Glorifying and Enjoying God: 52 Devotions Through the Westminster Shorter Catechism

by William Boekestein, Jonathan Landry Cruse, Andrew J. Miller

For centuries, the Westminster Shorter Catechism has helped Christians young and old to know their "chief end." Now, authors William Boekestein, Jonathan Landry Cruse, and Andrew J. Miller value this venerable catechism and winsomely introduce a new generation to its powerful message. Dividing the catechism into 52 brief devotions, they explain and apply each question and answer in a year's worth of Lord's Days. This valuable new resource is great for individual and family use for all who desire to "glorify and enjoy God forever."

Genres: Devotional, Theology

256 pages, Hardcover

Published October 15, 2023

About the author

William Boekestein (M.Div., Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary) is Pastor of Immanuel Fellowship Church in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He previously pastored Covenant Reformed Church in Carbondale, Pennsylvania. Before that he taught in a Christian School for several years. He and his wife have four children.

Reviews

[Logan Zwerneman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent excellent excellent devotional to read before time in the Word. Probably gonna keep reading it on repeat!

[Michael Philliber · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I became a Christian I was part of a charismatic house church meeting on the Air Base where I was stationed in Turkey. A few months later I shifted over to the Campbellite Church of Christ. My early Christian years were spent in traditions that had unwritten codes of faith and conduct, and it was often like walking through a minefield. You never knew when you were about to cross the (doctrinal or ethical) line and set off an explosion. That's what makes the old teaching technique of catechizing so helpful to me. A catechism, as it was traditionally practiced, had a series of systematic questions that used short answers. This approach helped to pass on, in memorable ways, the Christian faith to future generations. You can see it in Roman Catholic history with the Baltimore Catechism, and in the Lutheran stream with Luther's Small Catechism. So, I have always enjoyed the Reformed version laid out in several catechisms, and especially the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Therefore, I was delighted when I say "Glorifying and Enjoying God," a 256-page hardback that breaks the Westminster Shorter Catechism into 52 devotions.

The authors, William Boekestein, pastor of Immanuel Fellowship Church in Kalamazoo, Michigan; Jonathan Landry Cruse, author and pastor of Community Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Kalamazoo, Michigan; and Andrew J. Miller, Regional Home Missionary for the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in central Pennsylvania, teamed up together to produce a wonderfully useful and devotional resource for Christ's church. The motivation for this handy volume is that better "theology, better knowledge of God, leads to deeper discipleship and richer doxology" (ix). And this authorial posture runs graciously and generously through the book.

"Glorifying and Enjoying God" is also set up with usefulness in mind. Compiled into 52 fairly short devotions (each section is about 3 to 3 1/2 pages long), the authors give families an easy tool to use in family worship for a year. It is also set-up for a Sunday School course on the catechism that will cover 52 weeks. And if, perchance, a pastor desires to resuscitate an old practice, he could use this volume as a resource to preach through the catechism for 52 Sunday evenings.

I used this manuscript in my own morning devotions recently and found it a delight. The authors keep the gospel of Christ at the heart of the whole work. For example, when moving into the section on the Ten Commandments, they rightly note, "We are told what to do only after we hear of a sovereign and saving God. He rescues us first, we obey second. His redemption is the catalyst for grateful obedience" (109). They also tackle several "hot-button" topics with grace and gratitude, but firmly and fairly. Such as when they address the seventh commandment about adultery, they note that "God's Word gives us clear guidance in a world confused even about gender and God's design of a man and woman as such" (139). They then move along to include discussions of modesty and chastity.

The book is bound in such a way as to be a "keeper" and useable - including having a ribbon to mark where one has got to in their readings. Pastors should grab a copy. Church education committees need to pore over it and consider including it in their curriculum. And most definitely families should take it up - even obtaining copies for each member of the family - and work through it. The new year is coming fast, and so families could make 2025 the year of the catechism. I highly recommend the book.

[Rod Innis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book. It teaches many important Biblical doctrines through catechism. Catechism is asking and answering important questions that are answered in the Bible, using the Bible to answer them. The catechism that the authors use is the Westminster Shorter Catechism which is one of the best-known catechisms.

