If you need a little bit more help reading through the Bible, you might look into devotionals.
Here’s a list of some quality devotional books recommended by SOLA Editorial Board member, Kevin Yi. Some of the materials are dated and some are not, so pick one that works for you.
New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp
This was originally a project that was birthed out of Paul Tripp being inspired to post a “gospel-tweet” every day for a year. This is one of my favorite devotional books, and it’s simply a daily reminder of the gospel that helps me remember who I am in Christ and what he’s done for me.
The Quiet Place by Nancy Leigh DeMoss
If you’ve already worked through New Morning Mercies and are looking for something similar, Nancy’s book will take a very short Bible passage and help draw you into the gospel each day.
The Songs of Jesus by Timothy and Kathy Keller
God’s Wisdom for Navigating Life by Timothy and Kathy Keller
This pair of devotional books by Timothy and Kathy Keller are based on the Psalms and the Proverbs. If you’ve ever thought about structuring your devotional life around either of these books, you won’t find a better guide.
Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon (Ed. By Alistair Begg)
This is a classic devotional text by the “Prince of Preachers”, Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892), updated by Alistair Begg for modern readers. It features two devotionals per day, once to be read in the morning, and the other in the evening. Incredibly convicting and gospel-centered.
Get Your Story Straight by Kristen Hatton
Kristen’s devotional is written for teenagers and their parents, structured into 52 weekly readings. It’s designed to help the young church learn how to read Scripture and how to live with Jesus in his gospel story.
Other Resources
If you’ve already got a plan and/or devotional book, maybe you’re wondering how to read the Bible better. Here’s a list of books designed to help sharpen your understanding of God’s Word in 2019:
Bible Study: A Student’s Guide by Jon Nielson
Although this book is written for students, the truth is, it’s just a really great book for anyone to establish a good foundation for how the Bible should be studied and understood. For many of us, we don’t read enough of the Bible because we feel ill-equipped to understand it. This book will give you the tools you need to know what God is speaking through His word.
The Story of the Old Testament by Mark Dever
The Story of the New Testament by Mark Dever
This is an interesting pair of books taken from a sermon series that Mark Dever did on all 66 books of the Bible. These are essentially thematic summaries of each book of the Bible, and though it can be used as a reference book, it’s meant to be read from cover to cover to help you better understand the big picture story of all of God’s Word.
The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Llyod-Jones
This is a children’s storybook Bible that takes the stories of the Bible and helps us see how they all point to Jesus. It’s beautifully illustrated and makes a wonderful foundation for a family devotional. Don’t have kids? That’s OK – you can read it in one sitting and be reminded that God’s “Never stopping, never giving up, unbreaking, always and forever love” is available to us through Jesus.
The ESV Study Bible by Crossway
The NIV Zondervan Study Bible by Zondervan
Both of these highly regarded study Bibles are great for daily reading plans because they offer comprehensive study notes for sections of the Bible we might not be as familiar with throughout the year. Both of these volumes come with online versions as well. Thomas Hwang helpfully suggests that getting a new Bible could help you be more motivated to read it, and neither of these will disappoint.
Unbreakable by Andrew Wilson
Lastly, if you’ve read to this point of the article, this gem of a book recommendation is a little bonus for you. This is an easy go-to suggestion for anyone struggling with wanting to read the Bible more. It’s a tiny $5 book that helps you see Jesus’ perspective on Scripture. It’s easy to read, incredibly well written, and brilliantly thought out. We can’t recommend it enough.
Check out Tool #1 and Tool #2 in case you missed them!