My Favorite Devotional Books

Every time I share a snippet of my devotional on Instagram, I am asked “What book is this?”

New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp is what I have been reading each morning for the past several years. There’s always a truth bomb at the very top that really gets ahold of you. Each day gives comforting conviction. I always end feeling made aware of my human flaws but completely comforted by the assurance of God’s grace. It truly is New Morning Mercies.

Another favorite is Jesus Calling. I know this book has been around forever, but it truly gives a peaceful feeling and encouragement for each day. In my previous job, I would also leave a copy of Jesus Today at my desk and grab it during those tough moments when I needed a little extra something to make it through the day. This devotional isn’t dated and that made it handy to pick it up whenever (maybe twice a day!).

I would also recommend the Jesus Calling magazine. It’s completely free! Sign up here! There’s always great interviews, a recipe or two, and it’s just another great resource for Christian encouragement.

If you prefer your devotionals to be mobile, I would recommend the First 5 app from Proverbs 31. It’s really only takes 5 minutes and is a great way to get in the word. We all need the truth from Scripture! You can read the Bible right in the app and even highlight! If you want to take it one step further, you can purchase a Study Guide to go along with it. My bible study actually did this for a couple of semesters and I really enjoyed it! Proverbs 31 selects a book of the bible to study and you have an assigned reading each day; they follow up with simple but significant questions. The First 5 app compliments the study. And best of all, they keep all of the devotions with the study guides accessible on the app….so if there’s another book you really want to dive into instead of what they are currently reading, you can do that!

During 2020, I found myself picking up an older devotional Streams in the Desert. I was cleaning out (I feel like I purged a lot in 2020 but I’m still doing the whole New Year’s clean out, ha) and stumbled upon this in a drawer. I’m so glad I picked it up. I think we can all relate to 2020 being a type of desert–alone, dry, parched, wanting answers and nourishment. This little book provides devotionals from several theologians, preachers, and Christian authors (including some from Paul David Tripp who wrote New Morning Mercies) and gave the assurance of God that I needed on several days in 2020.

I’d love to know your favorite devotionals or bible studies! Share them in the comments so we can all see and get new resources for Christian encouragement in 2021!