Understanding Devotional Books

[SilverToast]

For anyone who is familiar with devotional Bible study books, what is their specific purpose?

Does anyone have some advice on what good devotional books are like?

I don't really read these books. I ask because I got a devotional book as a gift and after reading it I knew there was definitely something wrong with it. It was disturbing...

The author just took single verses and tried to loosely explain them with other verses into a 1-2 page message. They even added some stuff in that made little sense since it wasn't explained by the verses he put down.
The author even tried to apply these verses to current-controversial-to-some events. It seemed obvious that the author was trying to manipulate verses to project his own (disturbing) opinions on readers.

Do devotional Bible study books usually have verses applied to current issues or what's going on in the world?

Note: I'm not stating the controversial things the author said because I want to stay on the topic of discussing how to avoid bad devotionals like these and understanding what good ones are like. I only mentioned that he said controversial things to make a point about what I think is wrong with this devotional.

[amplifiez]

I think devotionals are cool tools to use. You can search for some on Amazon, then read the reviews to avoid ones like the one you got as a gift. I know different ones have different themes. For example, there are ones geared towards adults, teens, men, women, fathers, mothers, and so on. Just pick one out that suits your tastes.

[ClaecElric4God]

Depending on the devotional, their purpose can be:
1. To warp the Bible to say what someone wants it to say and to advocate their beliefs (you've experienced this first hand).
2. To simply share Bible verses to encourage you.
3. To study the Bible and help you understand it.
4. To expound on God's Word and apply it our daily lives.

This last point is my favorite kind of devotional. It takes a verse or passage, maybe gives a quick explanation, and shows you how it applies to 2013. I mean, yeah, God gave us the Bible thousands of years ago, but it wasn't "for a limited time only". The Word of God was meant to be passed on through the centuries, to survive the centuries, and to always be able to win souls to Christ and help Christians grow. Although times have changed and society has changed, basic human nature and right and wrong have not. There is nothing outdated about the Bible; but the time gap can make it seem like "this isn't really relevant to me in today's world". That's where the right kind of devotionals can come in handy. They show us how to live according to the Bible, and how to apply it's message to our daily lives. One devotional in particular that is a personal favorite is Baptist Bread.

A good way to tell if a devotional is good or not is to look into it's author(s). As wonderful and insightful as they can be, they are made my men, who are making an atttempt to interpret the Word of God. Are the authors reputable pastors, missionaries, theological teachers, with a godly testimony; or some random guy standing on the street with a "the world will end tomorrow" sign? Do you agree with their doctrine? I personally prefer devotionals by men of God who are actually working on the field (missionaries, pastors, etc.) as opposed to people who spend all their time arguing with other people about their doctrine. Someone who serves God and has a close walk with Him is going to have a lot more legitimate inspiration than one who doesn't. And they've learned by trial and error and trusting God, rather than making up righteous-sounding ideas. Of course there are exceptions on both sides. Regardless of whether they're on the field or not, the author needs to be someone you know you can trust. Also, devotionals by more than one author are more likely to be accurate, God-honoring devotions, than ones by a single author. A group of men are accountable to each other, and more likely to be simply expounding on the Scriptures, whereas a man by himself has more freedom to twist and warp the Bible to say what he wants it to, because there's no one to tell him when he's taking it out of context.

I would say, the more Bible the better. A devotional that takes one verse and writes an essay on it can very easily take it out of context. There are plenty of verses that are half or part of a sentence, or when taken out of the passage they apply to can sound very different from what they're meant to. A devotional that takes a lot of verses relevant to a specific subject and incorporates them into it's message is more trustworthy and just plain makes more sense, because more examples and/or seeing the same thing worded in a couple different ways can help you understand it better.

In my opinion, a good devotion doesn't try to apply verses to controversial issues. I'm definitely not saying that issues shouldn't be addressed with Scripture. But that's what theological studies, discussion, debates, etc. are for. Devotionals are a whole different category, and not a way to sway people toward your views. They are meant for personal, spiritual growth; not for assertion of an individual's views or doctrine.

Anyways, I hope what I said made some sense. Of course, this is just my opinion. Take it for what it's worth. I hope you don't run across anymore "disturbing" devotionals. I know for me they can be a depressing reminder that not every "Christian" is really in it for the love of God.

[Xeno]

In my opinion, a good devotion doesn't try to apply verses to controversial issues. I'm definitely not saying that issues shouldn't be addressed with Scripture. But that's what theological studies, discussion, debates, etc. are for. Devotionals are a whole different category, and not a way to sway people toward your views. They are meant for personal, spiritual growth; not for assertion of an individual's views or doctrine.

Anyways, I hope what I said made some sense. Of course, this is just my opinion. Take it for what it's worth. I hope you don't run across anymore "disturbing" devotionals. I know for me they can be a depressing reminder that not every "Christian" is really in it for the love of God.

The problem you're going to run into is, as you said, devotions tend to try to apply scriptures to modern day. And "controversial" issues (or at least what some people see as controversial) are a huge part of modern day life. The other thing is, while saying that not every Christian is really in it for the love of god is a true statement, some of them are...just their belief structure is very different from yours. A devotion written by someone in the Westboro Baptist Church would be horribly appalling to a Lutheran or a Methodist. But the members of WBC honestly and devoutly believe that what they are doing is the will of god and the only way to properly to get his message to people. Is it sick and horrifying? Yes. But that doesn't make their devotion any less than the most loving Presbyterian.

Devotions aways felt kind of hokey to me anyway. Made more sense to just read the Bible and get whatever I got out of it that way.

[SilverToast]

Thank you amplifiez,claec, and Xeno for the input. Now I understand a little more about what they are supposed to be about. Xeno, you raised a good point about different denominational beliefs.

I checked the book and it only got 2 reviews. Both of them said it was good. It was also written by a pastor who self publishes. I don't even think that the person who gave me this read it either or else she would be offended by what it said. lol This book isn't really reputable.

[ClaecElric4God]

Self published, eh? Yeah, that means it didn't go through any other Christian authority figures before it was put in your hands. He could say whatever he wanted, whether it was really Biblical or not, and no one else edited it or addressed him about his views to make sure it was actually productive. Christians need to be accountable to each other, and this particular pastor obviously didn't care about that.

[Atria35]

^ Forget about going being edited by other Christians - self-publishing means that it probably hasn't been edited by anyone else, period! When it comes to self-published Christian books, I am very, very wary simply because a lot feel 'compelled by God' (whether or not this is true I cannot attest) to share their knowledge and ideas with the world, and that means you run the gamut of ideas and theologies up to and including those from the guys that stand on the corner with the 'end of the world' signs. Or, if you live in Milwaukee, the guy who drives around in the tinfoil-covered 'end of the world' car.

And even if the ideas seem sound and you agree with them, then they might be haphazardly grouped and given because of a lack of oversight, like the poor writing you experienced. That wasn't disagreement with the ideas, it was just poor writing. Put that together with ideas that you disagree with and it makes for a poor reading experience.

[SilverToast]

And even if the ideas seem sound and you agree with them, then they might be haphazardly grouped and given because of a lack of oversight, like the poor writing you experienced. That wasn't disagreement with the ideas, it was just poor writing. Put that together with ideas that you disagree with and it makes for a poor reading experience.

This sums up my reading experience with the book perfectly!

I guess the only ones who would understand the book is the church that he gives sermons at.

I agree with you Atria and Claec that self publishing makes a book less credible. Although I did get another self published devotional book as a gift but this time its actually good so far. This book isn't telling me how to think or act as a Christian, but really just giving helpful advice with clear biblical references and life stories of the author. It is decent.