I’ve discussed a few different children’s devotional books lately, but I couldn’t resist the chance to review one more. Jesus Today: Devotions for Kids
by Sarah Young (adapted by Tama Fortner) is due to be released February 2, but the publisher was kind enough to send me a copy a little early so I could share about it as soon as possible.
Sarah Young is best known for her book Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence
, in which she shares daily devotions written from her personal prayer time. They are written as though Jesus is speaking directly to the reader, and this intimate style and the encouragement Young’s writing brings has made that book the #1 bestseller in Christian devotionals on Amazon. I’ve been going through the kids version (Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions For Kids
) with my children, so I was eager to get a glimpse at Young’s latest offering.
Jesus Today: Devotions for Kids shares many similarities with its predecessor. It is a children’s adaptation of an adult devotional (Jesus Today: Experience Hope Through His Presence
, ECPA 2013 Christian Book of the Year). The bright, sturdy hard cover with a ribbon bookmark makes it practical for daily reading. It continues Young’s signature style of writing, where each devotion is a personal message from Jesus, along with related Scriptures for each day. The simplicity is what makes it profound. My children really respond well to starting each day with a little note of encouragement and time in the Scriptures to give them food for thought.
There have been a few positive changes as well. Rather than having a devotion for each day of the year, Jesus Today contains 150 numbered devotions. I like this style better because then I don’t feel torn about what to read next if I miss a day. Also, the Scriptures for each day are all fully written out in the newer book, which for our family ensured that they get read. (We don’t usually look up the references at the bottom of the page in Jesus Calling.) There’s also a Scripture Index at the end of the book to make it easy to see which passages were referred to throughout the book.
If you’re looking for a devotional that can help your kids connect with God in an intimate, personal way, Jesus Today: Devotions for Kids is definitely one you’ll want to check out.
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