What do you look for in a devotional?

What do you look for when you are purchasing a devotional? I know that I was looking for a devotional book that you could start any day of the year and never have to keep track of the date (I mean that I wanted a book that had devotion numbers and not days like June 1st). I also was looking for a devotional book that had a Biblical passage, Biblical story, and an application.

So what do you look for in a devotional?

I am in the process of writing a devotional book right now and might have it on the shelves in about 8 months. Any feedback that you give will be used to better this devotional book for the majority of people.

Thanks for your time and any feedback that you might leave!!

 

That is so very true. We need to stay away from the fuzzy feelings and hear the whole truth proclaimed from God's Word.

Here is an excerpt from from my book Teach Me Thy Statutes:

Copyright 2008


"Devotional 34

HOW TO GET GOD’S ATTENTION

Please read Exodus 2:23-25.

Here we find the children of Israel crying out in midst of their suffering. They were under heavy bondage by the Egyptians. The Bible says that Pharaoh had died. Presumably this is the Pharaoh that set out to have the newborn Hebrew boys killed by throwing them into the Nile River. In the days of Joseph, Pharaoh allowed the children of Israel to do as they pleased. That Pharaoh had passed off the scene and now this Pharaoh had the children of Israel as slaves. They were under terrible oppression. They began to cry out in hope that they would be delivered.
These cries were not neglected by God. These cries for help made it to the throne room in heaven. These cries made God Himself stop and think for a moment. It made Him remember the promise that He had made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Can you imagine making God think by crying out to Him? Not only did God think about His promises, but He looked on His people. He took the time to notice what was happening under the Egyptian oppression. God had compassion for them and the Bible states, “and God had respect unto them.” Wow! Israel had captivated the attention of God by simply crying out to Him. God did not just give them thought, but he “had respect unto them”. He felt for them. He showed emotion towards those in bondage that cried out to Him.
God has showed us emotion by loving us so much that He sent His only Son to die on the cross for our sin. In our sinful bondage we cried out for redemption, and it captivated His attention so that He looked on our needs and sent us a Deliverer. In this passage God was getting ready to send Moses to deliver those that cried out for deliverance. At the moment of salvation you had to cry out for deliverance from the bondage of sin and God supplied Christ as the Deliverer. Now that we are saved we can get God’s attention by crying out to Him in prayer. There are two cries that never go unheard by God. First is the sinner’s cry for the deliverance of sin (salvation). Second is the saved’s cry for the defense against sin (separation).
If you are not saved, then the only cry that God will hear from you is the cry for deliverance of sin. We have all sinned and our sin separates us from God. We must put our faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross as payment for our sin. Then we can cry out to God for deliverance from sin through that finished work of Christ. If you are saved, then you can cry out to God for a defense against sin. He will help you gain the victory over that sin in your life. Think back to the day that salvation belonged to you. God sent His only Son to conquer that sin so that you will have heaven. God wants us to victorious over sin and He will help you overcome it. Remember HOW TO GET GOD’S ATTENTION through prayer."



Does something like this help you? I hope it does. Please provide feedback to help me.

 

You are absolutely right about being spoon fed the Bible when we can study it for ourselves. People who have become recently saved are Babies in the Word. They need some help to get started on their devotional life. I know this from experience. I did not know how to study the Bible for myself except to get something to preach or teach. I did not fully understand the necessity of a set time for devotions as well as how to grow spiritually from one. That is why I have started this book. It is designed to help people who want to grow in the Word.

Thanks for your feedback.