To Seek and to Save: Daily Reflections on the Road to the Cross

by Sinclair B. Ferguson (Author, Narrator)

Journey with Jesus on the road to Jerusalem with these reflections for Lent by Sinclair Ferguson. As you walk through the second half of Luke’s Gospel, you'll meet the people Jesus encountered on the way to the cross—and prepare your heart to appreciate his death and resurrection afresh.

Each day you'll be invited to:
• Read a passage of Luke's Gospel and a short meditation by Sinclair Ferguson
• Reflect on a thought-provoking question
• Respond in prayer and praise as you journal

Pithy yet profound, these devotions will hold up a mirror to your own heart and, more importantly, give you a window into the heart of the Lord Jesus—the one who came to seek and to save the lost at Easter.

4 hrs. 38 min.

Genres: Christian, Theology, Devotional, Nonfiction, Christianity, Christian Living, Audiobook

5 pages, Audible Audio

Published March 11, 2020

About the author

Sinclair B. Ferguson is Associate Preacher at St Peter's Free Church in Dundee and also Distinguished Visiting Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was Senior Minister of First Presbyterian Church of Columbia, South Carolina and prior to that, he was minister of St. George's-Tron Church in Glasgow.

Reviews

[Cindy Rollins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect Lenten devotional.

[ladydusk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended without reservation. Ferguson is a treasure and this devotional was a feast. Tracking Jesus' final journey to Jerusalem, to Golgotha, with Luke, Ferguson helps the reader to consider Christ, the disciple's response, and our own response to his journey. He uses pertinent examples, references, and stories to bring the scripture into clarity. My only wish was that each passage, itself, would have been printed in the book - but it's really not that big of a deal to look them up in a Bible.

He ended with an allusion to Hamlet's play within a play in discussing the journey to Emmaus within the journey. Delightful.

I loved his Advent devotion on 1 Cor 13 and am excited to get the newer one published for last Advent. I don't know what others he may have, but a library of his devotions would be worthy.

[♪ Kim N · Rating 4 out of 5]

I looked forward to these daily readings, which follow Luke's account of Jesus on the way to Jerusalem and journey's end. Insightful, encouraging and challenging.

[Danielle Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really rich doctrine was packed into very short daily readings. It was a treat to have a reading that was not a burden time wise, was not surface level theology, and was so helpful to my heart. I will definitely read it again next year.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

The spring season and Easter will rush by quickly. We must be proactive in spending time in the Word. In To Seek and to Save, Sinclair Ferguson delivers daily reflections on the road to the cross. They are a collection of Lent devotions that help you reflect on the wonder of Easter.

41 Daily Readings from the Gospel of Luke

The 41 daily readings from the Gospel of Luke are presented over 6 weeks. Week 1: Conversations on the Way, Week 2: Meeting the Confused, Week 3: The Path to Discipleship, Week 4: Friends and Enemies, Week 5: Towards the Cross, and Holy week: The Final Destination.

Each devotion ends with a pointed question for reflection as well as space to write out your response to the text. When used properly, they will cause you to interact with the text at a personal level.

Impactful Inisghts

I was impacted in three ways while reading this book. First, I was able to see the compassion of Jesus. The sheer amount of interactions he had with others was astounding. And he showed them so much compassion and mercy. Second, I was able to see the big picture of Jesus’ travel toward Jerusalem. The narrative is like a journey story, with an epic climax at the end. Finally, I was able to see insights that I have never seen before.

For instance, I was awakened to the fact that “faith” is not a “thing.” I was able to better comprehend that faith is a gift from God. Also, I never saw the bookends of Luke’s gospel in the form of Joseph (the father of Jesus) and Joseph (of Arimethea). There are more nuggets to be gleaned in Luke’s gospel but these are what stood out to me.

Spend Time with Jesus

With each devotion resting at around 3 pages in length, they are simple and straightforward yet packed with insight and truth. The slow, daily read paces them out well and you will really feel the time you spend with Jesus. That is my hope for every Easter, and my hope for you as well.

I was provided a free copy of To Seek and to Save but was not required to write a positive review.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great, somewhat light, resource for those who follow reformed theology.

I was disappointed because his Advent devotional, while also reformed (because he is), is incredible and I reread it every Advent. This one fell short of his Advent one, and it disappointed me more because Lent leads up to the Church’s biggest holiday of them all.

