As we get into the Christmas season, it’s really important for us to condition our hearts. Otherwise, we get caught up in the buying of gifts and the busyness of the season and forget the real reason we’re celebrating Christmas.
Reading Christmas devotionals is a great way to prepare your heart, and that of your families to commemorate the birth of your Savior.
3 Reasons to Read Christmas Devotionals
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Christmas can be a very busy time. Usually, one of the first things to go when we find ourselves under pressure is our time with God. Ironically, that’s the thing we actually need the most.
That’s why Christmas devotionals are such a great resource. In case you’re wondering why you should add another thing to your already jam-packed checklist, here are three reasons a Christmas devotional may be just the thing you need.
1. Christmas devotionals help you focus. It’s easy to get trapped in the busyness of the season when what you need most is to focus on the story of Jesus.
Christmas devotionals provide bite-sized daily readings about the birth of Jesus or remind you about the meaning of Christmas.
The day’s reading is usually short and to the point allowing you to get into the Word when you have a limited amount of time.
2. A Christmas reading plan. A Christmas devotional usually includes a simple, easy-to-follow reading plan. When you have a short amount of time, you want to maximize it by having a plan before you sit down with your Bible.
With a Christmas devotional, you know exactly what you’re going to read every day.
3. A fresh perspective. Reading Christmas devotionals can give you a new perspective on a familiar story. You may think that you’ve read the Christmas story so many times there’s nothing new for you to learn, but sometimes just seeing something through someone else’s eyes can give it a whole new layer of meaning.
Inspirational Christmas Devotionals
There is a lot of written material surrounding Christmas and sometimes it’s hard to know where to start. I have reviewed all the free online Christmas devotionals in this post to find the best ones to share with you.
These free online Christmas devotionals are available through YouVersion (formerly The Bible App).
Short-term Christmas Devotionals
Sometimes you want to complete a Christmas devotional but don’t have a lot of time. All the devotionals mentioned in this section can be completed in three to six days.
A Netflix Christmas
If you’re a movie lover, A Netflix Christmas devotional plan is one you would enjoy. This 3-day plan looks at three popular Christmas movies to show how the main characters needed Jesus. This gives you the perfect excuse to watch Christmas movies you probably would have watched anyway.
The one drawback of this reading plan is that all three days have the same focus verse. Of course, this could be an opportunity to do a deeper study of that Scripture.
Remembering Christmas
This 5-day plan is from The Messy Table podcast. Each devotional is written by a different writer. Devotionals are geared towards preparing your heart for Christmas. The Remembering Christmas devotional asks introspective questions to get you thinking about the activities done during the Christmas holidays.
The hope is that you will redirect your attention to Christ. The great thing about this Christmas devotional is that each day has multiple Bible passages for you to read which will have you spending more time in the Word of God.
Star of Wonder
This 5-day devotional by Angela Hunt will remind you of the true meaning of Christmas. Hunt revisits the Christmas story in its historic setting, shedding new light on the event for modern readers.
Take courage in the fact that God sent His Son in the humblest of circumstances so that His glory would be accessible to all.
The Old Testament: Backstory to Christmas
This 6-day Christmas devotional written by Kevin Hogle puts the Old Testament prophecies into the story of Jesus’ birth, life, and death. The Backstory to Christmas explains how the Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled in the New Testament. The author provides the supporting text from the Bible so you can read it yourself or do further study.
Christmas Devotions for Families
These devotionals are designed for children and are great resources for sharing the Christmas story with the entire family.
An Awesome Marriage Christmas
This 4-day devotional by Dr. Kim Kimberling is geared toward couples. Couples are encouraged to put Jesus at the center of Christmas and to create traditions that strengthen their marriage during the Christmas season.
Superbook: The First Christmas
This 5-day Christmas devotional is centered around the Superbook episode with the same name and includes clips from it. This is a good devotional to do with children as it covers the Christmas story detail and has additional resources on the CBN website for those who want to learn more about the promise of the Messiah.
Ancora Kids Love Christmas!
This 7-day plan from Ancora Kids is a countdown to Christmas day. You and your family will enjoy the short devotional readings and related Bible passages that put the focus back on Christ at Christmas.
Medium-term Christmas Devotionals
The devotionals below may be completed in ten to fourteen days.
Christmas: The Divine Interruption
This 10-day devotional by Sarah Bowling goes through the story of Jesus’ birth as told in Luke 1. It encourages you to slow down and ponder how lives have been changed. The author encourages us to make room in our lives for divine interruptions instead of rushing through the Christmas season.
The Hope of Christmas
This 10-day Christmas devotional by Our Daily Bread reminds us of the hope of the world: Jesus. When the promised Messiah came to live among humanity, He made it possible for us to be reconciled to God. This is the true meaning of Christmas.
Each day’s devotional reminds you that because of Jesus, we can have hope for a better future.
The 10 Promises of Christmas
This 11-day reading plan provided by The Passion Translation focuses on some of the benefits that were made available to every believer when the Savior was born. The devotionals are short and pithy which gives you more time to focus on the various Bible verses that accompany each day’s reading.
Joy-Experience Joy This Christmas
This is a 14-day devotional from the Highland Church that focuses on the joy of Christmas. The tone of this Christmas devotional is upbeat and joyful. Each daily devotional ends with a challenge to choose joy or some questions to reflect on.
Some of the daily Bible passages are longer than are usually found in devotionals and invite the reader to slow down with God in the middle of the busiest season ever.
14 Days Christmas Devotional
This devotional plan created by Back to the Bible reminds us that Jesus’ birth was a significant event that impacted the whole world. Each day of this Christmas devotional focuses on a different aspect of the Christmas story. Readers are encouraged to remember the gifts given to us by God when He sent His Son to die for the world.
Long-term Christmas Devotionals
The free Christmas devotionals in this section require a longer-term commitment than those previously discussed. Since they require a 25-day commitment, I recommend starting the plan on the first of December so that the last devotional is read on Christmas day.
The Christmas Story Through African Eyes
This 25-day devotional was inspired by The Africa Study Bible. Each day’s devotional is taken from the Africa Study Bible and compares different aspects of the Christmas story to the African culture. Readers are invited to find connections between Jesus’ story and their own.
Cost of Christmas
This 25-day devotional by Jack Graham looks at one aspect of the Christmas story each day. Written in simple, easily understood language, the author brings you into the story of Christmas to remind you that each character was a real person who had emotions and experiences like you do.
Each person in the Christmas story paid a price to be part of it, their sacrifice made it possible for us to enjoy the benefits of salvation.
Christian Christmas Devotionals
The Christmas holidays were initially adopted by Christians as a way to commemorate the birth of our Savior. Unfortunately, we sometimes lose sight of that in the midst of all the hustle and bustle of the season.
Hopefully, you’ll discover at least one Christmas devotional that will be the right fit for your family.
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