A Year With Jesus: By R.P. Nettelhorst

"Christ's words are of permanent value because of His person; they endure because He endures." 
                                                                                  -W. H. Griffith Thomas

A Year With Jesus is a simple devotional that focuses on drawing lessons and reflections from the words that Jesus spoke. Not stories about Jesus. Not facts and figures. Not Jesus' purposes, or what others said about him. Just His words.

Each devotional covers just one page, short enough to complete in less than ten minutes. As is suggested by the title, the book contains 365 of these quick devotionals. One thing I noticed about this book right away is instead of numbering the devotionals by dates, they simply put "Day 1." "Day 2." and so on, allowing you to start at any time of year.

The book is divided into ten sections, the topics covering: Love and Hate, Truths and Lies, Arrogance and Humility, Friends and Enemies, Belief and Disbelief, Patience and Impatience, Deserved and Undeserved, Good and Evil, Fidelity and Treachery, and Life and Death.

The devotionals start out with an excerpt from Scripture, usually 5-10 verses - something long enough to draw some truth or lesson from, but no so long as to exhaust readers that have trouble with long passages of reading. The devotional part of each day covers the second half of the page, and usually does not extend past a couple of paragraphs.

The author keeps the devotional part of each day's reading short and to the point in order to let keep your focus on Jesus' words. He provides insights on each days Scripture passage, explains the text, and leaves with an application for daily living, or an idea or theme he found in the passage. His ideas and applications are thought-provoking, and although simple, often bring to mind a situation in which I can use a certain verse or concept.

I'd recommend this book to someone who was looking for a daily devotional that would provide a specific study (words of Jesus) and thoughtful insights. You can pick up a copy of the book here.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.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 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”