This has been another great month of reading! Thank you for joining in this month to read “None Like Him” by Jen Wilkin. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
What I loved about “None Like Him” is that while we know that God is different from us we don’t always realize all the ways that we are trying to be like Him. This book made me realize how much hope we have because of who God is. When we focus on Him, rather than ourselves, life can be very different. I think we also get comfortable with the idea of who God is (especially when we’ve been a Christian for a long time) and this book was a good reminder of how very awesome God is and how I need to revere Him and put Him in His proper place in my heart. As Jen said, “My conception of God was that he was approachable and accessible….But what the fear of the Lord acknowledges is that He is not only that” (pg. 10). It was powerful ending with God’s sovereignty after reading all of the attributes of who He is and then acknowledging He is worthy of the throne.
I can’t wait to hear what you think!
Discussion Questions
- Share a favorite quote from the book. Why did this quote resonate with you?
- Jen says that we cannot fully know or measure God. How does that make you feel?
- The author states that only God alone is the true creator. How does that knowledge free you from pride in the works of creativity in your own life?
- Why is it a blessing that we are people who have needs? Why is it important to know that God is completely sufficient?
- Do you struggle with laziness or busyness? How does knowing God is eternal help you to view your time on Earth?
- How does the fact that God is unchanging give us hope that we can change?
- How does God’s omnipresence bring comfort?
- Do you find in your own life a desire to know all things? How does God’s omniscience allow for the freedom of not knowing all things?
- Jen discussed four types of power (physical strength, beauty, wealth, and charisma) humans typically experience. Have you seen these types of power in action in your own life? How has your view changed about these types of power after reading the book?
- Do you struggle with control? How does knowing God is sovereign help you to surrender control?
- Which attribute discussed in the book resonated with you the most?
Scriptures of the Month
Proverbs 31:30
Psalm 111:10
Psalm 145:3
Prayer of the Month
Father God, we praise You because of who You are! We are thankful that You allow us to know You well enough to love You and worship You. We know we try to take Your place and we desire Your attributes but help us to rest in who You are. Help us to draw hope from the fact that we are not You. Help us to know we can lay everything at Your feet and trust in You. Thank You for loving us so much. May the knowledge of who You are guide us as we go through our short time here on Earth. May we obey You and live for You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
For Next Month
*Click HERE for all the details on February’s book choice and focus!
It was extremely humbling to read this book…
There are too many quotes for me to pick just one as my favorite, but this is definitely one: “Sanctification is the process of learning increasing dependence, not autonomy.”
Maybe it’s especially true of oldest children, but I have always loved the idea of being autonomous and independent. Since the two terms are often used synonymously, I checked out their definitions: “The main difference between autonomous and independent is that autonomous refers to self-governance while independent refers to not being dependent on anyone.” (Pediaa.com) There’s a lot of freedom in both of these things. However, when you’re a kid, there’s one’s idea of something and then the actual reality of something. So it should come as no surprise that when I became an adult and was expected to be autonomous and independent at certain levels, I wasn’t loving the idea as much anymore! 🤪
We want what we want, when and how we want it. Ah, the illusion of attaining this type of life – why do we keep striving for it?! We’re only comfortable with limits when we believe we don’t have them and can control the limits of others for our advantage. As the author said, “A Need is a Limit,” and we aren’t ok with limits. We equate needs with weakness or misfortune or bad choices.
So what do we think of a God who is limitless? How do we wrestle with the fact (let alone the idea) that God doesn’t need anything at all, even us? This rubs us the wrong way to put it lightly. How could we not be needed? I mean, look at all humanity has to offer, particularly during this era. When we allow ourselves to be vulnerable enough to ask these questions – and we must get there – we face perhaps our greatest insecurity: lack. Inefficiency is at the root of need. No one wants to deal with that. And yet as the author says, “We are not needy because of sin; we are needy by divine design.”
Too much of my life has been spent on viewing neediness as a problem, disadvantage, or embarrassment. I’m going to dive into each of these for a moment. First of all, when I see my neediness as a problem, I am less likely to ask for help, so I end up doing everything on my own…among other things, it’s exhausting! Secondly, by seeing neediness as a disadvantage, I overcompensate in other areas for my “lack.” Lastly, when I see my own or other’s neediness as an embarrassment, it creates an unhealthy and unnecessary chasm between relationships. And without honesty and transparency, relationships won’t thrive, or sometimes survive.
I can think of a real-life, practical example which shows how I’ve struggled with my own neediness: being a people-pleaser. Not surprisingly, this behavior has transferred to my relationship with God. But when I take a closer look and see not only Him for who He really is, but also myself for who I really am, I can begin to let my guard down.
While He doesn’t need me, He wants me. Like the author pointed out, “…if God needed us in any way, we would most certainly let Him down.” This isn’t to say He’s laughing at our inadequacies or is reveling in the fact that we need Him and can’t make it on our own. His unconditional love is unlike anything we have, or will, ever know. It’s ok we can’t grasp “how wide and long and high and deep His love” truly is. Because we’re not all-knowing…but He is! He has created a unique purpose for each of us and invites us into relationship with Him so we can live it out and know Him more. What a gift!
If God is completely sufficient, then I should be able to rest in His sufficiency instead of trying to figure out how close I can get to His level, or worse, try to outdo Him. 🙃 As humans, we’re not good at “staying in our lanes.” When I feel efficient or self-sufficient, I let busyness take over. When I feel inadequate, I let laziness take over. It’s hard for me to find a happy medium. That is why it’s so important to anchor myself in the truth that not only is God sufficient in and of Himself, but also see the relational/personal aspect to this, in that He is sufficient for me.
And since God cannot change, He will always be sufficient for me. I don’t have to worry anymore about all the ways I don’t measure up or whether I can please others.
I used to have a hard time with this verse: “He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:30) I always saw this as an “I’m not worthy” ranking. Now in light of learning how amazing it is that our need was created by divine design, I don’t have to compete for worth, or anything for that matter. He values me because I am His, because He made me. I want to rest in that, trusting God confidently with all of me.