Extreme Love: Discover and Experience God's Love for You

by Elizabeth Payson Prentiss (Contributor), Hannah Whitall Smith (Contributor), John Hudson Tiner (Contributer)

God is so in love with you. Really! And Extreme Love is the little volume that tackles the big obstacles of complacency, inferiority, and alienation we all face that prevent us from fully delighting in our Father’s unconditional affections. Through a rich assortment of power-packed devotions featuring the testimonies and sage wisdom of Christians past and present, you’ll be inspired to rediscover a genuine relationship with God, embracing His overwhelming, authentic love while learning how to radically love Him back. In short, Extreme Love is a must-have arsenal of spiritual confidence and insight that’s perfect for personal or group study.

Genres: Christian Non Fiction, Christian

160 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2012

About the author

ELIZABETH PRENTISS (1818 -1878) was the daughter of an early nineteenth-century revival preacher and began writing as a teenager. Born in 1818 in Portland, Maine, Prentiss was also the writer of the hymn "More Love to Thee, O Christ." Prentiss died in Vermont in 1878.

Reviews

[Pam Larson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this as a daily devotional, but it took me more than 2 years to get through 127 daily readings. I found the selection of readings very uneven. There are a variety of classic authors, but no index of authors, and no sources given for the readings other than names of the authors. There is no editor listed, which I found odd, so no way to know who selected the readings or what their rational was.
Based on what I highlighted, my favorite of the authors included was Hannah Whitall Smith. I wish I knew which of her books the readings came from, as I've only read one of her books.
However, my favorite reading was the next to last one, by Thomas A. Kempis:
"Jesus has always many who love His heavenly kingdom but few who bear His cross. He has many who desire consolation but few who care for trial. He finds many to share His table but few to take part in His fasting. All desire to be happy with Him; few wish to suffer anything for Him. Many follow Him to the breaking of bread but few to the drinking of the cup of His suffering. Many honor His miracles, but few approach the shame of the cross. Many love Him as long as they encounter no hardship. Many praise and bless Him as long as they receive some comfort from Him. But if Jesus hides Himself and leaves them for a while, they fall either into complaints or into deep dejection.
Those, on the contrary, who love Him for His own sake and not for any comfort of their own, bless Him in all trial and anguish of heart as well as in the bliss of consolation. Even if He should never give them consolation, yet they would continue to praise Him and wish always to give Him thanks. What power there is in pure love for Jesus—love that is free from all self-interest and self-love!"

Barbour Publishing Inc, Extreme Love: Discover and Experience God’s Love for You (Uhrichsville, OH: Barbour Books, 2012).

[Sabina Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

An uplifting little book of Christian devotionals definitely helped to rejuvenate my faith and question more the notion of Love.