I was in my 40s when I learned about the ministry of evangelist Ray Comfort. He came to the United States decades ago from New Zealand and has had a significant, flourishing ministry since then. His Living Waters ministry produces a host of print, audio, and video resources to proclaim the gospel and help others learn to share their faith effectively. They host events and have an extensive speaking ministry. I have deep respect and gratitude for Ray Comfort. The Lord used his ministry and resources like The Evidence Study Bible, the School of Biblical Evangelism, Hell's Best Kept Secret, True and False Conversion, and many others to significantly shape my understanding of the gospel and help me grow as a Christian. I eagerly listen to every Living Waters podcast released. I've happily provided thousands of Comfort's tracts, CDs, and other resources for distribution over many years. I even have a leather belt pouch that Comfort, a former leather worker, made and sent me in response to many years of purchases from his ministry. I trust Comfort, his coworkers, and their gospel resources.
Therefore, when I learned in 2022 that Comfort wrote a devotional book of 365 morning and evening devotions, I was happy to purchase and read it, which I did every day in 2023. Below are a few thoughts about the book and my experience of reading it for others who may be interested.
One thing that will jump out at the reader is the brevity of the devotions. That isn't a criticism - just an observation. Of course, if you're reading two of them daily in this morning and evening format, brevity is an advantage to many readers to encourage persistence in reading through 730 of them in a year.
The devotions are structured logically. Each begins with a Bible quote, then lists a suggested more extended passage that will lead the reader through the entire Bible in a year, then the devotional thoughts by Comfort on the quoted passage, and a one-sentence prayer at the end. Comfort is a master at communication, so all the devotions are easily understood and a source of growth in biblical knowledge and inspiration to grow in one's faith and practice.
Ray Comfort is an evangelist who spends time daily near his home in Huntington Beach, California, sharing the gospel with strangers, so you can expect a heavy focus on evangelism throughout the book. That may annoy or challenge you to step outside your comfort zone and be bolder in your verbal witness for Christ. As a lifelong introvert, I understand the significant differences between extroverts and introverts when talking with strangers. I get irritated when all the extroverts of the world think introverts need to change to be more like them. So, I felt my share of discomfort reading the book. However, no Christian gets a pass on being a positive witness for Christ. That doesn't mean we all knock on strangers' doors or preach on street corners. Still, every Christian needs to know how to have gospel conversations, even if they happen only in the context of people we already know and interact with regularly.
As the writer of a devotional book with 366 devotions, I appreciate the thought and effort that went into Comfort writing 365 morning and evening devotions. That's no small task. It's a worthwhile book that will challenge the reader to grow in faith and share that faith with others. The book had a few more typos than I expected to find, but perhaps those will be corrected in future editions. Either way, I commend to you Ray Comfort, his Living Waters ministry, and the morning and evening devotions in My Comfort is Jesus.