Life in Tension
Reflections on the Beatitudes Revised
Size: 6.00 x 9.00 in
Pages: 304
Pages: 306
Pages: 273
Life in Tension reflects on Jesus' Beatitudes in the context of scripture. The Beatitudes serve as an introduction to the Sermon on the Mount and lay out Jesus' priorities in teaching his disciples. Because the sermon serves as a kind of ordination service for the Apostles, the importance of the Beatitudes for the early church, Christian spirituality, and discipleship today cannot be overstated.
When God enters our lives, we change.
Our new identity is in Christ comes into tension with our old identity in ourselves as the Holy Spirit works in our hearts and minds. This tension arises between who we were and who God created us to be, between us and God, and between us and those around us. The Apostle Paul calls the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives sanctification.
Hear the words; walk the steps; experience the joy!
This revised edition facilitates ease of reading. It has an updated cover, fewer Greek and Hebrew references, and fewer footnotes than the original edition. Some editing to enhance clarity has also been done.
Categories: Spirituality and Spiritual growth
Keywords: Beatitudes, Christianity, spirituality, Jesus, Bible, devotion, prayer, spiritual growth, discipling, Christian spirituality, devotional, sanctification, and faith.
Sarah Hamaker, Author wrote:We live in a fallen world. It leads to life in tension, and sometimes a life full of stress. Stephen Hiemstra takes us on a needed tour of the kind of character it takes to face such a life.
Stephen Macchia, Pierce Center for Disciple-Building wrote:We don't often think of our life as one lived in tension, but as believers that's exactly how we live. Stephen Hiemstra's Life in Tension takes us through the Beatitudes and provides a blueprint for Christians to navigate this tension with ourselves, with the world, and with Christ.
Jonathan Jenkins, Pastor wrote:The Christian life is filled with tension, paradox, and upside down requisites for obedience to the biblical text and the clarion call of God.
Percy Burns, Pastor, Charlotte, NC wrote:Stephen Hiemstra's Life in Tension reminds me of Bonhoeffer's Cost of Discipleship, because it is an earnest, personal effort to hear and follow the voice of Jesus here and now.
I recommend Stephen Hiemstra's book, Life In Tension, to readers who want solutions to the stresses and burdens of life. It is generally accepted among Christians and even secular people that our lives have too much tension and too little peace. Surely, our Lord speaks with great wisdom as He gives answers for these dilemmas of life. He had better plans for us than most of us have yet consistently experienced. Stephen with courage gives practical answers for applying the profound truths of the Lord's words to our every day lives.
Forward by Nathanael Snow.