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Title: The Price of Favor: What Words Would Jesus Say?
Author: Dan Solomon
Publisher: Holy Fire Publishing
Genre: Bible Study
Copyright: 2006
ISBN: 1933899115
Pages: 118
Reviewer: Andrea J. Hargrove
Available From:
The Price of Favor Website
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
After reading the summary for The Price of Favor and glancing at the table of contents, I expected that in the various lessons-"Do Good," "Fast," "Love," etc.-the author, Dan Solomon, would include a single verse, and then give his own thoughts on the subject. However, as I started to read the book, I realized that my expectations were wrong.
In reality, each section of this devotional is largely a compilation of verses of Scripture. Some of them are paraphrased, but most are quoted directly from the Bible. Together, they make up an outline of the various points that the Bible raises in regards to the issues being discussed. Occasionally, the author inserts his thoughts to connect these points together, but mostly he leaves them as they are.
There are special sections after some lessons, where Mr. Solomon shares his "Life's Journey," or the journeys of others. With fewer Bible references in these sections, the author uses these opportunities to speak his mind.
The Price of Favor is a short devotional, which is one of its major strengths. There is no time to be bored, or to let the mind wander when reading this book. It is brief and to the point, and this makes the lessons more engaging and memorable.
On the other hand, with this type of devotional, the length means that the author has written very little original content. To be sure, the six "Life's Journey" sections give the reader things to think about which stem from Dan Solomon's own life. But they, like everything else in this devotional, are brief.
One way the author could have lengthened the book, while also making it a more involving read, would have been to add more transitions between his thoughts. The entire book, both in the lessons and in the "Life's Journey" sections, was somewhat disjointed-at times, a little like looking up a topic in a concordance and reading the relevant passages of Scripture.
Of course, one important thing to remember while reading The Price of Favor is that it is reliable. As it is comprised mainly of Scripture, the reader is left with a handy reference for Bible verses pertinent to several important topics. This means that there is no room for guesswork-no way to disprove the author's points, since the Bible is absolute Truth. There isn't anything that this author or anyone else can do to improve on that.
All things considered, The Price of Favor may not be very original, but it is certainly a great guide to important Biblical concepts.
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