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Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Books That Will Help You Love the Lord with More of Your Heart

Posted on 07.17.12 by Nancy Leigh DeMoss | Twitter: @NancyDeMoss

Justin Taylor over at TheGospelCoalition.org asked me and the other women who spoke at The Gospel Coalition Women’s Conference last month what we would recommend to conference attendees for further reading. Here’s what I suggested. You can also read book recommendations by Nancy Guthrie, Jenny Salt, Carrie Sandom, and Kathleen Nielson here. Enjoy!

choosing books

With a different audience, I might offer suggestions that would stimulate women to love the Lord with more of their mind. However, my observation of the TGCW audience is that many of these women are already engaged in that pursuit. Hence, my encouragement would be to read books that help them love the Lord with more of their heart. Of course, there is value in reading books to stimulate both the heart and the mind. However, as this young-ish crowd ages (particularly those who will have multiple children), their available time for reading will likely be curtailed for a season and they will have to be highly selective. That being the case, I would encourage them to be sure to include:

Reading, meditation, and memorization of Scripture
I do not assume this is a given. I asked 500-600 women in a breakout session at TGCW how many would say they do not currently have a consistent devotional habit. As is the case anywhere/everywhere I have ever asked this question (including groups of Bible study leaders, pastors’ wives, etc.), some 90% of the women in the room raised a hand in response. I don’t think we can stress this enough. It is His Word that gives life, and far too many believers, even those in vocational ministry, are malnourished from want of sufficient intake of Scripture. If you don’t have time to read anything else, read this Book!

Quality devotional literature
Some of my favorites:

These provide fuel to keep my heart warm; they make me more receptive and responsive to the Word and the Spirit.


Biographies of (mostly dead) people who loved and served Jesus with all their heart

. . . to name a few. These have had (and continue to have) a huge impact on my life.

Note: Noel Piper's Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God is a great introduction to a number of these women.

Sermons of anointed preachers/pastors who proclaim(ed) the Word with hearts aflame
These help me meditate on and better understand Scripture, while “taking it home” to the heart and life. Recently, I have been blessed by reading many of Spurgeon’s collected sermons on the Song of Solomon (The Most Holy Place).

As I said in my message at TGCW, “Sound theology should always lead to doxology and transformation.” I try to have a steady diet of books that help cultivate sound, biblical thinking and press me to worship and life transformation.

What books have helped you love the Lord with more of your heart (or mind)?

Comments

  1. Seeking the Face of God, by Gary L. Thomas. Desiring God, John Piper. The Thought of God, Maurice Roberts. A Place of Quiet Rest, Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Pursuit of God, A.W.Tozer. Because He Loves Me, Elise Fitzpatrick. to name a few.
    posted by Vivian Etherington
    on Tuesday, July 17, 2012 at 9:57 am
  2. The Incomparable Christ by J. Oswald Sanders and Nancy's companion radio program.
    posted by Cami
    on Tuesday, July 17, 2012 at 11:27 am
  3. The Brokeness/Holiness/Surrender trilogy...I recommend these to everyone!
    posted by Amanda Ridenour
    on Tuesday, July 17, 2012 at 2:41 pm
  4. Thank you, Nancy! Wonderful blog and book choices.

    Rather than recommend books (since you gave such a good selection), I would say that those of us who have a consistent devotional life should be daily praying for those we know who do not, asking the Lord that He would give them a sincere, sweet love for Him and His Word like never before so that soon many of them would be saying, "O how I love thy law!..."

    God bless you all at ROH, and thank you for speaking at TGCW this year. I am so looking forward to Indianapolis in September.
    posted by Ellen
    on Tuesday, July 17, 2012 at 7:33 pm
  5. Probably missionary biographies have influenced my love for the Lord more than anything else I've read (though one of Tozer's books on the attributes of God was a great help). I tend to glean more from seeing love for the Lord in action rather than hearing explanations/sermons, etc. about it, though those are helpful, too.

    Some of my favorites are:

    - Amy Carmichael of Dohnavur by Frank Houghton
    - By Searching and In the Arena by Isobel Kuhn
    - To the Golden Shore (about Adoniram Judson) by Courtney Anderson
    - Hudson Taylor: The Growth of a Soul by Mr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor
    - Mountain Rain: A New Biography of J. O. Fraser by Eileen Crossman (Fraser was the man who influenced Isobel Kuhn to go to China, and he was her supervisor for a while)
    - Second-Mile People by Isobel Kuhn
    - Goforth of China and Climbing by Rosalind Goforth
    - Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot
    - The End of the Spear by Steve Saint
    - The God I Love by Joni Eareckson Tada
    - Children of the Storm: The Autobiography of Natasha Vins

    For fiction I'd have to cite the Chronicles of Narnia.
    http://barbarah.wordpress.com/
    posted by Barbara H.
    on Wednesday, July 18, 2012 at 4:04 pm
  6. Andrew Murray, AW Tozer, Vance Havner, Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Elizabeth Elliott...These are the ones that have called me to rise from the lowlands where I have been walking into a place that is much better. Thank God for His Word and His servants that proclam it through truth and deed.
    Jodi C.
    posted by Jodi C.
    on Friday, July 20, 2012 at 2:44 pm

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