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Original Title:	Not My Will: How Much Will Surrender Cost
ISBN:	0802414133 (ISBN13: 9780802414137)
Edition Language:	English

Not My Will: How Much Will Surrender Cost?

Francena H. Arnold

Paperback | Pages: 368 pages

Rating: 4.39 | 475 Users | 65 Reviews

Details Appertaining To Books Not My Will: How Much Will Surrender Cost?

Title	:	Not My Will: How Much Will Surrender Cost?
Author	:	Francena H. Arnold
Book Format	:	Paperback
Book Edition	:	Deluxe Edition
Pages	:	Pages: 368 pages
Published	:	July 1st 2002 by Moody Publishers (first published January 1st 1946)
Categories	:	Fiction. Christian Fiction. Childrens. Historical. Historical Fiction. Classics

Interpretation As Books Not My Will: How Much Will Surrender Cost?

Normally if I rate a book years after I read it, I give it a rating based on my enjoyment at the time of reading, rather than my opinion now. Sometimes this means I rate a book quite highly, when now I wouldn't touch it. With Not My Will, I'm going to break my own rule.
I received Not My Will as a gift through my church, either at Christmas time, or for a Sunday School Anniversary (weren't they nice people!). Not having much money to purchase books, any book I did own was re-read. A lot. So, I have to say I read Not My Will many many times as a teen. My rating at the time would have been 3 or 4 stars, as even though I had no real similarity to the main character, the story was enjoyable, and the characters complex and likeable.
Sometime in the late noughties, I decided I'd give the book another re-read. It had been stored away for a number of years, and I was curious to read it again and discover what kind of influence it might have had on my growth as a teenager, and as a Christian. Considering the volume of times I read it, and my inclination toward compete absorption in anything I read, I figured I might gain some insights into myself.
And this is when my rating dropped. It's not because of the story, or the characters, or the plot. It's due to the Christianity Not My Will presents, and the way it contributed to my faith and my perception of myself. A recurrent concept in Not My Will is the idea of a once for all commitment to God. In this the author is not referring to that initial commitment a person makes when they come to faith in God, and accept his forgiveness and atonement. Rather, the author is describing a Christian, who struggles to obey God's will and live in surrender to Him, eventually giving in and yielding finally and fully to God. The Christian then lives in a kind of sinless harmony with God for the remainder of their life.
Now before you start accusing me of being some sort of heretic, please let me clarify. I don't have anything against a full commitment to God. In my opinion, there is no greater gift in this universe than being in relationship with God, and naturally the deeper one's commitment and submission to Him, the sweeter this relationship is going to be.
My issue is the once for all way that Francine Arnold represents this commitment. And this was a huge, huge stumbling block for me as a young Christian. I could not understand why, despite my frequent confession, and "going forward" at meetings I still continued to sin. No matter how sincere a commitment I made, I would fall short and be right back where I started from.
After a lot of years, and a lot of pain and guilt, I figured it out. The reason I keep stuffing up is not the powerlessness and insincerity of my faith or my commitment, its because I'm a sinner. A one off "yes God I will do whatever you say for the rest of my life" is not going to stop me from sinning and missing God's best for me. What I really need is to say every day, "God, I can't do this without you. I need you today, not just to give me the food I eat or the air I breathe, but to live."
So Francine Arnold, I give you two stars for Not My Will. You wrote a good story and I'd like to think you blessed people with it. But you created a stumbling block for me. And while I've figured it out some twenty years later, I wish I could go back to my teenage self, beating herself up for failing again and whisper, "it's okay. God knows you're a sinner, He knows you're going to go out and do the same stupid thing again tomorrow. But He still loves you and He still forgives you."
November 2015
Just adding a quote from JC Ryle I found that adds to my thoughts above. I was encouraged to see a church leader with similar thoughts to me.
"The theory of a sudden, mysterious transition of a believer into a state of blessedness and entire consecration at one mighty bound, I cannot receive. It appears to me to be a man-made invention; and I do not see a single plain text to prove it in Scripture."

Rating Appertaining To Books Not My Will: How Much Will Surrender Cost?

Ratings: 4.39 From 475 Users | 65 Reviews

Judgment Appertaining To Books Not My Will: How Much Will Surrender Cost?

I really enjoyed this book!! I also learned a lot of important truths that I need to apply to my own life. This book came at just the right time!

This was an AMAZING read. Heartbreaking and uplifting.

Grandma's best book--even though her style is dated by today's standards, this one still touches my heart every time I read it.

I love this book! I can hardly tell how many times I've reread it. It's got parts that are very sad, as the main character has to learn some tough lessons in life; but it is so sweet. And the ending is beautiful!



I read this book years ago and and still remember it. It was pretty good, I suppose that's all I need to say.

Not My Will was a reread for me, though I didn't realize it until the end and I already knew how it ended. :P I thought I might have borrowed it from a friend a long time ago, and it turns out I did! I enjoyed this book just as much, if not more, as I did the first time around. The story that takes place in this book by Francena Arnold is one that will make you cry, laugh, and realize just how precious your life is and how blessed you are with what you have. Written from the sobering perspective