As he succeeded Moses and led God’s people into the Promised Land, Joshua was instructed by the Lord that the way to find success was not by human wisdom or strength but by the daily meditation on God’s word.
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” Joshua 1:8
And certainly what was true in Joshua’s day remains true today, so that all who would live a godly and wise life will naturally desire to read, study, and meditate daily on the Scriptures. It is to this end that we often seek devotional books, either to direct our reading and thinking about the Bible, to provide manageable portions for regular consumption, or to explain and illustrate Biblical truths in a personal and heartfelt way. Here are several good devotional books that I can recommend to be read with wisdom and discernment.
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Morning and Evening by Charles H. Spurgeon
This 366-day devotional contains Scripture commentary from the “Prince of Preachers” who preached the gospel to more than 10,000,000 people in his lifetime. With two readings each day, it provides an opportunity to begin and end your day with Scripture. It is still being published today in several editions and formats and can even be read for free at www.spurgeon.org.
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My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
Another 366-day devotional which contains commentary on daily Scriptures taken from Chambers’ lectures and sermons delivered as a British military chaplain in WWI. This book will challenge you to surrender yourself wholly to God and seek His glory and pleasure above all else. It is available in numerous editions and formats and can be read for free at utmost.org.
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Daily Light on the Daily Path by The Samuel Bagster Family
This devotional, which contains 366 daily readings for both morning and evening, is simply a compilation of Scriptures according to a biblical theme without commentary or illustration. Its intent is to allow the Bible to speak for and illustrate itself, without the distraction of stories or anecdotes. It is printed in several different formats and available online for free at www.dailylightdevotional.org.
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Seeing the Unseen by Randy Alcorn
This 60-day devotional is the latest book written by Alcorn, whose Eternal Perspective Ministries has been teaching believers how to have a heavenly rather than an earthly viewpoint since 1990. Each day contains a challenge to fix our eyes on what is unseen and eternal along with numerous Scriptures and insights from various Christian preachers and authors. Randy is the author of several other devotional books including We Shall See God, 90 Days of God’s Goodness, and 50 Days of Heaven.
Of course these books are not the only good options available. You might consider reading Our Daily Bread, a quarterly devotional booklet published by RBC Ministries and available online at odb.org, or read one Psalm per day and meditate on the songs and prayers of Israel (dividing Psalm 119 into its 22 stanzas, will give you a total of 171 readings, which will take you about 6 months to complete). Still others might enjoy reading one chapter of Proverbs each day, which will enable you to read the entire book once per month, give or take a day. The point is, we can and should follow the Lord’s instruction to Joshua, taking advantage of the many good options available to help us.