“Jesus Calling?”

Is “Jesus Calling?”

Recently I was given a copy of Jesus Calling, a devotional by Sarah Young. When I first received it, I began thumbing through it, and something in it struck me as quite odd from the very beginning:

It’s written from Jesus’ point of view, the first person singular.

To give you an example of this, here’s part of the entry for January 1:

“Come to Me with a teachable spirit, eager to be changed. A close walk with Me is a life of continual newness. Don not cling to old ways as you step into a new year. Instead, seek My Face with an open mind, knowing that your journey with Me involves being transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

That phrase “Come to Me” is supposed to be Jesus talking to me. I have a big problem with this. While Sarah Young says in the intro that she knows that her writing is not on the same level as inspired Scripture, what does she mean to do by writing a book called “Jesus Calling” in first person singular, and saying in the intro that it was “God speaking to her”?

Mrs. Young states on pages x-xi of the introduction:

“During that same year (1992), I began reading God Calling, a devotional book written by two anonymous ‘listeners.’ These women practiced waiting quietly in God’s Presence, pencils and paper in hand, recording the messages they received from Him. The messages are written in first person, with ‘I’ designating God….. The following year, I began to wonder if I, too, could receive messages during my times of communing with God. I had been writing in prayer journals for years, but that was one-way communication: I did all the talking. I knew that God communicated with me through the Bible, but I yearned for more. Increasingly, I wanted to hear what God had to say to me personally on a given day. I decided to listen to God with pen in hand, writing down whatever I believed He was saying. I felt awkward the first time I tried this, but I received a message. It was short, biblical, and appropriate. It addressed topics that were current in my life: trust, fear, and closeness to God. I responded by writing in my prayer journal. My journaling had changed from monologue to dialogue. Soon, messages began to flow more freely, and I bought a special notebook to record these words. This new way of communicating with God became the high point of my day. I knew these writings were not inspired as Scripture is, but they were helping me grow closer to God.”

First, Mrs. Young says she knew that God communicated with her through the Bible, yet she “yearned for more.” Isn’t God’s inspired Holy Scripture enough? God has revealed Himself to Us through His Son Jesus Christ who came in the flesh, through the Holy Spirit who indwells believers, through His inspired, written word, yet it’s not enough? If God came in the flesh and spoke, and if we believe that Jesus is God’s FINAL revealing Word, then WHY do we need 365 days of additional instruction written from God’s point of view? We don’t!

The Bible says:

“John 20:31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.”

We can have abundant life in His name, yet it’s not enough?

Second, Mrs. Young stats that she wanted to “hear what God had to say to me personally on a given day.”

The Bible says in 2 Peter 1:20-21: “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, (21) for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”

Now I realize that God reveals His word to us. It’s called illumination. James tells us to ask for wisdom from God so that we can understand. Yet how is it that Sarah Young can now write 365 days of devotional material from Jesus’ perspective, state that it’s a “new way of communicating with God”, and have people treat it as just some regular devotional material?

It’s either God’s Word, or it’s not. And if it IS God’s Word, and she is writing it from Jesus’ perspective, then it’s being presented in an authoritative way. That’s probably what bothers me the most about this. I’ve read lots of other devotional material, but never have I read anything that someone says is a message from God, and it be in the FIRST PERSON, as if Jesus is directly speaking. IF Jesus is truly speaking in her writing (and I do not believe He is), then wouldn’t I take His word as revealed to Sarah as seriously as I would Scripture? Do you see the problem? How is a young Christian supposed to read such things in her book and NOT believe that it’s Scripture?

Friends, the words in Sarah’s book are not Jesus’ words, but the way it’s written, it is portrayed as if Jesus is speaking. I tremble at the thought of writing 365 days of anything and claiming in comes directly from Jesus, from His point of view. That’s exactly what she claims when she says: “I decided to listen to God with pen in hand, writing down whatever I believed He was saying. I felt awkward the first time I tried this, but I received a message.”

And what about the accuracy of these messages written as if from Jesus himself to us? Take for example, the June 22nd entry, which begins with:

“Thank Me for the very things that are troubling you. You are on the brink of rebellion, precariously close to shaking your fist in My Face.” How does Sarah Young know this? Another question: How is it that ALL Christians who read this particular entry on June 22nd are on the “brink of rebellion”?

The May 9th entry also says “Because you are human, you will continue to make mistakes. Thinking that you should live error-free is symptomatic of pride.” Where do we find Jesus saying THAT in Scripture?

Or again on February 19th: “You are feeling weighed down by a plethora of problems both big and small.” But what if I’m not? What if I am joyous? Does that mean that I am in the wrong on February 19th?

Are you beginning to see the problems with Sarah Young’s devotional? By writing it from Jesus’ point of view, the presumption is overwhelming. And it gets worse. Sarah is writing another version of this book… for children!

Yet Scripture teaches us: 2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; (17) so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

I do not need a word from Jesus from a secondary source when Scripture itself is sufficient. Mrs. Young herself even states that God speaks to us through His Word. GOD’s word is inspired, not Sarah’s. And it is God’s word that is sufficient to train me in righteousness, and according to God’s word, His training that comes through His Word will make me adequate, equipped for every good work.