Have you ever read any devotionals that took just a few minutes, but then they echoed in your head and heart for days (or longer)? Just a small nugget of God’s truth wrapped in a powerful illustration and paired with the right verse at the right time?

Me too. And it’s an awesome feeling.

Short inspirational devotions are great for sparking meditation and study. They’re also great at being a touchstone to recenter your day. I want to share some great options with you, some of my favorites and some that have made me curious. Anything that enhances my daily Bible time is worth looking into, right?

What Are Daily Devotions?

Devotion itself is love, loyalty and enthusiasm, so as Christians, we should certainly have (and show) daily love, loyalty and enthusiasm towards God and kingdom living.

In present times, this idea has been reduced to a morning routine. A checklist of reading a few verses (or chapters if we’re ambitious), a daily entry in a book, and then, if we can spare the extra few minutes, spend them in prayer.

Scripture reading, Check. Devo, check. Prayed for the things that matter to me, check. Okay, now, on to the rest of my day. There’s so much to do, how will I ever get it all done?

Ouch

Now don’t get me wrong. These are good things. And as you can see below, I have collected a lot of really good options to share with you.

But let’s not miss the point.

What is Devotion to God?

The point, the purpose is to seek a closer walk with Jesus Christ during the whole of our day. Nothing separate. Nothing off-limits. To be able to stop (or not stop) in the middle of whatever it is we’re doing, and out of our love, loyalty, and enthusiasm for, and trust in God, include him, and talk to him about what’s going on and how to deal with it. The Holy Spirit will teach us in the situations we encounter every day.

Christ Jesus invites us to come sit with him 365 days a year. It’s a gift to be allowed this kind of access to the Creator! If you want to add some encouraging variety to your routine, then check these out, and stop by to see a few tips on how to do devotions when you’re busy.

Please note that this post contains affiliate links for your convenience. If you make a purchase through one of the links, I may make a small commission. I only recommend books and resources that I’ve enjoyed personally, or believe that you would like. You can read my full disclosure here. You will also find information on Scripture translations there.

Short Devotions on Encouragement for Women

Donna over at Fresh Grace for Today has written some encouraging devos for women who want to live with grit and grace in each moment!

Sarah Geringer has written several awesome encouraging devotions:

• Christmas Peace for Busy Moms,
• Newness of Life (Trusting God in Times of Transition)
• and one on the Fruit of the Spirit.

Plus, she sends out a fantastic newsletter with a fresh, free short devotion to her email subscribers every week!

A unique collection, these Faith and Fitness devos are powerful, practical, full of grace, and really get to the root of our fitness struggles!!!

Jesus Glitter has some really cool, out-of-the-box thinking devotions for women!

If you need help with flexing your thankfulness muscles, Ami Coote has written a fabulous 21-day Gratitude Devotional which is a really good collection of brief but stirring pages perfect for helping you find and keep your gratitude attitude!

Short Devotions on Revelation

Take it to Heart is a devotional that is somewhat different than most. Tackling a complicated subject like the book of Revelation is no small feat, and the author has done a great job with it.

The scripture reading is a manageable chunk, and she doesn’t try to dissect and study the whole thing. She picks one idea, one verse to ponder together.

Each entry helps you remember that Revelation applies here and now, it’s not all about future doom and gloom and the triumphal return. It mattered to the early readers, or it wouldn’t have been preserved as faithfully as the rest of the scriptures.

The prayer for each day helps you apply what you’re reading, and give it wings. And the Take it Further section, which is optional, I would highly recommend, because, while it takes a little time, it has you building 3D connections to other parts of scripture, and to events in your own life.

Revelation is just as practical a book to read and apply as any of Paul’s letters filled with instructions. Take it to Heart will help you do just that.

I received a copy from the author, and chose to review it here. All thoughts are my own.

Short Devotions for Advent and Christmas

There are far too many awesome Christmas devotions to fit here, so there’s now a whole new post, dedicated to the subject of Christmas. I hope you’ll take a moment to see what’s on the list for the season of remembering when the Light of the World came down to us.

Short Inspirational Devotions for Women Who Love Christian Fiction

I often find spiritual refreshment while enjoying Christian fiction. I have found this an excellent touchstone on days when a proper quiet time is impossible. When I’m out of sorts, a well-written novel that points to God without ‘preaching’ at me helps. I’m more likely to accept the lesson or encouragement than with a direct approach.

