How to Choose the Best Devotional Bible
Devotional Bibles provide a great source of inspiration and can help you make application of specific scriptures to your own life. And if you’re ever in need of devotional material to share with a group, your Bible will be a handy resource.
Devotional Bibles can be found in just about every translation of the Bible. The devotional material is simply added to the pages of the Old Testament and New Testament. Most often the devotional material consists of essays and they will correspond to the Bible passage near where they appear. The devotional material may be written by the editors of the translation, or they may be contributed by well known Christians, athletes, performing artists or political figures.
Many devotional bibles will center on a theme. Almost every translation of the Bible will have a devotional Bible for men and a devotional Bible for women. Here are a few of the NIV options:
- Real Life Devotional Bible for Women
- Men’s Devotional Bible
- Manual Bible for Men
Here are the New Living Translation (NLT) options:
- Everyday Matters Bible for Women
- Every Man’s Bible
Some devotional Bibles are more specifically targeted. For instance the NIV Bible has the following options for men:
- Sports Bible
- Game Plan for Life Bible (with sports illustrations)
- Outdoorsman Bible
For women they offer:
- Mom’s Bible
- Busy Mom’s Bible
- Grandmother’s Bible
Here are some interesting options from other publishers:
- Young American Patriot’s Bible (NKJV) the devotions are quotes from founding fathers and other historical leaders
- Military Bible (KJV) by Holman Publishing, the devotions are prayers and quotes by military and political leaders and lyrics from patriotic songs
- Recovery Devotional Bible (NIV) the devotions are based on the 12-step recovery program
- Love Languages Devotional Bible (NLT) with devotions by Dr. Gary Chapman, author of The 5 Love Languages
- Hope in the Mourning Bible (NIV) with devotions designed for those recovering from loss of a loved one
The New International Version of the Bible provides the most devotional options. And while some are very close (Mom’s Bible and Busy Mom’s Bible) they will have different devotional essays.
Devotional Bibles make a great gift. If the person you are buying for is not an avid Bible reader, the devotional materials might be the stimulus to develop an interest. Even if the person you love already has a Bible, the devotional materials can make for a wonderful addition to their Bible reading experience.
And if you are choosing a Bible for yourself, there are bound to be several that will enrich your Bible reading experience. However, if you are buying your first Bible for yourself, I would recommend that you buy a copy with just the text of the Bible, no added devotional material. You probably want to get familiar with the text of the Bible and let it speak for itself. But if you’re familiar with the Bible and have read it through, have fun shopping for a Bible with some extras that will give you added enjoyment.
One word of warning: It can sometimes be challenging to distinguish the text of the Bible from the devotional materials. Depending on the page layout it is not always obvious which is which. If you are buying a bible for a new Christian who wants to read the Bible, don’t buy them a devotional Bible. Give them just the text for their first effort.
And for yourself, be careful that the devotional materials do not take the place of reading the Bible itself. If you have limited time, don’t read just the devotional materials and skip the Bible text. Why not read the Bible text one day and the devotional material the next. There are some Bible reading schedules available at the Next Steps page on this website that can be adapted to this scheme.
Now, make your way to the Translations page. The options for devotional bibles can be found under each translation.