The Daily Devotional Series: 365 Devotions Through the New Testament

By Kristi Burchfiel

The New Testament of the Bible shares the message of the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ. These 27 books have been studied for centuries as people are drawn to the message of salvation by grace through faith. Even today, readers turn to the New Testament to learn from the truths within the pages and to apply those truths to their daily lives.

Kristi Burchfiel returns with her signature devotional style, inviting each of us to take an overview of the New Testament with 365 devotions covering verses from each chapter of the New Testament. With this book, take five minutes out of your day to focus on a truth from scripture and apply that truth to your life each day so you can become more like Jesus Christ each day.

Praise for “The Daily Devotional Series”
Burchfiel makes it so easy for anyone to get lost in scripture and study the Bible by providing a focused approach to a specific book of the Bible that can be read in just 5 minutes per day.
Lori A Moore–Christian Author, review of “The Daily Devotional Series: Genesis”

Kristi has done a wonderful job delivering God-divined wisdom in short, easy to understand, chapters.
Ursula Gorman–Christian Romantic Suspense Author, review of “The Daily Devotional Series: Gospel of John”

The response is the part that makes the verses come alive in the reader's life. It becomes clear that the reader is not to just read, but to put the truth learned into practice.
Elaine Littau–Author of Christian Historical Fiction, review of “The Daily Devotional Series: Gospel of John”

About the Author
Kristi Burchfiel is a Christian devotional author and speaker who focuses on helping people understand and apply Biblical truths to their daily lives. She believes we should all seek to be “Living in the World, Living out the Word.” She currently makes her home in Wichita, Kansas with her husband, Reverend D Burchfiel, and their two children.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kristi Burchfiel
• Release date: Apr 23, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301905218

Kristi Burchfiel

I never thought that the difficult times I found myself stuck in would result in a Bible study. As a young pastor’s wife, I found myself digging deep into the book of Ecclesiastes looking for answers to the questions that overwhelmed my life: How do I prioritize my life? What things should I focus on? What do I do when things don’t work out my way? How do I avoid having regrets later on? Those questions and the answers I learned paved the way for my first book Without Regrets. Since then, I’ve experienced the amazing truths that God has for us in the Bible and I am passionate about sharing those truths with others in a way that they can apply those truths to their lives. I write Christian Daily Devotionals, including a devotional for the day, as well as Bible studies and I love to share and to pray for people through my Facebook Page and on Twitter. I also enjoy the opportunity to speak and encourage others whether it’s a small study group or a large women’s conference. I grew up in Valley Center, Kansas and received my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, Oklahoma. I’ve been married to my husband D Burchfiel for 16 years and we enjoy our 2 children, Rebekah and Andrew. We currently make our home in Wichita, Kansas where D is the pastor of Southwest Baptist Church.

Book preview

Introduction

What is The Daily Devotional Series?

The Daily Devotional Series was born from my own personal devotions. As part of my daily time with God, I wanted to be able to read and study a whole book of the Bible at a time. However, I also wanted to be able to focus on one specific thought or idea that I could hold on to for the whole day.

Ultimately, I decided to take one book of the Bible, read through one chapter a day, and then focus on a truth from one verse in that chapter. This allows me to balance the consistency of going through a whole book at a time with the specific focus I need for that particular day.

These devotions are not designed to be an in-depth study of a particular verse, chapter, or book. They are intentionally designed to be brief. Because of this, readers won’t get bogged down in lots of theology. Instead, I encourage the reader to take the time to really focus on application in his or her personal life. The Bible is living and active and applicable in our daily lives.

How do I use The Daily Devotional Series?

If you have the time, I encourage you to take the time to read through the entire chapter for each day so you can get the full story and background information. However, realize that is not necessary to be able to follow and learn from the devotionals. Each devotional focuses on one verse, the truth in that verse, and a response to pray back to God.

May you be blessed as you study God’s word and apply it to your life daily.

