Titled Truth

Louie Giglio picked a rather strange title for his most recent work – I Am Not But I Know I Am – yet that title provides strong truth within his 160+ pages.  His introduction lays out the format for the book in that he chose not to utilize a “treatise” or “legal” format because he wanted to tell an overall story.  Specifically, Giglio names two enemies that he wants to attack:  stress and meaningless.  In laying out the remainder of the book, he does just that and, in doing so, fully explains the intent of his title.

The crux of the entire work is framed on pages 33 and 34.  In Scripture, specifically the book of Exodus, God reveals His name to mankind – I AM.  The Hebrew term references being and carries multiple implications explained by Giglio.  In other words, God is:  (1) “the center of everything;” (2) “running the show;” (3) “the same yesterday, today, and forever;” (4) “Owner of everything;” (5) “Lord;” (6) “more than enough;” and (7) “God.”  Giglio listed about 15 of these definers of God, but I only summarized a few.  The implication, however, is vital here – if God is all of those things, then we are not.  Thus, we come to understand the intent of the title:  God’s name is I AM while our name really is I AM NOT.

Our work thinks too highly of self and our worth because we do not have a true understanding of who God is and what He has done for us.  If we devote our lives totally to serving and loving God, then here is what that means:  “living for God’s glory is not so much about what you do as it is about doing whatever you do in such a way that it reflects Jesus Christ” (135).  If we understand that God is I AM and we are I AM NOT, then we recognize our smallness and His infiniteness.  

Appendix A offers a wonderful challenge to everyone that claims to love God and His Word.  That challenge is to interact with Scripture utilizing the One-Word Bible Study method.  In other words, we read too quickly through God’s word rather than pausing to mine the depths of its truth.  That resonated well with me because I have started doing something similar this year – rather than reading a chapter a night, I read the same chapter for 7 consecutive nights.  It has opened my eyes to so much that I missed from the past of glossing over certain sections.  This format for reading God’s Word reflects that the entire story that we see around us is all about Him!

I do wish that Giglio would have incorporated more Scripture throughout, but as he explained in the introduction, he choose to write a story (not a detailed and in-depth analysis of a passage).  Still, it is thought-provoking as he assaults our pride and independence when God wants our submission and dependence on Him.  Since He is I AM, He is all that we need.

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.  I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 25:  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.