Do you know how even a well-intentioned and kindly said question can cause intense defensiveness or insecurities? I can take it much better by reading a book. Applying what we read, drawing personal application and challenges is what many of us can and should do.

If that’s you also, or if you’d like to try it, then please check out my new (free) printable reading journal!

Here are a few of my favorite examples of Christian fiction that can help refocus your thoughts on God:

Road Trip: Sidecar Adventures with God is a remarkable allegory. It is packed with simple, chapters and illustrations to jumpstart a new perspective.

Liz Curtis Higgs has a collection of ‘Bad Girls of the Bible‘ books. These have modern fiction retelling of Bible stories paired with a brief study of the actual story. The combination is fantastic!

Forever Loved: Eve’s Story is a unique look at the beginning of Genesis.  A fictional retelling, and an inspiring devo (1 half-hour read) that lend compassion and new understanding!

Powerful Short Devotionals for Young Women

Here are 6 awesome devos for young women. There are some longer options here, but there’s also a section of specifically 3-minute devos for young women. They all look so good!

Also, here are 10 real and relatable devotions for college students.

Short Devotions on Encouragement for Moms

As a mom, I live in the midst of chaos and confusion. I could really use some help to stay focused and have a ‘quiet time’ in the middle of the noise. Not just for me, but to show my boys that this is the way they should go, so that they can walk in it a little more clearly.

Lisa Bergen has an excellent book of encouragement for busy moms. As a writer of YA Christian historical fiction, we get a glimpse of her author’s experiences and parenting insight that connects right back to God. Her stories and points are still running through my head a year later!

Leaving Your Mom Legacy is another fantastic book and a great tool that will bless and hearten moms to model a Christ-like walk. Each lesson is from the heart, actionable, and perfect meditation material.

21 Days of Joy is full of stories honoring mom. Fictional accounts by Christian authors that honor moms of all kinds:

• Biological
• Step
• Adopted
• Teachers
• Orphanage Missionaries

I first read this collection during midnight pumping sessions with the new baby. He is now a year old, and I still have a couple of these stories on my heart.

Coloring God’s Love for Me: 100 Devotions to Inspire Young Hearts is a fun and interactive devotional to do with your kids, ages 5-9. Honestly, It helped me too. With a variety of coloring activities and practical connections tying the scriptures to real life today, This one’s a winner!

And here are 6+ of the best Devos for Homeschool Moms!!

The Grace to Grow has some fun devotions for kids.

Erin over at Lullaby Lark is a special needs mom who writes amazing posts that encourage and uplift her readers. She’s got a whole category of heartening devotions posts, including this gem of 18 inspiring body-image quotes and scriptures for moms!

Heather of Lessons from Home has a collection of encouraging devotions for kids and families, that are well worth reading!

Short Morning Devotions for Couples

I said morning, but they could be used in the evening, or weekends, or… The important part is they are quality devotions for couples!

My friend Shanique over at Rock Solid Faith Blog has put together 15 exciting devotionals for couples you should check out.

The 5 Love Languages is such a great book for understanding each other, but now there’s a One Year Love Language Minute Devotional for couples! If you’re familiar with Gary Chapman at all, you know this is going to be good, and if you’re not, you’re in for a real treat with these!

Short Funny Devotionals for Essential Oils Users

These two books for essential oils users are a blend of story and Bible study, with recipes and hope included!

The Essence of Joy (The Fruit of the Spirit, Christmas Themed)
The Essence of Humility (Love Like Christ)

Funny Devotional Stories

Sarah Koontz’s writing style is so neat! Her emails are packed with spiritual meat. At the same time, they’re also punctuated by funny stories that will resonate with most everyone.

Each course is set up as daily emails, packed with bonuses.

Walk Worthy of the Calling was the first study I reviewed for her, and anyone who can work in the movie Miss Congeniality into a Bible study, funny devotional stories are a cinch!

More recently, there was a study on John 15-17, where I was fascinated by the insight into pruning in the Bible.

Sarah has more than half a dozen free online studies available on demand, that you shouldn’t miss! Her ministry is very special, because the value she gives a way free is incredible!

