Here are some of the best devotional materials I’ve come across. I think its beneficial to have a devotional work or two to plow through during the year. These Bible-saturated works have worshipfully ushered me into the presence of the Lord time and time again. I thank God for them!
Morning by Morning (C.H. Spurgeon)
Spurgeon is a master at balancing his sophisticated intellect and pastoral heart. His daily offerings from various verses throughout the Scriptures are always practical and Christ-centered. Few share his ability to go so deep so quickly, never wasting a word. The new ESV-based edition edited by Alistair Begg is my personal favorite.
This collection of Puritan prayers and reflections is excellent. Capturing the tenacity with which the Puritan pastors and thinkers pursued their personal faiths, they stir the heart with their depth of passion. Much like the Psalms, these prayers will add vocabulary to your prayer life if you’ll let them.
The One Year Book of Christian History (E Michael and Sharon Rusten)
Not merely for the Church History buffs, this work takes some of the finest moments in the last 2,000 years and makes them accessible throughout the year. The spiritual benefits of reading the biographical snapshots of faithful brothers and sisters over the centuries makes this book a great place to start (or continue) a growing appreciation of Church History.
The Loveliness of Christ (Samuel Rutherford)
Drawn together from The Letters of Samuel Rutherford, this book of quotes is rich reading indeed. I have never picked it up and put it down unchanged. So many Christ-exalting quotes in one place is a rare treat. I gave out over ten for Christmas this past year.
My Utmost for His Highest (Oswald Chambers)
Chambers was a Scottish minister whose abandonment to God has made this work a classic. The collected teaching, combined by his wife, call for deeper devotion and greater love. In high school, I spent two years with Chambers and come back to him again and again to be lifted beyond myself.
Another particularly intellectual work. Many of Lewis’ works could be used devotionally in their own right. This work allows readers to float throughout the breadth of his mind day-by-day. It also will point you to some of his lesser known works. Surely, one can never get enough C.S. Lewis!
Andrew Hess