I don't agree with the authors on all the issues that are discussed. In fact, I actually disagree with several answers to the questions in the catechism itself. In the questions on Baptism and Communion, which the authors refer to as sacraments while I prefer the word ordinances, I quite strongly disagree. However, although they are important issues, they are areas in which Orthodox Christians have disagreed for centuries.

However, it is still a very good book and worth reading. Reading a book that teaches things with which you disagree will, perhaps, cause you to seek to explain why you believe as you do.

[Grant Hohlbein · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel so confessionally connected

[Hobart · Rating 4 out of 5]

★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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WHAT'S GLORIFYING AND ENJOYING GOD ABOUT?
This is a devotional, as promised in the subtitle based on the Westminster Shorter Catechism. The authors, inspired by the organization of the Heidelberg Catechism into Lord's Days, did the same here —organizing the 107 questions and answers of WSC into 52 weeks.

Each chapter begins with the question(s) for the week and then spends roughly four pages discussing the language of the answers or the topic addressed.

STRENGTHS
Honestly, there's at least a paragraph or two in each chapter where I could point to something and say "That right there justifies the rest of the chapter." Not that any chapter was a miss—sure, some were stronger than others, but they were all helpful—but there was at least that paragraph that was better than the rest.

Sometimes it was a bit of insight that I hadn't considered before or just the right bit of application to drive the point home. Either way, it really doesn't matter.

I would say that the chapters covering the Law and the Ten Commandments might have been the strongest in the book—I thought that the authors brought a little extra clarity to their points here. Not in any sort of legalistic way or anything—I just thought they did a great job of showing how the commandments/Law revealed God's character and pointed to the work and person of Christ in a way that they didn't consistently achieve in other parts of the book.

WEAKNESSES
Not surprisingly, what I'm calling a shortcoming is actually part of the design. It's not a bug, it's a feature.

But the length, and therefore the depth, of each chapter just wasn't enough for me. Now I realize many (most?) of these questions and answers could be the basis of a full-length book, and I'm not arguing we should've had 5200 pages or more in a devotional. But I think twice the length of each chapter wouldn't have been that much to ask. Typically, these chapters were 3 1/2-4 pages in length—5-7 would've been much better.

But that would probably have taken the book out of what people expect from a devotional, and therefore would've hurt it. Still, I think it'd have been a stronger overall volume that way.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT GLORIFYING AND ENJOYING GOD?
Cruse and Boekestein have written books that I've written positively about before (I have another Cruse book to talk about soon, too), which is what drew me to this—along with the concept. I will continue to be drawn to books they author (and Miller, now, too). It's difficult to tell who wrote what chapter (outside of the times they identified themselves)—they did a good job blending their voices (possibly they and an editor, I don't know how the mechanics of it all worked).

The language is clear and accessible—it can be used for a family with fairly young children (with some help from mom and dad) or individuals of whatever level of education.

It is clear that the authors are pastors, the devotionals are directed for real people with real concerns, not mere theory—it might not be all "practical," but it's all useful.

The minutes a week I spent with this were typically helpful and edifying, and I'm going to miss this refresher in the Catechism (I've taken their 52 week breakdown and will be following it to keep that freshness). I look forward to returning to this devotional in a couple of years, expecting other things to jump out at me than did this time—but I expect I'll find it as useful.

[Ben Hegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend. Fantastic. God centered, wonderful exposition of the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Really devotional and really helped me to centre my mind on the Lord at the start of the day. Wonderful!

[Lily Kunkel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took the recommendation of reading this each Lords day as there are 52 chapters. It contains good reflection on the shorter catechism, breaking down big points in the questions. Some topics were handled with a a bit of levity which I did not care for.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was good for my heart. I don’t usually like devotionals at all but this one is worth the read.

[Nick Prodromou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read every day Sunday this year, a great companion to the shorter catechism. Ancient truths brought in a modern, relatable way.

[Reece Simmons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book to learn the WSC. I wish it had an index.