IF YE DO THESE THINGS,
YE SHALL NEVER FALL

READER REVIEWS

 

Once I ate at a Marrakesh restaurant. It was a very different approach to the dining experience. They brought out each course separately, and it was placed in the middle of the table for all of us to dig in. When through, the next course was presented. All this while unusual entertainment and uncommon music was the backdrop. It was not just another meal; it was unique and unforgettable.

This is how I felt when I read Tim’s book If Ye Do These Things, Ye Shall Never Fall. Each chapter was a course of a meal you just had to dig into in order to get to the next one, and each built upon the other to make the experience unforgettable. It is not a lot of pages but it is not a light read. You have to be prepared to digest each morsel to appreciate the texture and flavor of the next. It helped to unravel years of confusion I held regarding forgiveness and various other topics such as judgment and the duty of a watchman. The walk with God is a joyous one, but more is expected than some kind of casual stroll on the beach. There is also a responsibility to understand what is expected. In Tim’s book I understood my part in salvation wholeness and the need for the believer to mature into all we can be for God.

I highly recommend this book for those who are ready to leave the milk of the word and want to "grow-up".

Paula Reagan
Snellville, Georgia, USA

 

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This book is full of gems. If you grab them and hold on to them, they will make your life and service more precious.

When a Christian teacher (or in this case an author) brings forth a message which bears his own personal mark and experience and then with that message brings you closer to the Lord, your prominent Teacher and Guide, he has done a good job. Such is the case with this book.

It is also very practical and plain. Complicated theories never help us to live a better life. What we need is practical advice. Sometimes we don't fully grasp how the instructions and events in the Bible concern us personally. It may feel as if there was a cleft, as if those were such different times with such different people, almost as if they lived in a different world. I find that this book helps to bridge that gap and brings the two worlds together, so to speak.

So God has given us the tremendous promise that we "shall never fall" if we "do these things" that Peter lists in his epistle (2 Peter 1:5-10). It is well worth taking the time to ponder upon each of those qualities, as this prevents us from thinking we know it all while reading them over too quickly.

To me, this warning is so essential:

1 Corinthians 10:12:
Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

Surely, instead of falling we want to stand and walk. God also declares how he expects us to walk:

1 Thessalonians 2:12:
That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.

"Walk worthy of God"? – It is almost frightening, but considering the price the Lord paid for us so we could be in his kingdom, it is the most honourable way to pursue. So much is possible for us in this short life!

Proverbs 4:18:
But the path of the just [is] as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

And what beautiful promises we are given from God! If we trust in the Lord's might and keep working at ourselves, the path of our life will show that his promises are true.

In my life, I have gained so much freedom since I began to focus on my responsibilities before God instead of worrying about my expectations of others. After all, it doesn't say, "If they do these things, I shall never fall," does it?

Hebrews 13:20-21:
Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom [be] glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Do you want to be made "perfect in every good work to do his will"? I do, so let us go for it! He works in us, and we do his will – it is quite simple, and it is the best joint venture, the perfect symbiosis.

The verses that make up the theme of this book - 2 Peter 1:5-10 - also plainly show us our part of the work: "Giving all diligence" is what we need to do, and the same goes for adding together all those wonderful qualities that will keep our feet on "the straight and narrow."

Beatrice Mantock
Schüpfen, Switzerland

 

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From the August 2008 issue of The Vine & Branches