The Practice of the Presence of God, by Brother Lawrence (BOOK REVIEW)

 

"Do not forget Him! Think of Him often. Adore Him ceaselessly. Live and die with Him. That is the real business of Christians; in a word, it is our profession. If we do not know it, we must learn it." 

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Brother Lawrence was a man of humble beginnings who discovered the greatest secret of living in the kingdom of God here on earth. It is the art of “practicing the presence of God in one single act that does not end.” He often stated that it is God who paints Himself in the depths of our souls. We must merely open our hearts to receive Him and His loving presence.
As a humble cook, Brother Lawrence learned an important lesson through each daily chore: The time he spent in communion with the Lord should be the same, whether he was bustling around in the kitchen—with several people asking questions at the same time—or on his knees in prayer. He learned to cultivate the deep presence of God so thoroughly in his own heart that he was able to joyfully exclaim, “I am doing now what I will do for all eternity. I am blessing God, praising Him, adoring Him, and loving Him with all my heart.”
This unparalleled classic has given both blessing and instruction to those who can be content with nothing less than knowing God in all His majesty and feeling His loving presence throughout each simple day.

"Neither skill nor knowledge is needed to go to God, he added. All that is necessary is a heart dedicated entirely and solely to Him out of love for Him above all others."

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It's a book like this that I distinctly remember the moment it changed my perspective on life, changed the way I live, and the way I prayed and talked to Jesus. These books aren't very common.
A book that changes the way you live and the way you think. Wow. That must be some book. There's nothing quite like it. This book impacted me in a lot of ways. It was such a turning point in my relationship with Jesus. Getting to live in communion with Him, every single day is the most beautiful thing ever. It's quite literally, heavenly; it's eternal.

"Offer your heart to Him at every moment. Don't restrict your love of Him with rules or special devotions. Go out in faith, with love and humility."

This book was pretty short, but so rich. It was so simple, yet detailed. It's one of those books
that you could read over and over and always get something new out of it. I never read this book without gaining knowledge or being encouraged in my faith.
The radical approach to life with Jesus, that Brother Lawrence lived out is something that I so desperately long to grow in. Sadly, nowadays most Christians are just lukewarm. You can do all the things, but without a relationship with Jesus that's involved and growing, you will never experience the heaven on earth that God so freely invites us to partake in.
It was just really wonderful to read about a man who literally lived life to it's fullest with the Lord. And this was quite awhile ago, too. Real Christians have always existed and now it's being passed onto my generation. If we don't constantly seek and grow in the Lord, who will defend the faith in these last days?

"The presence of God is the concentration of the soul's attention to God, remembering that He is always present."

I encourage everyone to read this book. Let the Holy Spirit use it and change your heart. This book is such a wonderful example and insight into the way that we should live our lives. We Christians are called to be set apart. If our lives look the same as everyone else in this world, we have been deceived. Don't deceive yourself. Now is the time to become what the world calls radical. Don't look back. 

"May we banish from our hearts and souls all that does not reflect Jesus."

I don't think I'm going to rate this book. I think you can tell that it really touched me and I feel like numbers aren't necessary. I definitely encourage you to read this book. 

PRESS HERE to purchase this book.

Happy Reading!

-Ariana :)