Daily Devotionals and Bible Readings
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| A Short Guide to Reading the Psalms Devotionally |
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| 2011 Devotionals Index |
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New Testament Daily Devotionals
In 2011 I began work on a series of devotionals designed to guide a person in reading and studying every chapter of the New Testament in a year. By late February 2011, enough progress had been made on the project to begin posting the devotionals. The 2011 version of the Bible reading and devotional schedule included devotionals from March 2011 through February 2012. The sequencing of these initial readings can still be accessed in the 2011 Devotionals Index. (Note: as these daily devotionals have been edited and updated, only the most recent versions have been retained, so the 2011 Devotional Index links lead to the current version.)
From the beginning, I envisioned a devotional series with at least two unique features.
First, the plan is unique because devotionals are provided for only five days each week. [I believed that many people would use the devotionals Monday through Friday, although I noted from the beginning that other reading schedules could be used.] The plan, with five devotionals each week for 52 weeks, covers all of the 260 chapters of the New Testament in a year.
Second, not only is each daily devotional based on a chapter of the New Testament, in writing the devotionals I attempted to reflect the content of the chapter and its importance to the overall message of the individual books and of the New Testament. One may choose to read either the devotional Scripture text (included with the devotional) or the entire chapter (using one's personal Bible). Those who read the entire chapter each day will read through the New Testament in one year.
The order of readings provided in the guide encourages the reader to alternate between different sections of Scripture and different types of New Testament literature (Gospels, history, letters, prophecy) rather than consecutively reading through the Gospels or the Pauline letters. [Links are also provided to the New Testament books to provide the option of consecutively reading through the New Testament for those who prefer to read the New Testament that way.] The schedule includes two "free" days each week -- days that can be used for catching up, for other reading and study projects, for Bible class preparations, or for Old Testament readings.
The 2012 Daily Devotional and Reading Schedule began with the Gospel of Matthew and concluded with the book of Revelation, following the same order as the 2011 schedule. The parallel overlap in January and February of 2012 allowed readers to complete both schedules. Many of the devotionals were edited for 2012. The devotional reading schedules for 2011-2016 are linked above. The devotionals were constantly being edited and corrected.
Beginning in 2017, the reading schedule was generalized in the e-publication of an annual guide. The annual guide is available at Annual Guide to New Testament Bible Reading with Devotionals for Every Chapter.
For 2019, all of the devotionals were edited, rewritten, and updated, in preparation for the release of the paperback version -- Dwelling in the Word: New Testament. This book, released in August, 2020, is available on Amazon.
A Short Guide to Reading the Psalms Devotionally
In 2013, I wrote a series of devotional readings and prayers based on the Psalms. A future editing and rewriting is planned, but the current version remains available online. You may access these devotionals at A Short Guide to Reading the Psalms Devotionally.
