer can benefit from this book. However, this book may do little to challenge pastors and seasoned believers who consider themselves Bible scholars. They may not need this book, but should pass it on to other Christians who have trouble with memorizing Bible verses, getting int the Word for various reasons, or who are new to the faith. I don't recommend this book for non-Christians, as these verses are God's words only for those who have identified with Jesus and united with him by faith. This seems to be a "For Christians Only" book. Christian women are Higgs' target readers. This book is ideal for them, as even the designs of the book are feminine.

I have received a complimentary copy of this book through Blogging For Books in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to give a favorable review of this book.

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