About the New Testament

The New Testament is made up of twenty-seven individual books that are found in the last fourth of the Bible. Through the pages of these books the reader finds the fulfillment of many of the promises and prophecies that the Old Testament books foretold. People have turned to the New Testament for its fulfillment of prophecy, for its instructions and teachings, and, most importantly, for the message of hope and salvation through Jesus Christ, Son of God.

The entire New Testament can be broken into four sections: the gospels, history, letters, and prophecy.

Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

Each gospel depicts the story of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The authors, whose names are the title of their books, share similar events throughout the books.

Matthew is often thought to be the most structured of the four books and was written with a Jewish audience in mind. The book focuses on how Jesus Christ fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament and is truly the promised Messiah. Mark is written as a quick paced action, adventure book focusing on the actions and suffering of Jesus Christ.

Luke is written as a message of the saving grace of Jesus Christ for the whole world. Luke was not a Jew and as such he writes the story of Jesus and focuses on His coming to save the world. John focuses on the divine nature of Jesus Christ and reveals the truth of the Holy Son of God.

History: Acts

The book of Acts begins where each of the gospels leaves off. This book tells of the return of Jesus to heaven and the beginning of the early church who were initially called followers of The Way. The familiar name Christians or little Christs was originally used as an insult.

Throughout the book of Acts, the believers see the mighty workings of the Holy Spirit in and through the people who surrender their lives to Jesus Christ. Many mighty leaders in the church are introduced including Philip, James, and Paul.

Letters: Romans through Jude

The letters make up the majority of the books in the New Testament. Three types of letters make up this section. The first is Paul’s letters to the churches. Romans through Thessalonians are all written by Paul to churches in various areas and focus on specific situations and theological issues that the early churches are dealing with. These are very instructional and focus on doctrine and application of that doctrine in the church.

The second section of letters is the Pastoral letters. These letters, Timothy, Titus, and Philemon are written by Paul to specific individuals and are more personal in nature.

The final section of letters is the General Letters. These letters cover Hebrews through Jude. These letters are written by various authors and also cover specific issues that the early church was facing.

Prophecy: Revelation

Revelation could also be considered a letter, but the content of this letter deals specifically with prophecy and the revelation to John from God of the end times of the world. This book has often been the source of many questions and many debates. Even with all the debates and differences in interpretation, this book provides great insight into the ultimate victory that God has over all the forces of evil.

Order of this Devotional

This devotional, while it starts day 1 with Matthew chapter 1 and ends day 365 with Revelation chapter 22, does not go in order directly through the New Testament. I have chosen instead to intersperse the letters in between the gospels and history books. This adds variety instead of going straight through all four gospels right off the bat.

We go through all of Paul’s letters twice which allows us to get to the 365 number. By doing this, I hope to show that the message of the New Testament is cohesive throughout all the sections listed. Regardless of whether we are reading the biography in the gospels, the history, the letters, or the prophecy, we can all find truths to apply to our lives as we learn more about our awesome Creator, His Son Jesus Christ, and the ultimate salvation and victory that is promised to all who believe in Him.

Day 1

Matthew 1:21—She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sin.

TRUTH:

In this brief statement by the announcing angel is the entire purpose for Jesus's coming. Jesus came to save people from their sins. Such hope, such promise, such excitement is found in this verse. Are we living out this hope and excitement so that it's visible to others?

RESPONSE:

Lord, You came to bring hope to those who had none. You provided a way for us to experience forgiveness and restoration. You desire reconciliation. Help me to never forget that through You is the hope that everyone needs.

Day 2

Matthew 2:12—And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.

TRUTH:

This chapter lists several times when God warned people about danger that was coming. Are we paying attention to God? He knows what is coming in our lives, and He will often let us know what we need to be doing. This verse doesn't say that God told the magi exactly why they should not go back to Herod. So even though we may not know the reason why we are to do or not do something, we can always trust God for direction.

RESPONSE:

Lord, I need guidance in my life. I pray You will lead and direct my every step and help me to trust and follow You even if Your direction doesn't make sense at the time.

Day 3

Matthew 3:6—and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.