Would still highly recommend his Advent one!

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely!

[MrsAintheLibrarywiththeCoffee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this and may try to read or listen to it yearly for Lent! Wonderful and encouraging!

Note: The audiobook was in sore need of editing, which was distracting.

[Sassa · Rating 4 out of 5]

“To Seek and to Save” is a daily devotional within the focus of a single verse. “When the days drew near for Him to be taken up, He set His face to go to Jerusalem.” Luke 9:51.
Each day’s reading leads us closer to the culmination of God’s plan for salvation of man as written in the Gospel of Luke. It personally served as my daily Biblical reading leading up to Resurrection Day but I must emphasize that this little book can be read, and should be read, any and all the days of the year. I do heartily recommend.
Hallelujah! He is risen!

[Becca Tillotson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent reflections for the Lenten season.

[Taylor Farrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

So impactful and beautiful! So moved and prepared to praise and celebrate this Easter Sunday. Jesus’ road to Jerusalem was long and weary and his complete desolation from God at the end was Hell itself. This total separation not even the worst of criminals experience on their death beds. All for our sake. I hear my voice call out among the scoffers. I’m not any different. I’m so incredibly humbled by our Lord and Savior. This is life changing life altering earth shaking stuff i’m sorry hahaha. Highly recommend :))

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just loved Ferguson Christmas devotional but this is less well done although I gained from it but the mistakes on the audiobook were so many !!! Probably at least 20 lines were repeated with talking in the background. Even the titles of the chapters were misspelled. I’m assuming this was a rough copy that just never was fixed. ( from Hoopla) it was very distracting sadly. I guess 3.5 is where I place this audio version

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good way to get ready for Easter.

[Kysa · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent Easter devotional. I’ll be happy to return to this year after year.

[Kofi Opoku · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid.

[Beth Koehler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic Lent study, but I would recommend it any time as well. One of the best Bible study devotional books I’ve gone through.

[Allyson Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ferguson has such a knack for packing such deep truths into bite sized portions. A short but insightful devotional walking through the book of Luke through the season of Lent that was helpful in centering my heart on Christ’s final days on the earth.

[Caroline Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jesus finishes his journey at Jerusalem but that is where ours begins - at the cross and the empty grave!

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been a blessing for me to read. Dr Ferguson does an excellent job delving into Christ's final days from Luke's perspective. It really made me stop and think more about things I've heard or read before.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

ETA: still great

ETA: I've been through this a few times and always both appreciate and enjoy it.

Excellent Lenten reading.

[Bill Pence · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, by one of our most respected theologians, will remind readers of his excellent 2018 Advent devotional Love Came Down at Christmas: Daily Readings for Advent. In that book, the author took readers through 1 Corinthians 13. In this new book, he takes us through Luke’s Gospel, beginning with chapter 9, verse 51, in which Luke records all the events in Jesus’ life in the form of a journey to Jerusalem. This travelogue eventually brings us to Calvary and to the empty tomb. In his travelogue, Luke describes Jesus’ encounters with a wide variety of individuals and groups of people. The author tells us that there was something they all had in common: they were either drawn to him in their need, or repelled from him by their pride. No one was neutral.
In this series of short reflections for Lent, the author lets us listen in on most of these conversations. Each encounter will build up a picture of the journey’s real purpose; for, as he tells one man he meets along the way, Jesus is “the Son of Man [who] came to seek and to save the lost” (19:10). The key issues for all of those who encounter Jesus in Luke’s Gospel are these:
• Do they know why he is on the road in the first place?
• Will they follow him as his disciple?
The author tells us that this Lent, Jesus asks those same questions of us.
These readings will fit nicely in with your daily devotional readings. They will be equally helpful in preparing your heart for the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus, or really at any other time. If you choose to use it for the former, you will start the readings on “Ash Wednesday”, which falls on February 26 in 2020. After each reading is a “Reflect” section with questions, and a time to “Respond” to what you have read.
I recommend this book for your personal or family devotional reading.

[Matt Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intended to be a daily devotional type book, Dr. Ferguson offers daily reflections on a small section of Luke's Gospel throughout the season of Lent.

