Completely Forgiven: Responding to God's Transforming Grace (Loving Jesus Without Limits) [Paperback]

Shannon Ethridge (Author)

Book Description

Series: Loving Jesus Without Limits | Publication Date: June 19, 2007

Does the abundant life Jesus promised seem like a distant dream, something that will always remain just out of your grasp? Do you wrestle with a sense of inadequacy, wondering how God could possibly use someone like you?

Let this encouraging devotional serve as a daily reminder that God delights in using imperfect people to accomplish His perfect will. Packed with biblical insights and inspiration, Completely Forgiven looks at the biblical stories of people who plumb the depths of God’s mercy and demonstrate His willingness to create beauty out of the ashes of our sorrows and regrets. You’ll gain a new vision of purpose and shed any sense of unworthiness as you daily allow God to clothe you in his unfailing goodness.

This companion devotional to Completely His directs your gaze into the heart of God through the truths revealed in His love letter, the Bible. Each reading includes introspective questions to help you apply those truths in a personal way, propelling you into a more fulfilling life of passion, purpose, and genuine intimacy with Jesus.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Shannon Ethridge is the best-selling author and coauthor of numerous books, including Every Woman’s Battle and Every Young Woman’s Battle. As a writer, speaker, and lay counselor, she seeks to help women of all ages discover the joy of pursuing a mad, passionate love relationship with the Lord rather than “looking for love in all the wrong places.” Shannon holds a master’s degree in counseling and human relations from Liberty University. She lives in east Texas with her husband, Greg, and their two children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press (June 19, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400071127
• ISBN-13: 978-1400071128
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.4 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #828,505 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Shannon is a million-copy best-selling author, speaker, lay counselor, and advocate for healthy sexuality with a master's degree in counseling/human relations from Liberty University. She has spoken to youth, college students, and adults since 1989 and her passions include: Challenging adults and teens to embrace a life of sexual integrity, encouraging married couples in their pursuit of sexual and emotional fulfillment, counseling women who have looked for love in all the wrong places and equipping parents to instill sexual values in children at an early age.

Her passion for healthy sexuality actually began in mortuary college. Her first career choice, becoming a mortician, led Ethridge to work on dead bodies. Many she embalmed were young people who had died from AIDS or committed suicide as a result an HIV positive diagnosis. Because of her own promiscuous teenage years, she knew it was a miracle that she was standing over the embalming table rather than laying on top of it. These experiences inspired her to begin speaking boldly and bluntly to teen, college-age, and adult audiences about the benefits of sexual integrity. She has taught and counseled thousands of young singles and married couples over the past decade. She is the author of 18 books, including the best-selling Every Woman's Battle series, the 5-book Completely His series, and her new book for the mainstream market, The Sexually Confident Wife.

Shannon has been featured on the cover of Today's Christian Woman Magazinee, and is a frequent guest on international radio & television shows such as The 700 Club, Life Today with James & Betty Robison, FamilyLife Today with Dennis Rainey, and New Life Live! with Stephen Arterburn. She has also been published in numerous magazines such as Focus on the Family, Brio, and LifeWay and is the winner of a Gold Medallion Award for Excellence in Publishing.

Although grateful for the opportunities to influence this generation as a writer and speaker, Shannon remains most passionate about her role as a wife and best friend to her husband of 18 years, Greg, and a mother and cheerleader to their two children, Erin (17) and Matthew (14).

Shannon Ethridge, M.A.
Author and Advocate for Healthy Sexuality & Spirituality
www.sexuallyconfidentwife.com
www.shannonethridge.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's a welcome reminder that God wants us to use all of us to accomplish His will and bless others, August 18, 2008

By 

FaithfulReader.com (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Completely Forgiven: Responding to God's Transforming Grace (Loving Jesus Without Limits) (Paperback)

COMPLETELY FORGIVEN, a devotional companion to COMPLETELY HIS, the lead title in Shannon Ethridge's Loving Jesus Without Limits series, focuses on God's interactions with biblical figures to reveal His character and the pursuit of Him. It offers encouragement to those who wonder if they're alone in their struggles and temptations, and if God will give up on them someday.

Ethridge proposes that there are two types of purity: positional purity and experiential purity. When we become Christians and accept the free gift of salvation, we are given positional purity. We are forgiven completely and wholly through God's grace. Experiential purity is something we pursue through living according to God's desires for His people. This type of lifestyle leads to transformation both inside and out. Ethridge writes that this kind of transformation doesn't just please God, it also provides the pleasure, peace, satisfaction and happiness that God intended. Throughout this devotional, she invites readers to embrace positional purity.

Each of the 30-day reading portions features a daily reading and key passage. Selections include both Old Testament and New Testament scriptures, and then a short 2-3 page devotional. Following the reading is a series of introspective questions under the heading "Holding His Hand." Each day concludes with a prayer.

Though designed for women, this book is easily accessible to all readers. Throughout the study, readers will gain insights into Ethridge's life. In a devotional called "Lasting Impressions" she tells the story of a teen who wanted to share an original poem with her while she was a youth pastor. She immediately recognized the "original" poem as the song lyrics to a well-known artist. She points out that, just like the teen who wanted to impress her, we are all tempted to make ourselves look better than we really are. Ethridge ties this in to the story of Ananias and Sapphira who deceived their spiritual leaders about their gift. She points out that none of us need to worry about making a lasting impression on anyone except God.

In a daily reading called "From Rags to Riches," Ethridge takes a brief look at the life of King Solomon. She notes that Solomon didn't leap into idolatry --- he moved toward it slowly but steadily by making poor decisions. We can fall further away from God each day without even realizing it. Through studying the Bible, prayer and accountability, Ethridge points out that we don't have to follow in the footsteps of Solomon.

If you enjoy COMPLETELY HIS, then you'll definitely want to pick up this companion guide. It is a welcome reminder that God wants to use all of us to accomplish His will and bless others.

--- Reviewed by Margaret Oines

2.0 out of 5 stars Eh, March 8, 2011

By 

Laura (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Completely Forgiven: Responding to God's Transforming Grace (Loving Jesus Without Limits) (Paperback)

I was very disappointed by this devotional, and the others I bought from Shannon Ethridge. The book is called "Completely forgiven: Responding to God's Transforming Grace" yet I didn't actually see that theme in the book. I didn't think there was a theme at all. Just random devotional stories. And the random stories were only "ok".