Count it All Joy
Can joy come from suffering? In Count it All Joy, John M. Perkins reflects on the ridiculous paradox of suffering.
When Suffering Chooses You
The book is broken into three parts. The first, When Suffering Chooses You, is all about God’s wisdom and sovereignty in suffering. The book of Job fames this section, and Perkins speaks about his battle with cancer, and he speaks of the death of son due to a massive heart attack at the age of 44.
Perkins also shares that his mother died of malnutrition and starvation. He shows that suffering is a privilege when we have God. He tests us, and we grow the spiritual fruit of patience and gentleness. Perkins is admirable, but keeps our attention on Christ.
When You Choose Suffering
In Part 2, When You Choose Suffering, Perkins shares stories of how we are called to suffering for the advance of the Gospel, for the cause of justice, and for the fellowship with fellow sufferers. God gives us opportunities to show love and support for each other in our suffering.
What I most appreciated was Perkins’ honesty in saying that we often do not choose the path of suffering because of our fears. He calls us to consider God’s Word, and how it gives us courage. If love is the calling of the Christian, we can act and believe that “perfect love casts out fear.”
Joy Comes in the Morning
Part 3 of the book concludes that Joy Comes in the Morning. Suffering makes us rich in Christ and ready for eternity. God gets the glory in our suffering. Jemar Tisby reminds us that we are living in the final days, and it is Christ who enables us to “count it all joy.”
With personal testimony and profound insight to God’s Word, this book is truly one-of-a-kind. Perkins has lived a life of faith. See the One to whom he clings. The testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
I received a media copy of Count it All Joy and this is my honest review. Find more of my book reviews and follow Dive In, Dig Deep on Instagram - my account dedicated to Bibles and books to see the beauty of the Bible and the role of reading in the Christian life. To read all of my book reviews and to receive all of the free eBooks I find on the web, subscribe to my free newsletter.