BLOG REVIEW: The Story of King Jesus

"And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might, and these words which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart; and you shall TEACH them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.  And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.  And you shall write them on your doorposts of your house and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6:5-9  (NASB)

This school year in Bible Study Fellowship (BSF), we have been studying the Life of Moses.  Our study has taken us through the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and finally Deuteronomy.  I have been moved immensely by the WORD and these old testament books have profoundly impacted my daily thought life.  One of the recurring themes throughout these books is the importance of passing on faith in the ONE TRUE GOD to the next generation.  We have learned there were always consequences for not passing down their faith.

MY REVIEW:  We want the best for our children, don't we?  We want to see them blessed beyond all measure!  One of the best ways we can provide for our children is to share the FULL story of God's plan for redemption.  The Story of King Jesus does just that in a short, concise way with beautiful illustrations to captures a child's heart and mind.  I love that Ben Irwin scripts a book with such rich truth in a perfect amount of pages to read during one setting!  He quotes "God's redemptive tale can't be reduced to a few memory verses from Scripture.  It's not a formula or a plan or a prayer you recite.  It's a drama that you life, and it's woven throughout every book of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation."

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE our Jesus Storybook Bible and the other Bible storybooks we have, but you can't sit down and read the whole thing in one setting.  My experience is that preschoolers and early elementary kids don't have long attention spans, so something that is concise is perfect!  It is short enough that it can be read over and over again, with different parts of the story impacting the kids lives at different times.  The book is written in language that our kids can understand perfectly.  It also, focuses on Jesus as KING, which is so crucial because that is what transforms our life.  Overall this book is an excellent "launching point to explore the Bible together."  It has generated additional conversation with my oldest two children.  We discuss the pictures in the book, which then leads to additional bible teaching.

Ben encourages us as parents, "Show your children --- with your life and words -- that this is your story, and it can be theirs too."

One of my favorite lines is towards the end of the book ... "God gave us the King we needed."  Isn't that so true?  He didn't give us the type of King we wanted, because He knew that wouldn't be the best.  So often in my life, God gives me what I need and not what I want.  Thank heavens He knows better than I.  Jesus is God's Best and because of His sacrifice, we have the opportunity to once again be in a restored relationship with God.  And that my friends is GRACE!


Question to ponder: What has God given you recently that is what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANTED?  


Disclaimer: I received this product free of charge. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not monetarily compensated for this review.