Book Description: In Jesus in the Present Tense, Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe explores the “I AM” statements of God—from His burning bush conversation with Moses, to His powerful reassurances to the Israelites, to Jesus’s startling claim to be the Light of the World.
Many Christians find themselves mired in past regrets or future fears, but the name of God itself reminds readers that God wants them to live in the present. The more readers understand and apply God’s I AM statements from the Old and New Testaments, the more they will realize God’s peace and joy. Then they will be free to live, serve, and know God more richly in the present tense—which is just where He wants them to be.
My Review: I love how Dr. Wiersbe begins the preface of this book, "There is no substitute for Jesus Christ. Only Jesus can save us from our sins and give us the grace to live for Him. If you want fullness of life, you have to go to Jesus." Hope for the hopeless which, sometimes, finds many christians always looking backwards into a past that can't be changed and feeling hopeless because they can't change that past. But is this what God truly desires for His child(ren)? Dr. Warren Wiersbe does an excellent job in his latest book, JESUS In the Present Tense, The I AM Statements of Christ. It's not wrong to look back but christians need to give up the past and look forward into the "present tense." The definition present tense is a verb tense that expresses actions or states at the time of speaking. In layman's terms - Jesus is here.now.
The I AM statements that our Lord makes are for us.now. But we must apply them to our lives by faith. Dr. Wiersbe shows us nine places in the Old Testament, where the name I AM is used to reveal more fully His divine nature and His gracious ministry to His people.
· Yahweh-Jire – The Lord who provides (Genesis 22:14)
· Yahweh-Rophe – The Lord who heals (Exodus 15:26)
· Yahweh-Nissi – The Lord our banner (Exodus 17:15)
· Yahweh- M’Kaddesh – The Lord who sanctifies (Leviticus 20:8)
· Yahweh-Shalom – The Lord our peace (Judges 6:24)
· Yahweh-Rohi – The Lord our shepherd (Psalm 23:1)
· Yahweh-Sabaoth – The Lord of hosts (Psalm 46:7)
· Yahweh-Tsidkenu – The Lord our righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6)
· Yahweh-Shammah – The Lord is there (Ezekiel 48:35)
As one looks these scriptures up and applies them to life, the Lord's I AM statements will begin to root and the understanding that our Lord is a Lord of peace and joy should begin to fill our souls. Then the joy of life will be in serving through love and peace. That's a wonderful promise from serving our Lord and Savior! Whether you're struggling with a past full of emptiness or want a future full of the present tense this 5 star read will encourage you and fill you with hope!
*I reviewed this book for The B & B Media Group, Inc*
About the Author: Warren W. Wiersbe is best known as a Bible teacher, author, and conference speaker. He has ministered in churches and conferences in Canada, Central and South America, Europe, and the United States. He has published more than 150 books and was awarded the Gold Medallion Lifetime Achievement Award by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association.
I've always enjoyed Wiersbe and have read and studied many of his commentaries. I'll put this on my reading list and buy one for my son and one for a friend.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tammy