Living a Transformational Life

"In Living a Transformational Life, Melvin Davis addresses several issues as regards the ideal Christian conduct, pointing out, among other things, how we can start the process of living a transformed life by accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour, building positive mindsets, focusing on the merits of Christ's redemptive sacrifices, refusing to indulge in self-pity and blame occasioned by our past bad choices and actions, and overcoming faith crises.

This book has certainly added fresh insights into the realities of being joined with Christ. Most people expect that being born again should immediately fix their challenges and destructive habits, and so it can be frustrating when one has to still face those monsters even after "giving their lives to Christ." In this situation, I found Melvin's note about changing the way we think and understanding that this spiritual battle is a gradual process enlightening and comforting.

I think Melvin achieved his two major aims in writing this book: getting people to see reasons why they should give their lives to Christ and getting them to allow the Holy Spirit to transform their lives. The messages of the fruits of salvation and the renewal of our minds are clear and assuring. Efforts have been made to get the readers to give themselves an honest assessment of their faith profession and communication with fellow believers. I believe anyone who diligently goes through this book and applies the teachings will become a better Christian and member of society.

The discussion about faith crises appealed to me the most. It was comforting to know that those awkward moments of doubt and lapse are essential parts of the journey to spiritual growth. The language employed in this teaching is simple, and the author's tone reflects his confidence in the faith he professes and the ethics of Christian living he projects. There are several quotes to back up the points being made. Furthermore, this book was well edited. I found only two grammatical errors in it.

However, I think, considering the content of this book, that "transformed" instead of "transformational" would have been a better word choice to make in the book's title. Also, I think the section discussing the qualities of a good friend is unnecessary; I don't think it has any input to the development of the book's thematic preoccupations. Because of these concerns, I am removing one star and rating this book four out of five stars. 

Nevertheless, this book has provided a lot of insights into the transformative power of allowing Jesus and the Holy Spirit into our lives, clarified that challenges and faith crises are part of spiritual growth, and highlighted the benefits of participating in the fellowship of believers and being at peace with our fellow human beings. Christians, especially new converts, should find these teachings very helpful, so I recommend this book to them."