Category: Bible Study Tips/Tools

It’s All About Jesus

I made the decision a year ago that I would read the Bible in its entirety in one year. It was something I always wanted to do, but I usually fell off the plan after getting to Deuteronomy. I almost gave up multiple times, but God gave me the strength to keep pushing forward.

When I embarked on the journey of reading the Bible in an entire year, it was mainly because I felt that as a Christian it was hypocritical to say you believed in God but never even read God’s word to us. I felt that we should know the scriptures inside and out. But as I read, my perspective on this changed. While it is great to have read the entire Bible and to know it well, it is not solely necessary for salvation. Some may believe that eternal life comes by reading scriptures, but the scriptures point to who really brings eternal life: JESUS (John 5:39)!

I also think about those who do not have access to a Bible but have been told the gospel and have believed. They may not be able to read the Bible at all, but they believe in their hearts that Jesus is Lord and that God raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9). They will be saved!

I was all wrong when I first started my read through. I was seeking intellectual knowledge, not seeking salvation through Jesus or a personal relationship with him. I was also planning to post my accomplishment all over social media once I completed reading the Bible. Why? In order to brag or appear holy? As much as I hate to admit, that may have been the reason. Instead, I only told a few of my dear Christian friends that I meet with and a few family members.

As I embark on reading through the Bible again next year, it won’t be so that I can add a tally to how many times I’ve read the Bible. It will be so that I can see Jesus Christ shine brightly throughout the entirety of the scriptures (Old AND New Testaments) and to know Him even more as my savior. I need to get it ingrained into my brain that he is all I need for my salvation. I need to learn how to see others as loved by God. And I will do this while I still have free and unrestricted access to my Bible.

Bible Study Resources

Studying the Bible is paramount to growing in your relationship with God. Luckily, we live in a time where Bible study resources are readily available at our fingertips (literally)! Therefore, we must use the resources available to us in order to learn, study, and apply the Word of God to our lives.

While not exhaustive, the Bible study resources below are resources I’ve personally used and enjoyed. I will continue to update this list as I discover more. Feel free to comment with some that have worked for you!

1. Logos Bible Software
Logos Bible Software is an amazing way to digitally study the Bible and also have a ton of commentaries, notes, tools, and more to help you digest the word of God. There are multiple base packages available and some can get quite expensive. But there is a free version called Logos 7 Basic available that you can use and possibly upgrade as time goes on. Logos also offers an online digital store where you can purchase more resources and seamlessly add to your Logos library. There are also mobile apps that can be used in conjunction with the desktop software, which is available on both PC and Mac.

2. Olive Tree Bible
Olive Tree Bible is very similar to Logos in that it is another wonderful software that you can use to study the Bible with ease. You can purchase commentaries, books, and more in the online Olive Tree store to expand you collection, just like you can in Logos. The software itself is free and available for PC, Mac, and mobile devices.

3. YouVersion Bible
YouVersion Bible set the tone and paved the way for digital Bible access. There are a ton of translations available on the YouVersion website and mobile app. You can highlight, share scripture easily, and even do text comparisons between different translations. This is an essential app to download for quick and easy access to God’s Word.

4. Bible.is
Similar to the YouVersion Bible app, Bible.is provides access to some of the best audio (dramatized and non-dramatized) versions of the Bible. This is an excellent way of soaking in God’s word when you aren’t able to read, such as on a daily commute or while exercising.

5. Bible Hub
Bible Hub provides a great resource for in-depth Bible study. There are commentaries, sermons, cross references, and parallel texts available for online research. There are also many different Bible translations available.

6. Bible Study Tools
Bible Study Tools is another great website similar to Bible Hub. You can read the Bible in several different translations, read devotionals and commentaries, compare translations and much more.

7. Biblical Training
Biblical Training is a wonderful resource for studying the Bible in a self-paced college course format. There are basic (foundational) courses, advanced, and seminary-level courses available, all for free!

8. Thru The Bible (TTB)
Jump on the Bible bus with Dr. J. Vernon McGee! Thru the Bible provides a five year study that goes chapter-by-chapter and verse-by-verse through the Bible with commentary by Dr. McGee. One of the best resources you can use to enhance your study time.

9. First 5 App
The First 5 app is exclusively for women wanting to study the Bible collectively. There are multiple Bible study plans available at your fingertips, where you can study with other women in the First 5 community or in a private group with women from your church. You also have the ability to study any of the plans individually.