ESV Daily Devotional New Testament: Through the New Testament in a Year (Paperback)

I'm giving this five stars for a couple of reasons: I'm all for anything that helps develop a practice of spending time with the Bible on a daily basis. I really like that this is Bible-focused in a way that doesn't tend toward another author's thoughts taking center stage or replacing actual reading of the Bible. Additionally, the ESV is my top pick as word-for-word style translation that's still very readable.Still, I'll include a couple of caveats. Make sure you note this is a "Devotional New Testament" rather than a collection of devotionals. This is primarily the text of the Bible, sectioned out into daily readings, along with some reflections on the text. The reflections are good, and helpful toward understanding the reading. Again - great that the Bible takes center stage! But this isn't a book of devotionals, and probably not what you're looking for if you want to add some devotional content onto your existing rhythm of Bible reading.Having the daily readings dated can be convenient and motivating. It can also be guilt-inducing or discouraging for those who read inconsistently, and can make it tricky to start any time other than January 1.My other hesitation is in the pros/cons of a New Testament (plus a daily verse or two from a Psalm) yearly plan. It might just the right start for someone. But in a lot of cases, I'd rather recommend something that takes believers through the whole Bible, even if they take longer than a year to do it. NT is a great starting place... it just comes with a little caution about focusing on it to the exclusion of ever reading the Old Testament as well.Also, personal preference: I think if I was spending a year in the NT, I'd rather go straight through, rather than have daily reading from two different books (one from Matthew-Acts and one from Romans-Revelation.) While it does provide variety within each day's reading, I think the shorter readings lose context more easily, plus having it out of order may be more confusing to the newer Christians I might recommend this to.Still, having shared those thoughts, I do think this is excellent for what it is and will be a very helpful approach to daily Bible reading for many people.

DAILY DEVOTIONAL: NEW TESTAMENT is a well-organized plan for reading through the New Testament. That is primarily why I ordered it. Simply said, I wanted a "plan" for reading the New Testament through in a year. Also, I wanted the translation to be the ESV (English Standard Version}, the Bible's most readable and faithful translation.The plan is straightforward. Beginning with January 1, each day, a portion of the Bible text is followed by a brief "Reflection" on the text for the day. The Reflection is a short explanation of the text. It also helps the reader in applying the Bible reading to one's life.I find this guide most helpful and easy for me to follow in my daily reading of the Bible. If there is one thing that I wish was different, it would be that the text was in a larger print and the paper a bit thicker. That would no doubt make the book more expensive, but worth the added expense. Also, there is not enough space, or margin, for the text when open and trying to read where the books. But until a better guide appears, this one is a very good choice.

This is an easy read devotional that will help you stay on track during the calendar year. A quick 10 minute read and you'll be glad you invested in yourself spiritually before starting your day. The best way to use this book is to create a habit of reading it at the same time everyday. For me, it was initially hard but I do it in the morning before everyone wakes up. It's a relatively easy read and a great way to start off the day!

This is an organized daily devotional to keep you on track and help you get through the entire new testament in a year. Each day is only a couple of pages and includes a verse from the first half of the new testament, a verse from the second half of the new testament, a couple of reflections, and it ends with a psalm and prayer. This devotional seems more approachable and reasonable than trying to get through the entire Bible in a year. Plus, the reflections help you to understand and reflect on what you are reading. I do wish it was done in chronological order instead of jumping from the first half to the second half in each devotion.

We have read through the entire Bible in a year, but hadn't seen a book devoted to focusing only on the New Testament. It takes a bit to get used to because you read a passage from Matthew followed by a thoughtful reflection, then you immediately jump to Romans with another reflection after that, then close with a couple of Psalms. It is well structured, but again, takes a bit to get used to because it isn't perfectly sequential. I do wish the font size were a wee bit bigger for my aging eyes. I found a bit of a random reddish blob of ink on one page in the middle of the book which was quite surprising so I can't imagine this was used and returned, but who knows? All in all, this is a thoughtful, in-depth way to approach diving deeper into a study of the New Testament...I would say it is geared towards a more seasoned believer as opposed to someone who might be new to Christianity. I am looking forward to seeing what God has to say throughout the entirety of completing this book--I am sure it will be profound and life-changing as any deeper study of His word always proves to be in the end!