I Choose Joy by Chip Ingram Book Review

About the Book:

C.S. Lewis said, "Joy is the serious business of Heaven.” Too often, however, joy is missing from our lives. When we look to Scripture, we see examples of early Christians thriving even amid hardship and persecution. How do we recapture that deep and stubborn joy?

Pastor and author Chip Ingram takes us to God’s Word, helping us shift away from self-centered happiness and toward lasting joy found in God’s goodness.

“Choosing joy in the midst of difficulties goes against all our instincts. When you look at life through the lens of your circumstances, what happens? You’re happy when circumstances are good and sad or angry when they aren’t, right? But if you look at your circumstances through the lens of God’s goodness—his power and promises—that’s a higher perspective. You can experience joy because you know a good God is going to take even the worst and most difficult things in life and use them for your good. Living above our circumstances occurs when our perspective interprets our circumstances rather than our circumstances determining our perspective.”

You cannot choose your life’s circumstances, but you can choose how to respond. Join esteemed Bible teacher, Chip Ingram, on this journey to restore the essential Christian virtue of JOY!

My Review:

Ingram takes readers through Philippians, helping readers understand how we can choose joy. “Choosing joy is a mindset and a lifestyle,” Ingram writes. “It isn't just a matter of willpower and perseverance; it's a new way of thinking and seeing.” (176)

He helps readers to live above circumstances, seeing them through God's lens. He teaches us to focus through praying for others. Self-pity will vanish. That is a powerful section in the book. He helps us discern our purpose, recognizing that God may achieve that purpose though events that make no sense to us. He helps us anchor our souls through hope and encourages us to evaluate our expectations and our understanding of God's promises. He ends with a powerful section on what it means to live worthy of the gospel.

This is a good book for Christians desiring to know how to live with joy. Ingram's teaching is clear and well presented. He includes questions at the end of each chapter suitable for personal reflection or group discussion.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Chip Ingram is the teaching pastor and CEO of Living on the Edge, an international teaching and discipleship ministry. A pastor for more than thirty years, Chip is the author of many books, including Holy Ambition and The Invisible War. Chip and his wife, Theresa, have four grown children and twelve grandchildren and live in California.

Moody Publishers, 192 pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)