Customer Reviews

To Live with Christ: Devotions by Bo Giertz

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If you haven't read Giertz's "Hammer of God," do so now. Also, if you're seeking a daily devotional that is Christ centered, cross focused, buy this one also.

It is currently my daily devotional and I'm getting much out of it. Giertz is very much a joy to the Christian faithful, because he stresses so much the certainty we have in Christ! And he accomplishes this by contended fervently for the faith handed down to the saints without being contentious.

Each day is linked to the historic Church Year, with a Scripture reading, commentary and concluding prayer. Prime soul food! Bon Appetit!

Over the last several years, I've used a variety of devotional books, some shorter ones, some year-long ones like "To Live With Christ." Many of them have been excellent, but I think that this work by Bo Giertz surpasses them all. I have been using it for two or three months now, and have consistently been impressed by the content and the applicability of his writing. It is very Christ-centered, filled with rich Lutheran theology. The prayers are beautifully written and often the highlight of the devotions. I also like the fact that many of the readings are continuous through several days, so you get to study several chapters of a particular book of the Bible in a sequence.

Bo Giertz' down-to-earth writing is a pleasure, and thanks to the translators for bringing this fine work into English! This devotional will undoubtedly remain a classic to be read and re-read through the years. I would enthusiastically recommend it to Christians of any level of Biblical knowledge; you will be enriched by it.

Devotional books have never been my cup of tea. I have tended to view them as ready made meditations that provide a shortcut to the Lord. At least that has been my excuse! Lancelot Andrewes among others showed me the error and arrogance of that view. Having read and loved Hammer of God, when I learned of this volume from Bo Giertz I couldn't help but buy it. I have been using this devotional on and off for several months and have found myself using it ever more frequently. Giertz has a clear but penetrating understanding of the Scriptures that draws you back. He is a wonderful teacher and writer and one can only hope that more of his writings become available in English.

I pretty much evaluate devotional books by my anticipation of opening it every day. Giertz' book Hammer of God has been one of the more influential books in my life and when I saw this I thought that I probably couldn't go wrong. Every morning I sit at my dining room table and am fed not only by my cereal but by the solid insights of this devotion. Two things I like a lot, first that it follows the church year. This year (2008-2009) it has followed pretty perfectly but I assume that in future years there may have to be some adjustments due to the moving of Easter. The other is that the prayers at the end of the insights are substantial yet informal. Daily spiritual meat and potatoes...yum.

Bo Giertz has assembled an encouraging daily devotion that includes thoughtful readings and inspirational prayers. They are organized according to the church year, so many of the readings are appropriate to the season, i.e. Christmas, Lent, Easter, etc. We've found this devotional useful in many different venues including personal reading, family reading, and for study as a group. Each day has a jewel to uncover about, as the title infers, Christ's life in us. And don't worry about missing a day, you can pick it up again right where you are... though you might find yourself going back and reading the ones you missed.