Tag Archives: devotional

New things coming

I’ve been very busy at church, work and starting up college, but I don’t want to neglect my readers (as few as that might be)!  So, be looking forward to some changes with the blog in the near future.

One of the things I’m going to change soon is the nature of my articles.  I am going to make the emphasis more scholarly and less leisure-like reading.  For a very good daily devotional which is Apostolic Oneness in doctrine, try Bro. and Sis Parker’s Morning Manna.  I get it delivered to my e-mail daily and is a joy and a blessing to me.

I hope you all are having a blessed new year!

Ryan

Review: Jesus Calling Devotional Bible

This is a review of Jesus Calling Devotional Bible, Enjoying Peace in His Presence in the New King James Version by Sarah Young.

Sarah Young is a missionary with her husband Steve to a Japanese congregation in Perth Australia.  She was born and raised in Nashville, TN.  She holds multiple degrees in counseling and psychology.  She is a church planter with Mission to the World, a Presbyterian evangelistic initiative.

First, let me say that I really enjoy the New King James Version of the bible.  It is a solid reworking of the KJV or Authorized Version of the bible and has one of the best available Greek New Testaments to back it up.  Of the plethora of available new translations on the market, I would still prefer the KJV, but I would get the NKJV if forced to use a modern translation for whatever purpose.  It reads well, is faithful to the majority type set, and is a literal translation rather than a Dynamic Equivalence translation which I’ve never really been a fan of.

I was given the electronic version to read, using my Kindle App on my iphone, but according to the publisher (Thomas Nelson) the following features are available in the print version:

  • 260 scenarios with devotions by Sarah Young
  • Hundreds of inspiring scriptures highlighted throughout the text
  • New King James Version® (NKJV) in paragraph format
  • Index to devotions
  • Two-color text
  • Presentation page
  • Ribbon marker
 The devotions are fairly unique.  The way they are set up is as prayers or conversations people are having with God, telling Jesus of their pain or needs.  Then Mrs. Young answers them with scriptures as if speaking for God from His Word.  It is fairly unique, and a pretty nice style to read and relate to in the devotions.  As with any study or devotional bible, or really with any NKJV, there are paragraph headings which summarize a portion of the Scripture you are about to read, marked in bold font on the electronic version I am reading.  This gives you an easy way to figure out what is going on in the selected pericope you are studying.  Here is a selection of the devotion format:

Lord, I need You in a big way today. I’m exhausted from stress and the sleeplessness of worry. Completely worn out. I have no energy for facing another day, especially if today will be anything like the ones before it. My coworkers are coming down hard on me for not keeping up the pace. My family seems constantly disappointed—like I’m not living up to their expectations. Even my friends are keeping their distance right now. No matter where I turn, I just don’t seem to be able to be enough, do enough, give enough to make everybody happy. To be honest, I can’t really blame anybody if they are unhappy with me. I’m disappointed in myself! I feel so weak and out of control that I can’t help but think You must be disappointed with me too.  I need Your touch, Lord. Your perspective. Your encouragement and comfort. Please strengthen me for what lies ahead.

—Tracy

His Faithfulness ACCEPT EACH DAY EXACTLY AS IT COMES TO YOU. By that, I mean not only the circumstances of your day but also the condition of your body. Your assignment is to trust Me absolutely, resting in My sovereignty and faithfulness. On some days, your circumstances and your physical condition feel out of balance: The demands on you seem far greater than your strength. Days like that present a choice between two alternatives—giving up or relying on Me. Even if you wrongly choose the first alternative, I will not reject you. You can turn to Me at any point, and I will help you crawl out of the mire of discouragement. I will infuse My strength into you moment by moment, giving you all that you need for this day. Trust Me, by relying on My empowering Presence. See also Psalm 42:5; 2 Corinthians 13:4; Jeremiah 31:25 (From Jesus Calling by Sarah Young) FOR MORE ON THIS TOPIC, SEE PAGE 1023.

Thomas Nelson, Inc.. Jesus Calling Devotional Bible (Kindle Locations 1803-1827). Thomas Nelson, Inc.

As you can see from the selected devotional from Genesis chapter two, it offers encouragement and hope, which is typical of most devotionals I’ve come across.  All in all, it is not a bad devotional for encouragement through God’s Word.

I have received this Kindle Edition of Jesus Calling Devotional Bible for free in return for my review of said devotional from Thomas Nelson via www.booksneeze.com.  I was not required to write either a positive or negative review, and this review reflects my opinion of the book.

Review: A year with Jesus

A year with Jesus by R.P. Nettelhorst is a devotional designed to take you through Jesus’ words in one year’s time with a one to two paragraph devotional to reflect upon.  It is a paperback edition that I am reviewing, and it feels very flimsy and the paper appears to be low quality and will more than likely yellow after a short time.  I am not at all impressed by the physical quality of the book, binding included.  I have seen paperback or softcover books that were of much higher quality than this edition printed by Thomas Nelson.

As to the actual content, the book is divided into several sectional / topical headings which divide the 365 day journey thematically.  They are as follows:

  1. Love and Hate
  2. Truths and Lies
  3. Arrogance and Humility
  4. Friends and Enemies
  5. Belief and Disbelief
  6. Patience and Impatience
  7. Deserved and Undeserved
  8. Good and Evil
  9. Fidelity and Treachery
  10. Life and Death
Following this table of contents, a one page introduction to the devotional is presented stating the author’s desire to get the reader involved with a loving relationship with Jesus Christ.  After this short introduction, the devotional series begins using Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 and so on to Day 365.
A pericope of scripture is written, displaying verses which contain Jesus’ words.  These selections are taken from various translations such as HCSB, NKJV, CEV, NRSV, MSG et.al.  The typeset is easy enough to read but the low quality of the paper makes this devotional feel cheap.  Following that is a few paragraphs explaining the verses and how you can apply it to your life.  Pretty standard devotional stuff here.
The one plus I found in this devotional is the research into various terms.  For example, Day 3 describes the Latin phrase “lex talionis” or law of the tooth which describes some of the social customs that Semitic peoples practiced during the time of Abram and others continuing in the Law of Moses to Jesus’ time.
A short biography of the author is found here. The author’s website www.nettelhorst.com is a blog containing some interesting articles.
All-in-all I would not recommend this devotional.  Save your money and buy something a little higher quality.  Again, I am very disappointed in Thomas Nelson Publishers for putting a product out that is this low quality.  I expected better from them.
I received an evaluation copy of this book for review purposes by booksneeze.com.