The title is inspired by Mark 10:32, where Jesus’ disciples were awestruck by the single-minded manner in which he made his way toward Jerusalem.
Jeremy Walker describes movingly how the Lord Jesus recognised and embraced his identity as the Son of Man (Daniel 7). He knew and understood the Old Testament Scriptures which foretold the Messiah’s sufferings, but pressed on, resolved to glorify God, save his people, and win joy for himself.
The book shows that the determination seen in Christ is the same spirit in which salvation is obtained and pursued by the believer. Meditations on Psalm 119:30-21 move into challenging application. Have you grasped and adopted the goals of the Christian life, as laid out in Scripture? Have you counted the cost of walking in Christ’s way? And are you pursuing that path, running the race with christlike endurance?
Practical examples are expounded, in areas such as church life, marriage, family worship and the mortification of sin. These pages confront our ‘aimless and vague… lazy and casual Christianity’ (p.45), and exhort us to fulfil our responsibilities as followers of Christ.
This short volume is suitable for daily readings, though the reader may need to divide the unequal sections into manageable chunks. It will encourage much soul-searching, but put steel in the backbone. It might just be the spark that reignites a flagging Christian’s walk with the Lord.
Matthew Cox
Bethersden, Kent