Many
people talk about “preaching the gospel to yourself” and while most Christians
know “what” the gospel is, many don’t know how it applies to them after they
come to faith. Believing the gospel is not just a one and done event; the
gospel that saved us is the same gospel that changes us is the same gospel that
sustains us. And so we must preach the truths of the gospel to ourselves
every day.
In
her book, Comforts From The Cross, author Elyse Fitzpatrick tackles very
real, common struggles such as guilt, shame, despair, anger, bitterness, and
hurt and addresses them with the truths of the gospel. She does not offer
mere Christian platitudes or trite phrases that sound great but are void of any
power. Instead, Fitzpatrick shows how the deep theological truth of the
gospel is important to every believer, and how these truths actually help
believers move out of patterns of guilt, shame, fear, despair, bitterness and
the like.
Each
“chapter” is two to three pages long and serves as a very accessible, easy to
read thirty-one day devotional book. Each day, Fitzpatrick delves into
the struggles common to all, using personal applications and stories and then
discusses the theological truth that applies. By doing so, she shows readers
how the gospel is applicable to their hurts, to their fears, and to their
insecurities. She leads readers straight to the cross and helps them learn how
to shepherd their own souls with the hope of the gospel.
The
gospel convicts us in our sin, encourages us in our despair, comforts us in our
suffering, and provides us hope in our weariness. Fitzpatrick understands
this and provides these truths in a way that is accessible to all – whether
non-believer, new believer, or one who has followed Jesus for many years, there
is much encouragement to be found within the pages of this book.
-Chrystie Cole,