Show vs. Tell.

I just finished reading two books at about the same time.

Because He Loves Me by Elyse Fitzpatrick is a practical and inspirational application of the Gospel.

The Robe by Lloyd Douglas is a historical fiction novel, written in 1942, about the atheistic Roman who crucified Jesus, gambled for his robe, and won, and then his subsequent search for truth about this Hebrew king.

Both books inspired my faith. One by telling, the other by showing, and both were very effective.

Here’s how they looked together.

One… teaches how Christ can transform our daily life.

The other… shows how Christ transformed one man’s daily life.

Teaches about the effect of the gospel on our lives.

Shows how the gospel affected real lives.

Encourages us to live lives differently because of Jesus’s love.

Shows how the love of Jesus practically causes us to live differently.

Reminds us that Jesus will return.

Sets an example of early believers who paused at the top of the hill to see if Jesus might be there.

Strengthens us with the hope of Heaven.

Confirms the hope of Heaven with the emotional death of some believers, and the faith of those watching, who knew their friends were not really dead, but had passed into the New Kingdom of Jesus.

They are both making their way to the top of my favorite list! I’ll blog more about them each individually in a later post.

I love how our great, creative God can use such a variety of means to inspire us to love Him more!