Knowing and Enjoying God

Words from the Wise

by Tim Challies, Jules Koblun (Contributor)

This far from ordinary devotional encourages readers to develop daily spiritual disciplines in key areas of their faith, including prayer, Bible reading, worship, and more.

For years, writer Tim Challies has been posting spiritual insights from influential Christian thought leaders, helping his thousands of online followers mature in their faith. Now these inspirations are yours to discover in this one-of-a-kind devotional.

This curated collection of quotes, along with stunning photography and corresponding devotions from Tim, challenges you to cultivate consistent spiritual habits, including…
Prayer
Bible reading
Worship
Evangelism
Fasting
Silence and solitude
Gratitude
Stewardship
If you desire to become more disciplined in your daily walk with Christ, Words from the Wise offers you small and simple opportunities to grow your faith in extraordinary ways.

Genres: Devotional

224 pages, Hardcover

Published September 7, 2021

About the author

Tim Challies is a leading evangelical blogger. A self-employed web designer, Tim lives in the outskirts of Toronto, Ontario with his wife and children.

Reviews

[Danette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent! Each day Challies shares a short devotion taken both from God's Word and a short quote from different Christians. I enjoyed reading it with my children.

"We must end with the gospel, with the good news, the great news, the wondrous news, the send-chills-up-my-spine news, the brings-tears-to-my-eyes news, the I-wouldn't-believe-it-if-God-hadn't-said-it news of what Jesus Christ has accomplished on our behalf. As we grow in our relationship to God, we will be faced ever more with the sorrowful reality of our own sinfulness...The closer we come to God, the more we understand his perfection and our sinfulness. As we come to a greater knowledge of both God and ourselves, we inevitably realize 'we are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe.' Yet the news is not all bad. To the contrary, it's gloriously good, for 'at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.' This is the gospel in its glory - we are accepted, we are loved, we are Christ's."

Read to my children at lunch
2022 A devotional book

[Amber Thiessen · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've followed Tim Challies on Instagram, or read his daily blogroll, you'll be familiar with the beautiful quote graphics that Jules Koblun creates. This book is a collection of those quotes, each with a devotional to guide us into knowing more about God, how he speaks, and enjoying him through habits of reading the Word, prayer, fellowship and corporate worship. I read this during my morning devotional time, it's really good and I'd highly recommend it!

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good quotes. Good commentary on the quotes. Very encouraging.

[Doug Eaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knowing and enjoying God is humanity’s highest aim. It is what Jesus is talking about when he says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God.” It is also the underlying calling behind the warning, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?” Martyn Lloyd Jones once said, “It is the greatest campaign known to man.” The problem is, we are often presented with misguided information on how we should do this. From drawing circles to walking prayer labyrinths, it seems we are seldom satisfied with the ordinary means of grace our good and gracious King has provided.

This tendency to get off track in seeking God is why I am thankful for the book, Knowing and Enjoying God by Tim Challies and Jules Koblun. They have provided us with clear signposts showing us the road that often gets lost in the overgrowth of ideas. They have also done it in a unique way. Jules has provided every page spread with an artistically designed quote by a Christian author. Tim has collected these quotes over time, and he speaks to their truths on the remaining page. Each page can stand alone and be read as a daily devotion, but unlike most devotions, the flow of thought continues from page to page. It is a book you can sit and read straight through if you choose.

I had the privilege of asking Tim why he felt it was important to write about this topic at this time. He answered,

I felt it was important to write about the means of grace because, though they are essential to the Christian life and faith, they are too often overlooked or even disparaged. Before I wrote about much else, I wanted to be sure I was writing about the very basics—relating to God and enjoying the friendship we share with him. If we understand the means of grace and take full advantage of them, the doors are opened to a deep, full, and satisfying relationship with God himself.

One of the things I appreciate most about the book is that Tim is not expositing Christian quotes. Every page is informed by scripture. Whether he is directly citing chapter and verse or alluding to scripture passages, this book bleeds Bible. The quotes highlight scripture, not the other way around.

This book was my first introduction to Jules Koblun, but little did I know, I had been enjoying her work on social media for some time. Jules is the owner and designer at Goodwell Studio, a creative studio in the greater Toronto area. She has been creating SquareQuote graphics for Tim’s blog since 2015.

I had the opportunity to ask her about her involvement with Tim and the book. Specifically, what is her ultimate goal in what she is doing? She said,

Tim and I have been curating these words and visuals for over five years together, with the ultimate aim of creating short and compelling statements of truth that stand out in contrast amongst the very noisy world of social media. My aim as a visual designer is to pair the type treatment and the photos to create an emotional response that resonates with the reader and moves them to take some form of action in their own lives. Personally, I have found these quotes often very encouraging to my life as I work on them week after week.

I am not entirely sure how to categorize this book, but in this case, that is a strength, not a weakness. Is it a daily devotional? Is it a book that is difficult to put down once you start reading? Is it a book that looks great on the coffee table? Is it a gift book that should be given away on special occasions? The answer to all these questions is yes. Most books attempting to cross these genres fail to do it well, and from my experience, most books that even hint of being a gift book usually lack substance. This book is a five-star book, no matter what category you want it to be.

I do not think I can give any higher praise to a book that deals with the means of grace than to say, it perfectly follows John the Baptist’s example. It points away from itself to scripture and the great God we serve. It accomplishes its goal so well in pointing to scripture, prayer, and the church, that on occasion, it convinced me to put it down and pick up my Bible.

-D. Eaton

[Jonathan Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy Tim Challies his emails are a daily highlight. His books do no disappoint either. One of the things I enjoy about his letters are the quotes he shares. It is clear that he is well read and loves the Lord. This book collects those quotes and adds in some of his own writings. Very very good! Highly recommended

[Venus Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent supplemental appetizer that leads into your quiet Bible and prayer time with the Lord. Each entry is less than a minute's read, so you can easily read one a day, or several at a time. Beautiful and fitting imagery in the illustrations as well! LOVED this one 🩵

[Brent Osterberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the format of this book - short-ish, impactful quotes from a variety Christian authors (Jerry Bridges, John Newton, Corrie Ten Boom, etc.), placed upon beautiful photography, with some insightful devotional thoughts on the next page.

[Angela Slate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Another book that I want to add to my devotional rotation.

[Rebekah Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring, encouraging, and convicting!