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Author Garty describes a process for reaching an understanding and acceptance of Jesus Christ, sharing knowledge and practical steps that the reader can apply regularly. Each chapter of Garty’s study guide discusses often complex and sometimes little-known ways in which Jesus may affect an individual, with relevant quotations from the Holy Bible based on what the author considers to be five of God’s central commands: to listen to His words, tune one’s ears to His voice, keep His lessons in plain view, concentrate on His message, and learn it “by heart.”
Two other essential elements offered are “Eternal Life Points,” re-emphasizing the biblical narratives, and a segment entitled “Life Application,” with salient questions for the reader and several pages of lines where readers can record how they are personally affected by each lesson. One section, for example, interestingly emphasizes that all humans can be “adopted” by God, comparing the trials of earthly adoption with that which God takes on willingly—a privilege that God offers to all through grace and the example of the suffering and sacrifice of his Son Jesus.
Garty, a pastor and counselor, constructed this work with the hope that it would help believers to strengthen an essential, intimate bond with Jesus Christ through personal determination and techniques for daily study and remembrance. He effectively assists readers in keeping God’s intentions in view through quotations, questions, and lines for composing their own revelations. His inventive points and applications stress continual consultation into scriptural teachings, mining them deeply for aid in the development cited in the book’s title. Both mind (intellect, studious habits) and heart (care for oneself and others and prayerful outreach) are utilized in Garty’s process, providing compelling focus and inspiration for individual and group study.