Is it ok to start in the middle of a devotional? (Christians only please)?

Question

I have just decided to purchase the devotional My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. The devotional is written so that you can read a little bit each day of the year and each entry is written for a specific day in the year. For example, the first entry is January 1st, the second entry is January 2nd, and so on. I will start reading tomorrow which is July 23rd. Should I start in the middle of the devotional with July 23rd? Or should I begin tomorrow with January 1st, and just be off. Either way, I will finish the book in 1 year, but I want to know which option would be best. Thanks!

Answer 1

check if it has a seasonal time line like Easter and Christmas first...otherwise go for it.

Answer 2

Read both, The devotional and the Bible. Where you start doesn't matter.

I bought 2 One-Year Bibles. I started one and started reading in 2 Chronicles. It was used and it was in rough shape. I read it through until February the next year when I bought the second one, which was a different version. I started reading it daily and am still reading it.

I read through the Bible, cover to cover, several times. Some were the same version, some were different versions. Some I started at the beginning, some not.

If you wait until January to start your devotion, you'll never start. If you cram the past 6 months just to catch up, you'll be overwhelmed.



Just start.

Answer 3

If you have a goal, I suppose you want to read today's devotional, then begin reading the first one in the book. That way you do both. But I never did like someone telling me what to think about a verse, they can often be wrong, and I'm not a fan of Oswald, he's too legalistic from my perspective.



I decided early in my Christian life to not do devotionals. I wanted the Bible to be my devotional.

Answer 4

I would start at the beginning, that is at jan 1. But remember, no devotional book can or should replace reading the bible.



@Mary - Awesome!

Answer 5

Nice book! I own a copy of it myself. The question here is not a matter of right and wrong, but merely of preference. Personally I would start with the date; but there's no wrong way to read it.

Answer 6

absolutely fine.