Our Daily Bread
Devotional Bible

A Review

The Our Daily Bread devotional has been around since 1956.  Now, in 2012, Tyndale House Publishers (who are responsible for the New Living Translation [NLT]) and Radio Bible Class (responsible for the monthly Our Daily Bread devotional) have combined forces to produce a year long set of devotionals included with a complete copy of the New Living Translation.  

I have enjoyed using the New Living Translation  since first being introduced to it seven or eight years ago by my pastor.  Created as a translation using some of the same guidelines that prompted Kenneth N. Taylor to create The Living Bible as a paraphrase in 1971, the NLT is a readable book designed to help the layperson read and understand the word of God.   

Beginning with Genesis, the devotionals are dated - taking the reader through the Bible from January through December.  Though there are not devotionals for every chapter, there appears to be at least one entry for each book of the Bible.  

I have spent most of the last two months preaching through the book of James - and thought it might be interesting to see what insights this new edition of NLT might offer.  Within the five chapters of James are included six devotionals, each previously published in Our Daily Bread.  I found the entries to be timely - and may even use one in next week’s sermon.  

Indexes are included in the back of the publication which give access to the devotions based on the topics covered and a list of the devotional entries by scripture references.  Besides the indexes and the devotionals, themselves, no additional helps are included (i.e. no concordance, maps, or dictionaries) that might help a new believer understand what he or she is reading.   Though the devotional entries are each roughly a page in length, it might have been helpful to include some shorter devotionals in the margins or as footnotes.  These would encourage the reader to read the whole Bible, not just the passages for which devotionals are included.  

I thank Tyndale House Publishers for supporting this project.  It is being added to my set of own devotional and study materials for regular use.  
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This review is based on a free copy of the book provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are mine alone.