Kingdom Stories: Resources for When You Need to Preach the Gospel to Yourself
In a Bible study/exercise class I am teaching this summer (my favorite kind of class!), we just took a look at Deuteronomy 8, one of the many places Moses tells the people to be careful to keep the commandments of the Lord and remember all that God has done for them. God knows that if left to our own devices, we will do “whatever we want” and our thoughts will gravitate to whatever doubts and fears scream the loudest. Our mind will center in on blameshifting, grudge-harboring, and pity-parties as we seek to justify our actions. It is out of God’s great kindness that he offers us a better way and urges us to walk in it.
To choose to walk in his ways of holiness and love.
To actively engage our minds as we remember all he has done.
In short, do the things. Think the things. Even if we don’t want to, especially when we don’t want to. And as we obey and as we remember, our hearts will begin to change and our “don’t want to” is transformed into a “want to.”
The Practice of Remembering
So how do we engage our minds, keep our focus, and daily remind ourselves of who he is, who we are, and all that he has done for us? How do we preach to ourselves that we are loved, forgiven, and made right with God? That Jesus paid it all to make it so? We need to build practices into our daily routines so that we remember all of that. Because if we forget, we quickly find ourselves back in the hopeless life of try-hard slavery. We are left to follow our own sinful desires and thoughts into dark places of deep despair. We need to build practices of remembrance into our days as if our lives depend on it. Because in a real way, they do.
In class we built a long list of ideas that included things like
listening to worship music
praising God when outside walking or gardening, etc.
praying at set times
using apps with prompts and helps
practice giving thanks and naming the “God Sightings” of your day
carrying a stone or a small cross as a tangible reminder
memorizing scripture
and the list goes on and on.
Another great options is to read “Kingdom Stories”—books, most of my favorites are written for kids, that summarize the gospel. Books that remind us what it is all about. Book that lay out the gospel truth in a way that has us marveling afresh at the beatuiful simplicity of it all.
Here are some of my favorite Kingdom Stories:
The Gospel Primer by Milton Vincent
This pocket-sized pamphlet contains two gospel presentations, one in prose form that reads like a psalm with numbered verses and everything. The other has the same content but in rhyming verse. There are footnotes citing the Bible verses that the text is built from so you can check the author's theology and see for yourself the truth woven throughout scripture.. (The verses are actually written out, not just the reference which is nice.) Both the prose piece and the poem are beautifully written and all the more beautiful because it is true. This is a quick and powerful way to remind you of the gospel truth.
The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones
This is a longer book, meant to be read in chapter chunks as you make your way through the whole story arc of the Bible. Lloyd-Jones is a wonderful author and does a masterful job of showing how every story in scripture points to Jesus. Great for kids. Great for grownups.
The Biggest Story: How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden by Kevin DeYoung
This is a short read broken into ten bite-sized pieces that, like The Jesus Storybook Bible, walks through the biblical narrative and connects it all to Jesus. It was so well received that a full version of the Bible (The Biggest Story Bible) has since been published and is also great. The writing and illustrations are both excellent and sometimes humorous, making it both insightful and fun at the same time.
The Forgotten King by Kenneth Padgett & Shay Gregorie
This story is a parable that gets us thinking about what happens when we forget the king (See? Remembering is so important!), and it reminds us that he won’t forget us. He will do whatever it takes to get us to remember him, including sending his son.
The Garden, the Curtain, and the Cross by Carl Laferton
This colorful picture book centers on the simple, true, and memorable line “because of your sin you can’t come in.” It draws a clear picture of the way sin separates us from God and how Jesus made a way so that we can go in!
Books by Max Lucado
Max Lucado has written a whole slew of inspirational and instructional picture books, most written in parable form. The three noted here all focus in on a core aspect of the gospel.
Because I Love You is a parable that demonstrates God’s steadfast love as evident in his great rescue plan.
With You All the Way is a story of a wise knight who reminds us that the Son is the only way to the Father.
The Way Home: A Princess Story, is a parable mirroring God’s fierce determination to rescue us, no matter the cost.
Share in the comments if there are Kingdom Stories out there that have helped you to stay in the remembrance zone, always mindful of the presence, power, and purpose of our great Lord and Savior!