Starting with Luke 9:51 to the end of Luke's Gospel, each daily chapter contains 2 or 3 pages of Ferguson's reflections on the passage. At the end of each chapter, there is a sentence or two (usually in the form of a question) inviting the read to spend sometime themselves in prayerful reflection about what has been discussed in the chapter. There is then space provided for the reader to write down some responses.

The reflections are short and have a conversational flavour to them. They are intended to help offer practical reflections on how the reader can better focus on Jesus and His work in the Gospels throughout the book of Luke. Necessarily, the chapters are much more topical holistic than expositional in nature, but Ferguson always ties his application to the text.

On the Sunday chapters, instead of a reflection on a passage, there is a few verses from a hymn or poem to reflect on. Personally, though I found some of the hymns cited to be good and edifying, I found they didn't fit or enhance the devotionals in the book. I personally would have prefered seven Scriptural reflections a week.

Devotional books of this sort are not usually my chosen reading, but I did find Dr. Ferguson's pastoral and convicting writing to be a good accompaniment to reading through Luke's Gospel, regardless of what 'season' of the Church calendar we are in.

[Sheri Ingersoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have come to regard Sinclair Ferguson as one of my favorite teachers/preachers. His genuine, humble approach as well as his ability to bring clarity to a common lay person is very appealing. This past Christmas I read his "Love Came Down at Christmas", a journey through the love chapter of 1 Corinthians 13, and now this devotional, a journey to the cross, which has been a Christ-centered walk through the gospel of Luke. Both have helped me to focus and grow in my understanding of Jesus and what He came to do. It has been very edifying to go through the familiar accounts in Luke with the perspective of them leading to Calvary. Dr. Sinclair offers profound insight and I truly appreciated how each chapter ended with a personal challenge and thoughts to ponder. I will be reading this again!

[Samuel Parkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great little book to read in the run-up to Easter. It's warm-heated, simple yet insightful, encouraging, and has something both for those who are quite new to the story and those who have been Christians for a long time.

The structure - going through Luke's description of Jesus' journey to Jerusalem, his death and resurrection (with a particular focus on his effect on those he meets) - is simple, but all the better for that.

The audible version is also read by the author, which is always a good thing, and even better here, since he has such a warm, gentle gracious voice.

Definitely recommended, both for reading yourself, and as a good book to give to others wanting to prepare for Easter.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sinclair Ferguson has such an insightful, gentle, wondrous way of clarifying and explaining God’s Word, and this book is no different. I read this daily exploration of Luke during Lent, along with a group study I did of his gospel. I was left marveling and worshipping Jesus as I read this - just as Luke’s account often records the disciples and other followers doing. Ferguson highlights the humanity and divinity of Christ, and the diverse aspects of his character. There’s also a reflection question at the end of each days reading, with space to write if you wish. This was a perfect way to reflect upon the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Christ during Lent this year.

[Rosabelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This is, without question, the finest Lenten devotional I've ever read through. I learned things I'd never come close to picking up on in Luke's gospel before. The writing, theology, insights, and personal applications are all spectacular. I've been so distracted by challenges and hard things in my life, I was in desperate need of redirecting my focus to Jesus. I'm so grateful that I had the opportunity to do just that and journey to the cross with To Seek and to Save.

[Laurence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some real insights here, and each day's offering enjoyable to read in itself. But felt it lacked the drive and progression of some similar books, and 'responses' at times felt they slightly 'missed' in applicability. I think what I got from this was also adversely affected by the COVID-19 crisis, meaning that the normal rhythm of Lent and Easter had largely broken down; I suspect it may well be better picked up in another year, which I may well do.

[Klaven Embertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a good way to prepare my heart for Good Friday and Easter. Reading devotionals by a trusted minister like Dr. Ferguson allows me to not be concerned about the validity of the things being said. I expect I may read this devotional again next year, unless of course he makes another one.

[Monica English · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy Ferguson's writing, and I did like this devotional. Some days, however, it seemed like not much insight was added to the Scripture passage for the day. I would have liked more interesting breakdowns and applications to my daily life. Fergusons's Love Came Down at Christmas advent devotional is much more entrenching.

[Deborah Carr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good Lenten devotional. I liked that each daily devotional was based on a person or people Jesus met on the road to the Cross and each devotional and scripture reading was not too long, but still very thoughtful. I also appreciated how at the end of each daily reading there were some questions to ponder and space to write your thoughts.