Book review: “Falling in Love with Jesus”

There are a host of Christians who are busy with church activity, or just plain busy. They claim to love Jesus, but their time with Him, their aloneness with Him, their time to nurture their relationship with Him, has all but disappeared.

If you’re not used to thinking about Jesus in a personal way, you might be uncomfortable with this book.

It uses the language of intimacy to draw you into a deeper relationship with him. However, if you thirst to immerse yourself more in his love in this way, this book can guide you. [Disclaimer: It won’t fit everyone’s style; preview it before you spend money on it to see it if would speak to you or not.]

My sister approved it (she penned in her 5-star approval on the flyleaf, even after a re-read) and loaned it to me. I’m glad she did.

Falling in Love with Jesus: Abandoning Yourself to the Greatest Romance of Your Life is co-written from two perspectives: a married woman (writer Dee Brestin) and a single woman (singer-songwriter Kathy Troccoli). They share their individual successes and disappointments in how they love Jesus and are loved by him. 

They discuss a relationship with Jesus in three stages:
1. First Love: the euphoric courtship and honeymoon time
2. Wilderness Love: the painful time of questioning and doubts
3. Invincible Love: the deep abiding confidence that all is well

In each stage, they use stories from scripture and from their lives to walk us along the journey of our own romance with Jesus.

Some excerpts:
* “Happy” is not the goal. The goal is loving Jesus. Then, and only then, do you experience an inextinguishable joy.

* Both Martha and the disciples made the mistake of valuing good deeds over their love relationship with Jesus. It isn’t that Jesus doesn’t value good deeds. He knows that good deeds will naturally flow out of communion with Him. But communion will not necessarily flow out of good deeds.

* His main purpose for us is not to make us wealthy nor to make us healthy, though it pleases Him to do so, but to rescue us from sin. Why? Because he loves us.

* If I never get married,...when I stand before Jesus, will I have missed something? Will I have missed the greatest love? ... “My Bible says that the greatest love that a man could have is to lay down his life for his friends....You are loved.”