My Favorite Devotionals
There are thousands of devotionals out there! Trust me, I’d own at least 100 if I let myself purchase one every time I saw one that’s pretty, focused on women, or older women, or any number of other topics I tend to hone in on. I’ll probably buy more but for now these are the top three devotionals I read. For the most part I read all three: One in the morning, one with lunch and then one at bedtime. Here are my current favorites and why I love them.
A few years ago I started adding a note to each devotional commenting on where I am on that day, in a particular year. It’s been wonderful to read those notes and see how far God has taken me, and how many prayers He’s answered.
I started gifting these to family members as a way to help them combine reading the devotional with picking up their Bibles and reading God’s Word in more than just a snippet.
Jesus Calling by Sarah Young
I’ve been reading this devotional for 5 ½ years and I love it even though the daily devotions are quite familiar to me now. Each year though, I find myself in a different place in my walk with Jesus. The daily devotion and Scripture land differently because of where I am at that moment in time.
Our Daily Bread was a staple in my family’s home when I was a kid. To be exact, a copy graced the vanity of nearly every bathroom from our home to extended family members’ homes.
If you were going to spend a bit of time in the bathroom, my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles felt that was a good time to read a devotional.
My church provides free copies to everyone that walks through the doors. It’s something I look forward to, especially if I can get the large format booklet at the Kingdom Heirs luncheon that is held for those of us in the congregation 60 years old and up.
I’ve never been so happy to be older and I thank God for bringing me to a church where the older generation is a vital part of the body. Every age group is embraced and it’s a sweet family of believers.
Anyone can get Our Daily Bread delivered to their home. You can give a one-time, or monthly donation of $25 or more if you feel moved lead. Click HERE to donate and subscribe to ODB.
You can also read or listen to each daily devotion on the Our Daily Bread website.
My third go-to devotional is the My Utmost for His Highest website. While I own a copy of the book on my Kindle, I find that the ability to the edition I read each day. The original book was published in 1935 and while the writing is beautiful, I do appreciate an updated version and hopping on the computer is easy enough. Here’s a comparison of the Classic (edition), Updated Edition (1992), and the Modern Classic Edition (2023). I tend to bounce between the Updated and Modern Classic. I read the 1935 edition when I travel or if I sit outside enjoying the weather during my devo time each day.
Devotionals aren’t a replacement for reading the Bible. I know they help folks with a bit of God’s Word, but nothing is as good as getting into the Bible, even if you only read one chapter each day. Devotionals are often topical, and presented in groups under that topic. Our Daily Bread does that. You’ll read a month of daily devos and at the end of the month, they’ll talk about the theme at the end of it. And after reading Jesus Calling for five years, I definitely see the themes as I move through the year.
This little post on my favorite devos is the launch of another category here on my blog: Friday Favorites. I have a lot of favorite things from recipes to Bible highlighters and everything in between. I thought it would be cool to share them. FYI: I receive no compensation for sharing my favorite brands, products, etc. One of the biggest things about this blog is that it’s not a financial pursuit. I applaud everyone who works diligently to provide content while earning a living from it. It’s just not the way I wanted to go.
Peace,
Betty
