The Best of Devotionals
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” – 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV)
Devotional books are a tool to aid in your study of God’s Word. They should not be the primary substance of your daily time with God.” – intentional by grace.com
We all know how vital it is to spend time in God’s word every day. Yet unfortunately, some days it’s not something we naturally gravitate toward, for one reason or another.
Do you ever find yourself needing a boost of encouragement to get excited about centering some time for the Lord? Maybe you don’t have time in this season to dive into a lengthy Bible study and just want a daily refreshment to your soul.
Like many folks, I’ve found using a short devotional every morning that includes a few key scripture passages is a great way to stay connected with the Word. Devotionals and scripture can start your day in a way that centers you for what lies ahead.
If you’re not already doing this, why not try a highly rated and scripturally-based devotional?
You may ask, “with so many devotionals to choose from, HOW DO I PICK JUST ONE?”
This week, All Things Faithful has done some of the work for you! After extensive research, reading, and praying, this week’s newsletter features our top picks for powerful, God-centered devotionals perfect for any stage of faith.
Tips when choosing a Devotional
Devotional books about the Bible can be helpful in expanding our Christian knowledge and help form us spiritually. Yet, devotionals are not always designed to help us gain better understanding God’s actual Word.
For example, it’s not uncommon for faith-centered devotional books marketed to women to focus on our emotions and self-image, rather than on scriptural teaching. They comfort us by offering the “right” thing on just the right day, ultimately leave us thirsting for more because they don’t satisfy the longing in our souls.
So how do we choose a doctrinally sound devotional that helps us draw nearer to God rather than simply giving us a temporary boost to our emotions? Here are five tips that have worked for me:
- Ask yourself if the devotional is biblically sound and based on God’s Word
- Make sure it is grounded with actual Bible scripture
- Discern is it is focused on God or the author and their personal interpretation
- Pray for guidance and wisdom
- Ask for recommendations from a Christian mentor or trusted friend
The devotionals we’ve included in this week’s message meet all the tips above and are highly rated in both their content and their quality. We hope you will find one or two that meet you where you are in your own faith journey. We’ve listed three of these below!
- New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional by Paul David Tripp
- The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge by Tony Dungy and Nathan Whitaker
- Go Bravely: Becoming the Woman You Were Created to Be by Emily Wilson Hussem
Remember, devotionals and devotional books are a tool to aid in your study of God’s Word. They should not be the primary source of your daily time with God, but rather serve as guideposts to spending quality time with the Bible!
May God continuously lead your path.