THE CROSS (FOOD FOR THE JOURNEY)
Edited by Elizabeth McQuoid
IVP / Keswick. 128 pages. £4.99
ISBN 978 1 789 741 919
There is nothing more central to Christianity than Jesus’ work on the cross. It is on that tree that we find forgiveness, hope, righteousness and all we need to live for God. No wonder, then, that Keswick ministries and IVP have sought to add to the collection of ‘Food for the Journey’ devotionals by writing one specifically on the cross.
It’s a multi-author resource that has its roots in Keswick talks and, between them, the preachers take us on a tour of Old Testament predictions, gospel fulfilment, and early church teachings.
Each day offers a short Bible passage, a commentary to fuel head and heart and, often, a carefully chosen quotation from a popular reformed evangelical book. Whilst each passage is handled with the careful rigour you would expect from Keswick preachers, the overall flavour of the devotionals is doctrinal rather than expositional – building up a fairly comprehensive picture of Jesus’ cruciform ministry.
It’s not got an academic feel, though; each reading offers busy people bite-sized encouragement to keep following our Saviour day by day. Interestingly, the first half of the book offers less application and more implication of the chosen passages – reader’s minds are drawn to why the passages are important and how they mould our view of God. The second half, however, follows the more traditional pattern for devotions with questions and comments that challenge us to live distinctively Christ-like lives.
As a resource, it’s Biblical, accessible, encouraging material throughout. It drips truth about the cross into readers’ lives and leaves them hungry for more – a hunger that can be well satisfied by diving into the follow-up reading suggested at the end. And it helps readers spend a month focusing on the foundation of the faith. It’s something I’d have no hesitation in recommending to a newer Christian wanting to know more, or to a mature Christian wanting to refresh their hearts. On a personal note, it encouraged me to praise and trust more deeply – and that’s never a bad outcome for a book!
