Forty Days of Fruitful Living: a devotional companion, and how forty-day readings work
Forty Days of Fruitful Living is a book of daily readings by Robert Schnase, published by Abingdon Press in 2010 as a devotional companion to Five Practices of Fruitful Living. It was designed for individuals and small groups, especially during Lent, and belongs to a long tradition of forty-day spiritual exercises. This page describes the book and offers some practical notes for congregations planning a season of shared daily reading.
Unofficial page. Vine & Lintel is independent of the author and publisher, sells nothing and does not reproduce the book's readings.
What the book is
The book offers forty short daily readings organized around the five personal practices described in Fruitful Living: receiving God's love, loving God in return, growing in Christ, serving others and giving back. The publisher presented it as suitable for Lent or for any time of year, for individuals or small groups. The format is modest by design: something that can be read in a few minutes at the start or end of a day, and discussed briefly in a weekly group.
It was one of several devotional books Schnase wrote around the five practices. Others include Cultivating Fruitfulness (2008), a five-week congregational program; The Balancing Act (2009), drawn from his own reflections on grace in daily life; and Practicing Extravagant Generosity (2011), daily readings for a stewardship emphasis. See our book notes for the wider list.
Why forty days?
The number forty recurs throughout the Bible as a period of testing and preparation: the rain of the flood, Moses on the mountain, Israel's forty years in the wilderness, Elijah's journey to Horeb and, above all, Jesus' forty days in the desert before his public ministry. The church's season of Lent, forty days before Easter not counting Sundays, grew out of that last story and out of the ancient practice of preparing candidates for baptism at Easter.
Forty days is also a practical length. It is long enough for a new habit to take hold, short enough to feel achievable, and fits naturally within the calendar of most congregations. That is why many devotional books and congregational campaigns, across denominations, use the same span.
How congregations used it
Congregations typically used the book in one of three ways. Some invited every member to read it during Lent, often alongside a sermon series on the five practices and weekly small groups. Others used it as a follow-up to a study of the congregational book, so that leaders who had discussed the church's practices could reflect on their own. And individuals used it on their own as a structured season of prayer at any time of year.
Planning a forty-day reading season: practical notes
Whatever book a congregation chooses, the experience of many churches suggests a few practical lessons:
- Start before the start. Distribute books, or reading plans, at least two weeks ahead, and explain the purpose in worship.
- Connect the pieces. Align sermons, children's activities and group discussions with the readings, so the whole congregation travels together.
- Lower the barrier. Offer large-print copies, audio options and a simple daily email or text for those who prefer it.
- Make missing a day normal. Encourage people to pick up wherever they are rather than giving up when they fall behind.
- Gather weekly. Short group conversations turn private reading into shared formation, and are often where newcomers find a place.
- Plan the fortieth day. End with a celebration, a commitment or a next step, such as joining an ongoing group, so the season leads somewhere.
- Respect copyright. Buy or borrow copies rather than photocopying readings; publishers often offer bulk pricing or digital licenses for congregations.
Strengths and limits of the format
Daily devotional books are accessible and build a habit of attention to Scripture. They can also become a box to tick, or substitute a few minutes of reading for deeper engagement with whole books of the Bible. Many congregations pair a season of devotional reading with an invitation to longer-term study, so that the forty days become a doorway into intentional faith development rather than an end in themselves.
Who the format suits
Daily readings of this kind work best for people who want structure without a heavy time commitment: commuters, parents with young children, older members who read in the morning, or anyone returning to the habit of prayer after a gap. They suit groups whose members have very different levels of biblical knowledge, because each reading is self-contained. They are less suited to people who want sustained argument or close study of a text, who may prefer a commentary or a book-length study alongside. Many congregations offer both, inviting those who want more to join a weekly class while everyone else reads the daily page. Leaders planning such a season can also invite households to read together, with one person reading aloud at a shared meal; that small change often turns a private habit into a family conversation, and gives children a natural way into the practices described in the book.
Questions for a group
- Which day's reading stayed with you this week, and why?
- Which of the five practices did you find yourself resisting?
- What small action did a reading prompt you to take?
- What will you keep doing after the forty days end?
Sources
- Abingdon Press, author page for Robert Schnase.
- Lewis Center for Church Leadership, "Five Practices of Fruitful Living", 2010.
- Genesis 7:12; Exodus 24:18; Numbers 14:33–34; 1 Kings 19:8; Matthew 4:1–2.
Books & authorFive Practices of Fruitful Congregations
What the 2007 book argues, how it is built and how churches have used it.
The five practicesIntentional faith development
Small groups, classes and mentoring: how a church helps faith grow beyond Sunday.
Books & authorRobert Schnase, author and bishop
An unofficial, sourced profile: pastor in Texas, bishop in Missouri and Rio Texas, author.