Grace Is Greater
God’s Plan to Overcome Your Past, Redeem Your Pain and Rewrite Your Story
(Baker Books, 2017)
WHO: Kyle Idleman, best-selling author and teaching pastor at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky.
HE SAYS: “God will bring good out of your bad. And even if you can’t currently see how God might be drawing you closer or getting glory from your pain, you still need to remember: You’re in the middle. This isn’t the end of your story. Just keep reading. Grace will have the final word.”
THE BIG IDEA:There is no sin so great, no bitterness so deep that God’s grace cannot transform. His grace is bigger than our mistakes, our assumptions and our seemingly hopeless situations.
THE PROGRESSION:
Part 1 lays out a basic definition of God’s grace, showing that it is bigger than all of our mistakes and our guilt, brokenness and regrets.
The next section gets into heart matters by showing that God’s grace is greater than our hurts, even though it seems impossible. His grace can heal wounds, free us from bitterness, prevail over our tendency to want revenge and reconcile our resentments.
The third and final section digs deep into how God’s grace is greater than our circumstances—our disappointments, weaknesses and despair.
“Jesus didn’t try to make people feel better about themselves by diminishing the seriousness of their sin and falsely reassuring them that they were not that bad. Jesus explained that the one who is forgiven much loves much. He paralleled our love for God with the degree of forgiveness we have received.”
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A 2018 OUTREACH RESOURCE OF THE YEAR—INSPIRATIONAL CATEGORY
“You could hardly describe how amazing and effective God’s grace is any better than this. Kyle Idleman uses a lot of Scripture, candid personal experiences and real-people stories to help us see grace as greater than our mistakes and sins, our hurts and anger, our circumstances and discouragement.”
“Those three main categories are covered with convincing and encouraging ideas—for instance, dealing with specifics of our guilt, then our brokenness and regrets under the category of mistakes and sins. This book would be compelling and inviting for a curious unbeliever or a new Christian for sure, but veterans like me also need reminders of God’s amazing grace.”
Evaluated by Knute Larson, an Outreach consulting editor and a pastoral coach and teacher. He also is the pastor emeritus of The Chapel in Akron, Ohio, and editor of Pastorpedia, a monthly video and set of notes.