The Christian life isn’t always a walk in the park. Sin can cloud our thinking about the things of God. Distractions can rob us of the ability to be in awe of Jesus. Our lack of discipline and devotion can make it seem that the Spirit is not at work in us. I would say most Christians I know would be able to resonate with those sentiments at one point or another in their Christian life. So, how do we combat such a widespread issue in the lives of many Christians? We need to learn to enjoy God more! A few years ago I read Chester’s book ‘Enjoying God’ (check out my review) and I really enjoyed it, I have since given a few copies away and have recommended it too many times to count. Therefore, when I saw ‘Enjoying Jesus’ I knew I had to read it.
The heartbeat of this book is to help the reader grasp a little bit more what it means to enjoy Jesus, what it means to love and be loved by Jesus and what it means to interact with him on a daily basis. Chester starts off with two core ideas that he builds the book on in order to help you gain a deeper joy in Jesus;
- What Jesus was like when on earth is what Jesus is like now in heaven
- While Jesus in his body is in heaven, Jesus is also present on earth through the Holy Spirit
Chester writes in his introduction that Christians often refer to their relationship with Jesus only in terms of their salvation and not so much about their day to day lived-experience with him. Therefore, Chester wants to help the reader grasp what a real and living relationship with Jesus looks like.
There are fourteen chapter in the book, each chapter deals with a aspect of Jesus’ character or his promises for his people and how we can enjoy them – His presence, his compassion, his shelter, his touch, his vitality, his glory, his delight, his voice, his connection, his anger, his intercession, his reign, his wealth and the final chapter is on waiting for the appearing of Jesus.
Each chapter takes you to Scripture and helps you see the relevant aspect of Jesus in a specific context which is helpful because by doing so Chester is also helping you read and apply the Bible better to your own life. Throughout the book there is a running illustration of a couple’s life called ‘Mike and Emma’s Tuesday afternoon’. In each chapter Chester comes back to this couple and gives you an insight into what that attribute or aspect of Jesus looks like and is played out in their lives. I actually found those little sections quite helpful (even though I didn’t think I would at first).
Some of the key strengths of the book are that it helps you see that 1) in order to enjoy Jesus you need to have a realistic view of who he is – the source of true, lasting joy, 2) there is a distinction between delighting in Jesus and going through the religious motions out of a sense of duty, 3) spiritual disciples are tools that can help you grow in your enjoyment of Jesus, and lastly 4) the more you enjoy Jesus the more you will be transformed into his likeness.
Maybe you’ve been a Christian for a while and you’ve lost that fire and zeal for the Lord as the years have gone on, this book could help you rekindle that first joy of knowing Jesus.
I think that everyone could benefit from this book, it is a popular level Christian living book so you’re not getting a deep dive into the theological significance of a believers union with Christ. However, you read some of the implications of that and how it should produce in us a deeper devotion to and enjoyment of Jesus.
I would say that this book would be an ideal giveaway to a new Christian who is just learning how Jesus should impact their life. It could be a good guide to help them enjoy Jesus from the get go.
Head over to The Good Book Company to get your own copy of Enjoying Jesus.
*** I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not change the way I rate the book. My views are my own. ***
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