A Life Beyond Amazing by Dr. David Jeremiah

A Life Beyond Amazing by Dr. David Jeremiah This very refreshing book focuses on the nine fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22,23 and how a decision to pursue each will change your life into one "beyond amazing". The nine qualities are love, joy, peace, endurance, compassion, generosity, integrity, humility and self-discipline. Dr. David Jeremiah describes each, both in terms of what they are and what they are not. He challenges the reader, in very practical ways, to cultivate each. I found each chapter to be personal and easy to understand, as the author uses memorable real-life illustrations of each quality. Jeremiah also has what I thought were some original thoughts. Of particular benefit to me was one on page 54: "There are four main highways upon which the peace of God travels: the Spirit of God, the Son of God, the Word of God, and prayer." In the chapter on self-discipline, the author writes: "Ïf we're not unhappy and dissatisfied with how much and what kind of love, joy, and peace we have in our lives, nothing will change. If we're not convicted that we fall short in generosity and compassion, we'll stay the same. And if we think we're humble and resilient when we're not, we fool ourselves and a life beyond amazing for us will just be a nice title to a new book. "So embrace your dissatisfaction with your life. Don't let it depress or discourage you. Remind yourself that the more you want a better life, the more power and fuel you have to achieve it!" This is a common tone in this book; after laying out the chapter's quality, Jeremiah talks to you like a wise friend, zeroing in on your responsibility to God and yourself. I received this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review through the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze Program.