The Gospel According to Job: An Honest Look at Pain and Doubt from the Life of One Who Lost Everything [Paperback]

Mike Mason (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1994

Anyone who has suffered knows that there is no such thing as"getting a grip on oneself" or "pulling oneself up by thebootstraps. The only bootstrap in the Christian life is the Cross,"says Mason. "Sometimes laying hold of the cross can be comforting,but other times it is like picking up a snake."

Job knew this firsthand. From him we learn that there are noeasy answers to suffering. That the mark of true faith is nothappiness, but rather, having one's deepest passions be engaged bythe enormity of God. And through Job we learn the secret of thegospel: that "mercy is the permission to be human." The Lord nevergave Job an explanation for all he had been through. His onlyanswer was Himself. But as Job discovered, that was enough.

The Gospel According to Job sensitively brings thereader to this realization, using a devotional commentary formatthat reminds them that it's all right to doubt, to be confused, towonder--in short, to be completely human. But what will heal us andhelp us endure is a direct, transforming encounter with the livingGod.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Crossway Books; 1 edition (1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158134449X
• ISBN-13: 978-1581344493
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #102,171 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

If you go to my website at mikemasonbooks.com, you'll see my tag line: "Purveyor of Fine Sentences." I write sentences, not books. Someone once said that a writer's job is to make good sentences and the rest will take care of itself. So I try to make every sentence true and beautiful. As the sentences accumulate and start heading in a direction, books happen. (Maybe my website should be mikemasonsentences.com?)
This is not just a philosophy of writing but of life. It's moments that count, more than the grand scheme. Live great moments and the rest will sort itself out.
My first great moment happened in 1952 when I came into the world in Peterborough, Canada. By age eleven I wanted to be a writer, and although I got many things wrong in life, one thing I got right was to hang onto the writing dream and pursue it single-mindedly. After earning an M.A. in English from the University of Manitoba, I spent my twenties doing odd jobs to support my writing, from garbage-collecting to journalism to library work.
In 1982 I married Karen, a family doctor. We spent our first year of marriage studying theology at Regent College in Vancouver, and we've lived in British Columbia ever since. We have one daughter, Heather, born in 1987, who is pursuing dance studies in Toronto.
In nearly three decades of writing, I've published five devotional books, two collections of short stories, and now a pair of fantasy novels, The Blue Umbrella and The Violet Flash. I'm currently working on a collection of my Christmas stories, and also on a book of a very different sort, an account of heavenly visions entitled Adventures in Heaven.
Turning to novel-writing at age fifty has meant a radical change. In many ways I had to learn my craft all over again and work through many fears and insecurities. The result, however, is deeply satisfying, and now with more novels on the way I have a renewed sense of challenge and joy in my work.
All in all I enjoy a simple life filled with family and friends, our dog Shelby, books, music, and prayer.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BEST EASILY ACCESSIBLE BOOK ON JOB TODAY, September 13, 2000

By 

"prewbee" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gospel According to Job (Hardcover)

Here is a modern 'classic' about the Bible's oldest book, the Book of Job. Job is a 'true classic' in that everybody can relate to the narrative of Job. Mason does an EXCELLENT job of [and according to his forward, he's learned from personal experience] devotionally and practically opening up the eternal issues of doubt, suffering, faith and the human experience. Although it is not meant to be a scholarly commentary, Mason does better than most 'scholarly' commentators with the questions and answers we find in the Biblical narrative of Job. Everybody shares the things Job went through, the important thing is to see that Job [as Mason brings out extremely well] was moved TOWARD God, not away from God in Job's trials and sufferings. As Mason says people reject Jesus but no one rejects Job. And as Job found out you can't reject the Redeemer! Mason's 'Gospel According to Job' is VERY worthwhile reading for pastors, Bible students and any believer seeking a deeper walk with the Lord. With so much PLASTIC Christianity out there, it is great to find some depth. Recommended highly for anyone who faces LIFE. Another largely unknown excellent work on Job is 'Portraits of Perseverance' by Henry Gariepy [Victor Books, 1989]--I don't know if you can find it anywhere but Gariepy [a Salvation Army pastor] does an excellent job of commenting on the Book of Job in short devotional statements, showing Job as a man [like all of us] moved TOWARD God through pain, suffering and trials.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mike Mason's Job is most profound, October 9, 2001

By 

Stephen Bransford (Colorado Springs, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gospel According to Job (Hardcover)

I have read and pondered the Book of Job many times in my life. But Mike Mason's book goes to the top of my all time list. It is a devotional but so much more. Mason has obviously rubbed shoulders with Joblike suffering, and he has not lost faith. Rather, his faith had been deepened. He has brought a scholarly and devotional blend to his writing. I have been deeply affected and recommend this book to everyone, seeker and believer alike.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps the most profound practical commentary on Christian living ever written..., August 5, 2006

By 

David Johnson (Pittsburgh PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Gospel According to Job: An Honest Look at Pain and Doubt from the Life of One Who Lost Everything (Paperback)

My uncle in recommending this book said, 'If I were stranded on a deserted island and could have with me only two books--one, of course, would be the Bible, the other would be The Gospel According to Job.' My personal choices, though, would be (one) the Bible and (two) a comprehensive survival guide with detailed instructions on how to build a boat. However, if I were given a third choice, I would undoubtedly have with me The Gospel According to Job. It's the most profound commentary on Christian living I've ever read. I've handed out dozens to friends and family.

All the chapters are two pages in length and are perfect in size for devotional reading. The Gospel According to Job, in truth, is so rich and deep with insight, I find it best to chew on small pieces of its wisdom at a time. It is--in its own right--a practical and spiritual guide for life, and has built me up in ways no other book has. Please read it.