TRUTH:

John the Baptist was preaching and teaching the need for repentance. He was also baptizing believers in the Jordan river. Baptism was a public display that people did to let everyone know about the internal decision to repent that they had made. John baptized people as they confessed their sins to let everyone know that they had repented. Once we have asked God's forgiveness and repented from our sins, do we make that decision public and let others know our decision?

RESPONSE:

Lord, I pray that each day, whether it is initially through baptism or later through telling others, that I would make my decision to follow Jesus known publicly for all to see and know. Thank You for Your salvation for all.

Day 4

Matthew 4:1—Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

TRUTH:

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to be led by the Spirit. Jesus was led by the Spirit directly toward Satan in this instance, not away from him. Even so, Jesus followed and went through that time of testing. Do we follow God, even when we know that the path will be difficult and we may face the testing of Satan? We are to follow the leading of the Spirit and He will lead us through.

RESPONSE:

Lord, no matter what You lead me through, I'd rather follow than go another way. Your Word is over all and You are over all, and no matter what You lead me toward, I choose to go through it to be able to follow You.

Day 5

Matthew 5:24—leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.

TRUTH:

Relationships matter. First and foremost, our relationship with God sets the example for how we relate to everyone else in our life. Plus, the way we relate to the others in our life is a direct reflection of how we are relating to God. Do we hold grudges? Are we unforgiving? These attitudes will affect our relationship with God. We cannot overlook or ignore our relationships with others.

RESPONSE:

Lord, I pray You will show me my relationships with others through Your eyes. Help me see if there are any changes I need to make or reconciliations I need to initiate. I want my relationships with others to be a positive reflection of my relationship with You.

Day 6

Matthew 6:1—Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.

TRUTH:

Motivation matters. The reasons why we do what we do are very important to God. We are to focus on pleasing and obeying God solely for God's benefit. If we are doing things in order to be seen and rewarded by others then we will miss out on God's reward for our obedience. Why do we follow Him? Are we seeking our praise from Him or from others?

RESPONSE:

Lord, I pray my obedience will remain simply for Your glory alone. I desire to be used by You, but more importantly, I want to be concerned about Your praise, not the praise of others.

Day 7

Matthew 7:13—Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.

TRUTH:

Do we feel like we're all alone and no one understands us? That may mean that we're on the right path. Finding ourselves with plans and ideas that differ from the majority is not always a bad thing. We must constantly evaluate ourselves to make sure we line up with the Bible. If we follow the Bible, we will find ourselves in the company of fewer and fewer people who truly believe the same way that we do.

RESPONSE:

Lord, help me focus on You alone and not get distracted by the crowds trying to lead me the wrong way. I love You and want to serve and follow You alone.

Day 8

Matthew 8:2—And a leper came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.

TRUTH:

Jesus has both the power and ability to do all things; the question is the willingness. The leper recognized this and did not ask Jesus if He could heal him, but instead makes the statement, You can make me clean. We can ask God about His willingness, recognizing that if He is not willing to use His power in a certain way, then He knows what is best and He has something greater planned.

RESPONSE:

Lord, You are all powerful and if You are willing, You are able to do anything You like. Help me to trust in Your decisions on when You use Your power, knowing that Your willingness is always for the best.

Day 9

Matthew 9:36—Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.

TRUTH:

Do we see people as God sees them? He looks at people and sees their hurts and their needs. Do we see the same? Or, do we only see the appearance of people, or the actions of people? We must look past these and see people as Jesus sees them and then respond as He would.

RESPONSE:

Lord, You see people as they truly are. Help me to see others as You see them so I can respond to them and treat them as You would, not as I would.

Day 10

Matthew 10:39—He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.

TRUTH:

We are we searching for? What are we trying desperately to attain? If we are seeking to gain and hold on to our life, we will not be able to keep it. If we are willing to sacrifice our life, or give up our life for Jesus Christ, then through Him, we will be given life. How are we trying to obtain life?

RESPONSE:

Father, help me be willing to sacrifice all for You. My life means nothing apart from You, for only You give me meaning and purpose.

Day 11

Matthew 11:28—Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

TRUTH:

What a beautiful promise! Do