Let’s hear it for Godly men! Devotionals written for women might be more commonplace, but we can’t forget about spiritual nourishment for our men.
While devotionals shouldn’t take the place of reading God’s Word (more on that later), they are wholesome supplements that usually have a specific focus in mind.
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Whether you’re picking out a daily devotional for your man or for yourself, you have a lot of great options. That’s a good thing but having so many choices might be overwhelming.
So, as we walk through the various options for the Best Daily Devotional for Men, keep your recipient in mind to see which choices seem to describe him the best.
So let’s go ahead and break it down.
This post may contain affiliate links. This is my full disclosure.
What is a Devotional?
A devotional is a book that explores a piece of scripture by describing its meaning or how it applies to modern-day life. The scripture and reflections are presented in short readings.
Some devotionals consist of only a single paragraph of reading per day, while others may include two or three pages of daily text.
Devotionals usually consist of 7, 10, 30, 180, or 365 daily servings of scripture and reflection. They are intended to be read as one topic per day, so a 30-day devotional would be read over the course of a month.
Breaking Down a ‘Typical’ Devotional
God’s Word (yes, the Bible) should be the foundation of any daily devotional. The Bible is the source we use for our guidance, strength, wisdom, and growth.
A typical devotional uses a Bible verse, or a few verses, as the topic for the daily readings.
After the verse, there is either a summary of the context of the verse or a reflection of practical advice that the reader can apply to their daily life.
Usually, a devotional includes a combination of the context and practical application. Many devotionals end each topic with a prayer.
Sometimes devotionals will end with some specific questions for self-reflection or they may provide journaling prompts for those who process their thinking through writing.
The idea of a devotional is to use God’s Word as the spiritual foundation and then reflect on how you can apply the meaning and message to your own life.
What Type of Devotional is Best for Men?
To determine the best devotional for the man you have in mind, first think about his lifestyle and personality.
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Is he a new believer? Is he a lifelong Godly man who already makes time for God each day?
Is he crazy-busy with his career or a family man with six little mouths to feed? What are his likes and dislikes?
All of these will factor into the best daily devotional for that person.
Themed Devotionals
Based on the recipient’s lifestyle, the first thing to consider is whether the devotional should be themed.
A themed devotional means that the Bible verses and reflections will be based on a specific topic that’s important to the recipient.
Is he a new father? An avid outdoorsman? Newly retired? Any of these themes (and many, many more) can help you find a daily devotional that would be of interest to your recipient.
Common themes for devotionals for men would be for fathers or husbands. Let’s take a look at a few great choices of each:
Father Theme
Husband Theme
Other Themes
Examples of ‘Other’ Themed Devotionals might be: for Cancer Journey, for Depression and Anxiety, for Grief, for Strength, for Felons, or for Fishermen/Hunters/Golfers – (lots of outdoorsy choices from Steve Chapman).
If you have a specific theme in mind that’s not included here, just search for devotionals with that theme from your favorite bookstore.
Faith Themed Devotionals
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Many devotionals don’t have a specific lifestyle theme beyond helping a person deepen their faith and draw closer to our heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
These devotionals focus on different aspects of Christian living. They might focus on learning more about the Holy Spirit, finding daily strength, true purpose, or a variety of everyday spiritual growth or challenges.
These faith-building devotionals are typically written for anyone, but because you’re looking for a devotional for men, I’ll stick to those specifically.
3-minute Devotions
Beyond themed devotionals, another subset is ‘quick’ devotions. These short daily devotions are perfect for people whose to-do list is jam-packed with other commitments.
If busy people are going to fit time for a devotional into their daily routine, it must be short!
Typically called ‘3-minute’ devotions, these quick daily readings will have a single verse followed by a short reflection.
They’re a perfect way to start or end each day with a focus on God, while still being able to run out the door on time or catch some much-needed sleep after a long day.
These quickie devotions will vary in terms of how many days they cover.
For a relatively new believer or someone who’s not an avid reader, a shorter devotional might be a better place to start. Thirty days, for example.
For an avid reader or lifelong Christian, a longer one may be a better choice. 180 and 365-day devotionals are common.
Daily Devotionals (365 days)
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365-day devotionals are typically themed and have short daily devotional readings that accompany a daily verse for an entire year.
Some versions of this year-long journey follow a specific ‘day of the year’ format. In this case, each devotion is laid out on a January 1st to December 31st schedule.
This dated type of 365 devotional is great for a Christmas gift, so the recipient can begin the new year with a dose of daily wisdom and practical applications.
For birthdays or other occasions that don’t coincide with the beginning of the year, the generic ‘365’ style that isn’t date-related would be a better choice.
You can begin these devotionals whenever you want because they are only numbered and don’t coincide with a specific date.
These generic 365-day devotionals are also nice because they don’t bring the perceived ‘pressure’ to read daily if your recipient happens to miss a day or two here and there. (Hey, it happens!)
I’ll list a few great 365-day devotionals below. These may be a bit more reading per day than the 3-minute versions.
Devotional Collection
Does your man love devotionals or is he an avid reader? Perhaps a series would be a great choice.
If you don’t want to purchase a set, you could buy the first one of a series and your recipient could continue on with the rest of the series if he enjoys the first one.
The Chosen Bible Study Series is a great series to consider. It’s written by the talented creators of the first crowd-funded multi-season television series on the life of Christ – The Chosen.
Most Popular Devotionals
Are you still not sure which way to go? That’s okay. There’s more!
Perhaps these best-selling devotionals would be a good fit for your recipient. They’re not necessarily geared toward men, but they’re ‘365 days’ and very loved by readers!
And lastly…..
Devotional Apps
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We’re all about the apps these days! Apps are great for keeping everything we need at our fingertips.
Most of the Bible-related apps include a whole lot more than devotionals. Most Bible apps include a daily verse and perhaps a related inspirational video, like a short sermon for reflection or practical application of the daily scripture readings.
These apps typically include an electronic Bible, with multiple Bible translations.
The devotionals they offer vary by theme and number of days the devotionals cover.
Apps also include reminders, which is a great way to remember to do the devotionals daily.
If you intend to purchase a gift for a man you know or love, then the devotional apps aren’t your best choice, because they’re free!
But beyond that, they offer a lot of faith-building tools in addition to a variety of devotionals, so it’s not the same as giving the gift of a best devotional.
Still, I’m including Devotional apps here because they are a great tool for Christian inspiration.
Maybe you’re here to explore options for your own Christian journey. Or maybe you just want to offer a man in your life extra encouragement to spend regular time with God. In those cases, recommending a Devotional app would be a great option.
Devotional App for Men
Many apps are free and most aren’t geared to a specific gender, but in your case, you’re looking for the best devotionals for men, so I’ll recommend the iOS and Android-friendly man-specific devotional app of Live Bold: Christian Men. They describe themselves as: The app for Christian Men. Daily devotions, prayer wall, addiction coaching, podcasts, and bible study guides.
Devotional App for Anyone
There are other Bible apps that aren’t only for men, but they include devotionals that are specific to men. My personal favorite is the free YouVersion Bible app for both iOS and Android.
Best Bibles Too?
Perhaps in your quest for a best devotional for men, you’ve also decided to get a Bible for one of your Christian loved ones.
Great idea! I’ve got you covered there, too! Once you find your best devotional for men, pop on over to our Gift Guide for Bible Lovers.
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So, there you have it!
Did you find a perfect option for the best daily devotional for men? Which one did you pick and why?
If you didn’t find something, what other options were you hoping to see? Just let me know in the comments!