What Are Your Favorite Daily Devotional Books?

 

This year, my husband and I read Jesus Always every evening with additions from my book Kneeling on the Promises of God at various times of the day. I highly recommend Jesus Calling too. But, what about you? Do you have a daily devotional book that speaks to you?

 

This week, Group Publishing kindly sent me a review copy of the new 365-day devotional Jesus-Centered Daily by Rick Lawrence. Turning to today’s reading, “The Safety Fallacy” reminds us how people often say “Be Safe” or “Stay Safe” instead of “goodbye,” then adds this timely word:

 

“…’Be Safe!’ is not a kingdom-of-God imperative. The message of the Incarnation is a prod to adventure into the darkness, not retreat from it. Jesus invites us to walk with him into the ‘valley of the shadow of death’ because (as David reminds us) his ‘rod and staff’ will bring comfort to us. In his hand the Good Shepherd carries two metaphoric necessities – a staff to rescue and a rod to defend. That’s why his hello’s and goodbye’s so often convey the opposite of ‘Be Safe’.”

 

At the top of the page, the devotional suggests reading Psalm 23, and below the main text the layout consistently includes three columns followed by a prayer. For this day’s example:

 

Wonder

“What are the unintended consequences of using ‘Be Safe’ for ‘goodbye’?”

 

Jesus

“How can anyone enter the strong man’s house…unless he first binds [him]? (Matthew 12:29, NASB).”

 

DO

“Instead of ‘Be Safe!’ try ‘Be Christ’s!’ or ‘Stay awake!’ or ‘Live Large!’”

 

“Pray: Jesus you are my safety.”

 

 

And, of course, in perilous times or not, we have the option of saying the original phrase that was eventually compressed into “goodbye” – “God be with ye.”

 

Most of us will be glad to see this year end! Although we can’t control much of what’s going in the world, we can make next year better for ourselves and those around us if we choose to be Jesus-Centered Daily. Amen?

 

God be with ye!  

 

©2020, Mary Harwell Sayler, poet-writer, Bible reviewer

 

 

Jesus Always

 

Kneeling on the Promises of God

 

Jesus Calling

 

Jesus-Centered Daily

To order a devotional book to start your New Year, click on the above title of interest. If you have a favorite devotional book, let us know in the Comments below. Thanks and God bless.

 

…

No Trespassing into the New Year

This first day of the New Year presents us with the perfect opportunity to re-evaluate the past, let go of anything that needs forgiving, and resolve to keep our relationships with God, ourselves, and others free of obstructions.

The Lord’s Prayer or Our Father reminds us to do this every day. Indeed, Jesus teaches us to ask for God’s forgiveness with the understanding (condition?) that we, too, must forgive.

Most translations of the Matthew 6 version of the prayer call us to forgive “debts,” but that connotation of a monetary obligation can be confusing. To clarify, Jesus goes on to say:

“If you forgive others their trespasses against you, your heavenly Father will forgive yours too, but if you do not forgive them for their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours,” Matthew 6:14-15.

In addition, Christians in many church denominations regularly pray the Our Father, asking God to:

“Forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.”

In my church, we not only pray the Lord’s Prayer each Sunday, we end each Bible study session with this prayer Jesus gave to His followers. But, this Sunday, one of our newer members told me he couldn’t think of any trespasses against him!

I had to laugh. Moments earlier he had expressed concern for a woman who lived in one of his rental properties. When she couldn’t pay her rent one month, he lowered it from $800 to $500, which she reportedly could handle. But then, when she didn’t pay even that lesser amount the next month, he told her $100 would be okay.

When she made no attempt to pay anything toward her rent or make any arrangements at all or even discuss the matter, he reluctantly told her she would have to move. The deadline came and went, and she remained – rent-free – in his house, despite the financial responsibility this put on him. But here’s the thing:

It did not even occur to him that she had trespassed against him!

Although it’d become clear that the woman was taking advantage of him by staying in his house, she continued to trespass on his property. She kept increasing her debt. And yet, this man took no offense. He did not see himself as being victimized or put upon.

Seeing this Christlike response, I realized that forgiving those who trespass against us is the bare minimum we’re to do!

Greater than our need to forgive is the God-given ability for giving others empathy, kindness, the benefit of the doubt, and the generosity of a loving spirit that isn’t even offended!

Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2018

…

 

Keep Your Eyes On

Learning to play softball, most kids need to hear, “Keep your eyes on the ball,” meaning:

• Pay attention to the ball and every move it makes.

Learning to drive, teens often need to hear, “Keep your eyes on the road,” meaning:

• Be aware of the lines and edges of the road.
• Notice what’s coming toward you and behind.
• Pay attention to signs, lights, and the rate at which you’re moving.

Throughout life, Christians often need to hear, “Keep your eyes on Jesus,” which means:

• Read, read, read God’s Word to get to know The Word.
• Notice how both testaments point to Jesus.
• Observe everything Jesus did as reported in the Gospels.
• Pay attention to everything Jesus said.
• Let the Lord be the road-map for each step to take or avoid.
• Stay focused on Jesus, regardless of those circumstances inclined to make faith swerve.
• Pray like Jesus prayed.
• Love like Jesus loves.

Mary Harwell Sayler, © 2016

...

Writing in the New Year

On this New Year’s Eve, morning fog covered our pond, whiting-out the water and making us aware of what we can see close-up. Not much! But that can be a good thing, or, for me anyway, a way of sensing the Lord’s leading in my work as a Christian writer.

For a while now, I’ve been praying for God to show me the projects I'm to take on and the work I am to do, but to do the work at hand, I need to see my hand.

The morning fog let me do just that but not much more! Yet that can be a good thing too.

Seeing what’s at hand may be a way of seeing God’s hand as we find what is right there within our reach.

As this year comes to a close, fog still hides the future but begins to drift over the past, helping us to see the writing we have been given to do, at least for the present.

Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, children’s books, devotional articles, Bible studies, blog posts…? The genre doesn’t matter except to be the one at hand – the one in your hands as you read the type of book or article or story you most prefer.

If this blog can help you with that, let me know. Since I've written in almost every genre for Christian and educational markets for many years, I am happy to look ahead with you and discuss aspects of writing and the writing life you want to know more about, so post a writing question or suggest topics for future blog posts in the Comments section on this page. Let me know, too, what you think of the new page design for In a Christian Writer’s Life . Thanks. And may God bless you and your writing throughout the New Year.

~~

© 2011, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved.

~~