A Book Review of “Jesus Today—Devotions for Kids”

Jesus Today

Our eleven-year-old son enjoys reading from this book for his morning devotion. However, my husband and I receive refreshing encouragement from this adaptation of Sarah Young’s ECPA 2013 Christian Book of the Year, Jesus Today.  

The 368-page book contains 150 devotions.  Each devotion, approximately 200 words in length, is presented on a left page followed by three or four corresponding scriptures on the right page.

I love the way Young writes—as if Jesus is talking to the reader.  I have to give credit to Tama Fortner who adapted the book for younger readers. She does a great job presenting the devotions in a simple and easy to understand manner. Yet, the devotions are not watered down.  They remain quite meaty.

An example of this is in the following excerpt from devotion #141, Leave Room for Mystery.

“… My ways are often a mystery to you—like why bad things happen to good people, or good things happen to bad people. You wish you could always know what I’m thinking, but your knowledge only goes so far.”  

“… When there is something you can’t make sense of, trust Me—and trust that there are some things too wonderful for you to know.”

This devotion is followed by 1 Timothy 3:16, Job 1:20-22, and Job 42:3. These are wonderful  things to ponder and discuss, right?

Parents will also receive spiritual nourishment as they read the devotionals to their children. There are numerous reminders of Jesus’ love, power, and peace. Who doesn’t need those?

Occasionally, there are other inspirational quotes presented on full pages in the book like this:

“God loves

each of us

as if there

were only

one of us.”

-Augustine

Most of the scriptures are taken from the International Children’s Bible. A few are from other versions, like the Amplified Bible and the NIV Bible. Also, there's a handy, scripture index included at the end of the book.

I’m glad Tommy Nelson Publishers made the cover of this one blue. It has a cheery, yellow bird on it. Boys and girls will appreciate the choice of colors and art. Parents will appreciate the durability of the hard cover.

I highly recommend this book for either family devotion time or for a personal, quiet time with the Lord. It’s recommended for ages six to ten, and I agree with that, but any age listening will benefit.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255