Tim Chester, Enjoying Jesus: Experience the Presence and Kindness of the Son of God in Everyday Life. The Good Book Company, 2024. 195 pp.
This book helped me to enjoy Jesus more.
Like me, I suspect many Christians have gone through dry patches when it comes to faith in Jesus. When Jesus feels distant. When he feels unrelatable, or impersonal. When we’re just “going through the motions”, and it seems Jesus has little to do with day-to-day life. When being a Christian has lost its sparkle.
If you can relate to that at all, then this is a great book to pick up. Chester, a well-known and loved author, writes this book from a very personal place, recounting his own story of having an emotional breakdown. He is raw and vulnerable, sharing his experience of overwhelm and fear. This is not just a neat, happy book, which simply tells you to try harder at having joy in Jesus. It’s written from a place which acknowledges how difficult it is to have a real sense of a living relationship with Jesus. And it’s from here that Chester maps out how Christians can grow their enjoyment of Jesus day by day.
In 14 brief and easy-to-read chapters, Chester uses the Gospel of Luke to help focus on the person of Jesus. I found it so beneficial to have the simple link drawn by Chester, that what Jesus was like when on earth is what Jesus is like now in heaven. Jesus Christ really is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). I was struck by my own tendency to think that perhaps in the 2000 years since the ascension, Jesus’ heart of love had somehow dimmed or cooled or changed. How refreshing for my soul to be reminded, page after page, that Jesus remains constant in his love and kindness towards his bride the church; and so towards me.
The loveliness of Jesus’ love really shines in Chester’s writing. Each chapter is saturated with the delight and warmth of the gospel. There is deep Trinitarian theology woven throughout, and yet the book doesn’t feel heavy but invigorating. It’s refreshingly honest and pastorally nuanced. There are choice Puritan quotes, and plenty of opportunities to pause and ponder and pray. Whether it’s contemplating the shelter and compassion of Jesus, or savouring the voice and vitality of Jesus, or grappling with the anger and glory of Jesus, each chapter tackles a different angle on who Jesus is and why he is so beautiful.
Chester further crafts his work using the story of two fictional characters, Mike and Emma. We get a glimpse into the very ordinary week of this married couple and their kids. Chester cleverly uses their story to help ground the topic of each chapter. Ideas about Jesus are not left in the abstract. Instead, the rich theology explored in each chapter is immediately applied and illustrated in the everyday life of Mike and Emma. This book is written for each chapter to be practical and lived out straightaway.
This book is also meant to be read slowly so that it can be applied and practised gradually. Great for slower readers like me! Each chapter ends with an action to try that week, which is a good challenge for putting the learnings into practice in your own life. There are also a few reflection questions, including an opportunity to reflect on how you went with the action from the previous chapter. This structure means this would be a good book for a couple or group to read together, and a great excuse to form a book club with friends. I lent a copy to a new person at church, who was coming back to faith after being away from church for many years. It’s the kind of book that will be of value for new Christians, struggling Christians, and mature Christians alike.
This book was a delight to read. It’s a delight because it helps you see how Jesus is a delight. It added so much sparkle to my Christian life. A wonderful resource for enjoying a deeper, richer, more vibrant relationship with Jesus here and now.