June 5, 2018

None Like Him: 10 Ways God is Different From Us


"Our primary problem as Christian women is not that we lack self-worth, not that we lack a sense of significance. It's that we lack awe." Jen Wilkin

I loved this quote, it's a reminder that our worth is in Christ, not in what we think of ourselves. And that it is far more important to find awe in the Lord and His greatness.

I found this book God honoring, bringing Him foremost to our minds and hearts. He really is, who He says He is.

Each chapter talks about an attribute of God that is different from us. Here are the chapter headings:

 1.  Infinite: The God of No Limits

 2.  Incomprehensible: The God of Infinite Mystery

 3.  Self-Existent: The God of Infinite Creativity

 4.  Self-Sufficient: The God of Infinite Provision

 5.  Eternal: The God of Infinite Days

 6.  Immutable: The God of Infinite Sameness

 7.  Omnipresent: The God of Infinite Place

 8.  Omniscient: The God of Infinite Knowledge

 9.  Omnipotent: The God of Infinite Power

10. Sovereign: The God of Infinite Rule

If you've ever wondered what some of these attributes are, this book is for you! Jen explains each carefully and makes it easy for us to understand. She starts each chapter off with a life experience that shows us our need for the infinite God.

I thought I'd share a bit from one of the chapters.


Chapter six talks about God being Immutable: The God of infinite sameness.

"For who is God, except the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?" Psalm 18:31

Jen says here of God's unchanging nature:

"Consider how great the comfort in being personally connected to a God who changes not. From the Old Testament to the New, He is the same. None of His attributes can increase or decrease because each is unchangingly infinite. His knowledge cannot increase or decrease. His faithfulness cannot increase or decrease. Our actions, good or bad, can neither add to nor diminish His glory. He cannot become more holy or less steadfast. He simply is these things to the utmost - forever. The God who was is the God who is. The God who is is the God who is to come. The God who is to come is the God who was."

And here:

"Because He does not change, we can rely on the unchanging truth of Scripture. What He pronounces as sin will always be sin. What He pronounces as good will always be good. All that He has promised to do must come to pass. The gospel itself is bound up in the idea of God's immutability. We fervently need God to stay the same - our great hope of salvation lies in His remaining exactly as who He says He is, doing exactly what He has said He will do. As long as His infinite sameness endures, He will not change His mind about setting His love on us. 

We cannot commit a future sin that will change his verdict, because His verdict was passed with every sin past, present, and future fixed in view. Whom God pronounces righteous will always be righteous. Nothing we could do can remove from us the seal of His promised redemption. Nothing can separate us from the unfailing, unchanging love of this great God, the Rock of our salvation upon which the house of our faith is built."

"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 

nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38

Jen says here of how God is different than us in this particular aspect:

"When we apply the terms always or never to other people, we speak an untruth. Human beings don't always or never anything. We just aren't that consistent. We frequently, we fairly regularly, we often or habitually, but we do not always or never." 

She ends the chapter with this comforting plea:

"There is no rock but the Rock of our salvation. No human heart is so hard that He cannot soften it, not even yours. Turn loose of the idolatry of your always and nevers. Those words are true only of God. Ask Him to sustain you through the ever-changing moments of this life. Ask Him to change what you have believed to be beyond the power of His grace to alter. Our God of infinite sameness is a rock. When all around us is shifting sand, may we cry to Him, 'Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for You have been my refuge.' Psalm 61:2"

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2


The LORD lives!
Blessed be my Rock!
Let the God of my salvation be exalted. Psalm 18:46

 
 

This book encourages us to put our trust in the infinite God. God is so much more beautiful and wonderful and awesome than our finite minds can conceive. We are blessed with what His has shared of Himself, through His Word.

God is good, and these words have never had more meaning..

"The goodness of God endures continually." Psalm 52:1

I highly recommend this book! I'm also looking forward to reading her next one called, 'In His Image.'


Buy it HERE on Amazon


24 comments:

  1. I just got this recently - I am so looking forward to reading it. Thanks for the excerpts!

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  2. This looks like a wonderful book! I often forget that I am not God...I KNOW I'm not, but I fall into the mindset that I know best...which is, in essence, thinking that I'm God.

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    1. I think we all do that! Focusing on Him though helps us realize we definitely are not!

      Thanks for stopping by Anita! : )

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  3. "We lack awe." I LOVE that! As we turn our lives to God and remember whose we are, self-worth will come naturally.

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    1. Yes our self-worth comes in knowing Christ and how comforting is that!

      Glad you stopped by Carri!

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  4. This looks like a wonderful book. This is so true:
    "When we apply the terms always or never to other people, we speak an untruth. Human beings don't always or never anything. We just aren't that consistent. We frequently, we fairly regularly, we often or habitually, but we do not always or never."
    I know I'm definitely not - I am wholly depedent upon His saving and transforming grace.

    I'm your neighbor at #TellHisStory today, sharing a guest writer's piece on our team blog Beloved Prodigal.

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    1. I loved that thought as well! What a great reminder that we can trust Him fully when we can't trust ourselves.

      Thanks for stopping by Anna!

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  5. I love this quote: "Because He does not change, we can rely on the unchanging truth of Scripture. What He pronounces as sin will always be sin. What He pronounces as good will always be good." His faithfulness astounds and it sounds like this book does a great job of celebrating that truth!

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    1. The book was definitely a celebration of God's truth.

      Thanks for stopping by Joy! : )

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  6. I LOVE this book! I really pondered the chapter on the chapter where she talked about the God of ALWAYS and NEVER. He's actually the ONLY one who can use those words. changed the way I speak. love it. Highly recommend!!

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    1. Glad you loved it too! Thanks for stopping by Karen. : )

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  7. This book sounds awesome! Thank you for sharing about God's immutability. It is so wonderful to have a God that never changes in this crazy upside-down mixed up world!

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    1. I agree! It's so comforting to know Him. Thanks for stopping by Jerralea!

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  8. Sounds like a wonderful book. I have been working on identity this past year specifically who God says I am. The chapter outline of this book seems to align with this. Thank you for sharing at #TellHisStory.

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    1. The book is actually about how God is different than us, which brings me peace knowing I can look up to Him and emulate Him with His help. He is who He says He is!

      Her next book, 'In His Image' is probably more about who God says we are. : )

      Thanks for stopping by Mary!

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  9. Hi! I'm visiting from #11 at Spiritual Sundays. I really enjoyed reading your review. This seems to be a great book. I hope to add it to my collection soon. thank you for sharing!

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    1. How you get a chance to read it. Glad you stopped by Hannah!

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  10. Thanks for the recommendation! Looks fantastic!!

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    1. It was! Thanks for stopping by Rachel! : )

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  11. I've heard such great things about this book! Thanks for linking up at Booknificent Thursday on Mommynificent.com!
    Tina

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Feel free to leave your own thoughts in the comments. I try to respond to all of them by the end of the week. : )