Words of Faith: Here are my top 5 devotion books

Christmas is now behind us and 2017 is before us.

Now is the time many of us will make a few New Year’s resolutions. The No. 1 New Year’s resolution in 2016, according to one study, was to live life to the fullest. Women, interestingly, were more intent on enjoying life more than men were by about six percentage points. Other top resolutions were to lose weight, save money, and spend more time with family and friends.

Let me encourage you to place your relationship with God at the top of your New Year’s resolution list. If you are like many Christians, your personal time of worship and prayer can ebb and flow. Often times it depends what is going on in your life. Suffering can bring us to our knees while good times can cause us to coast with Christ.

One way to stay regular in your personal devotions is to have a good devotion book. Here are my five favorite devotional books that have helped me stay consistent. They are not in any particular order:

▪ “My Utmost For His Highest” by Oswald Chambers. My copy of this classic looks like it has been through the ringer a time or two. It is quite worn after years of use. It contains one devotion for each day of the year. Chambers does a masterful job of continually drawing the reader deeper in his or her walk with Christ.

▪ “Morning and Evening” by Charles Spurgeon. Charles Spurgeon was the pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, England and is widely regarded as England’s foremost preacher of the last half of the nineteenth century. This devotion book is rich, deep, and practical. It contains two readings every day of the year. One for the morning and one for the evening.

▪ “Leadership Prayers” by Richard Kriegbaum. Kriegbaum was the president of a Christian University on the West Coast for more than twelve years. This unique devotional contains thirty readings. Each devotional includes a biblical reflection and a prayer concerning issues of leadership. Topics include delegation, blessing, courage, marketing, failure, change, and twenty-four other relevant topics.

▪ “Voices From the Past” edited by Richard Rushing. This devotional is a collection of Puritan writings that have impacted many Christians all over the world. It is filled with excerpts from the writings of men such as Richard Baxter, John Bunyon, William Gurnall, John Owen, Richard Sibbs, and many others. This book highlights Christ, His holiness, and His Word.

▪ “Big Truths for Young Hearts” by Bruce Ware. This devotional is perfect for family devotions. Written with adults and children in mind, the chapters are short (only about three pages). Each chapter concludes with questions for family discussion. Ware does a fantastic job of taking what are usually thought of as deep doctrines and presenting them in such a way as to not lose any truth while making them completely understandable.

You will be strengthened, encouraged, blessed, and challenged with any of these great resources.

This story was originally published December 23, 2016 at 12:45 PM with the headline "Words of Faith: Here are my top 5 devotion books."