Shopping for Quick Bible Devotions

• Amazon
• Answers In Genesis
• Audible
• AudioBooksNow
• Barnes&Noble
• BetterWorldBooks
• BibleStore (Much More Than Bibles)
• BooksAMillion
• Bookshop.org
• ChristianBook.com
• Ebooks.com
• SecondSale
• Thriftbooks

Seeing the Unseen: Quick Devotions on Eternity

Safely Home was my first book by Randy Alcorn, and I highly recommend it to everyone. Go figure, me and Christian fiction? This will really help you define your faith!

However, as I was on a gorgeous scenic train ride recently (with no cell service) and nursing my little guy, I opened this devotional: Seeing the Unseen by Randy Alcorn. Wow! SO awesome! (@netgalley download)

Each entry literally takes less than 2 minutes to read. It fits the need for a quick devotional thought and will help you with your perspective.

Mundane tasks becoming an investment in God’s plan? Making excuses to minimize our guilt is minimizing His Grace? Ouch!! (learn more about the power of God’s grace and favor here): Tell me more!

In Seeing the Unseen, the focus is on gaining an eternal perspective on your daily life activities. Each daily devotion has a link to an article going deeper into that specific topic, as well as verses and quotes. Basically, you can spend 2 minutes or 20, but it offers you something real and faith-building to meditate on throughout the day.

You May Also Enjoy:

• The Best Devotionals for Women Who Love Christian Fiction
• Bathsheba Study
• Hagar Study

Devotional Subscription Box Options

Devotional subscription boxes are really neat, because they keep coming each month. I’ve highlighted a couple of my favorites here, but for a complete list, check out these 13 great Christian subscription boxes!

I recently discovered this Faith on Fire subscription box that looks pretty amazing! A monthly box of Christian books, Bible studies, devotionals, and other goodies to help you share your faith with others!

One really neat way to spend more time dwelling with Jesus is to pick a theme to study. I found this subscription box that looks pretty cool: The Delilah Box. It promises 2-3 books each month, studying a woman of the Bible. It might be Biblical Fiction or a Bible study, or both, plus a few extra items just because.

Here’s a subscription box that looks pretty awesome! Faithbox comes with a daily devotional and a variety of handpicked items including accessories, Christian books, art… There’s also an even more affordable option to receive the devotional directly on mobile if you want something that doesn’t take up much room.

Short Inspirational Devotions Online

Ruth at Planted by Living Water has put together some beautiful prayers. They help us keep our minds where we’re supposed to be looking. The list grows weekly, over 50 prayers so far!

Hope Joy in Christ has some daily devotional series you’ll want to check out, if you want to learn to Be Still in God!

Over on Sandra’s Ark, there are several series of Bible-focused posts, from Why We Worship (and songs that go with each reason!) to Pondering the Psalms, and more.

Bible Love Notes has a new 1 Minute Devotional every weekday. If you check out Gail’s About Me page, you’ll find some very interesting things. (she’s moved 40 times, twice as many as me!) but also, there are links to her work translated into Hungarian, Dutch, Portuguese and Spanish! So cool!

Short Daily Devotionals: For Your Phone

I was thinking of listing some of my favorite apps, however, these ladies have already done an amazing job! In today’s busyness, we all keep our phones close. So these apps are only a click away at any moment

Apryl at MoneyWise Steward has a great collection of 12 Free Daily Devotional Apps for Women, Men, Couples, and Teens that is very helpful. There are a few new ones that I want to download!

And Arabah Joy has an incredible list 12 Bible study apps for Christian Women, including quiz-type, prayer-focused, and some just for kids.

Podcasts That Might Qualify

I have not gotten into podcasts yet, but I know there are some really good ones out there. They address everything from good books to read (yay!), to parenting and life advice. And since many have Christ as their foundation they might qualify as they’re good at refocusing our attention on God.

Susan over at Woman of Noble Character just surveyed a bunch of Christian bloggers and came up with an Ultimate list of Podcasts for Christian Women. I hope you will find one that is heartening in your current space!

Wrapping It Up: Using A Quick Devotional Builds Faith

Short inspirational devotionals are an awesome place to start, but are by no means meant to be our only exposure to the Word or our only communication with the Lord.

I hope you’ve seen just how useful these tools can be in building faith and drawing you closer to God each day. And that these books and posts will fill a need in your life today!

Until Next Time, Love God, Love Books, Shine The Light!!