“Why do you have all these books about reading the Bible? Why don’t you just read the Bible?”

I’d been hosting a friend for the weekend and after a couple days of late summer fun on the lake, we decided to call a break. We brewed some tea and circled our way downstairs, dropping into the over-sized chairs in the middle of my home library.

While more critical than supportive of the Bible, she was genuinely intrigued by my various study materials.

I may as well confess it now: I’m a nerd at heart. Yes, I was that kid in school. The one who brought books home even when I didn’t have to, and who never, ever allowed the teacher to escape the day without collecting our homework.

“Let me get this straight,” my friend said. “You have all these books that teach you how to read another book?”

She was right. What began as a sincere desire to get to know God better evolved into a journey vastly different than any I’d ever known. I came to Jesus later in life, my mid-thirties, and out of respect for my new relationship, I wanted  to read the Bible. But I also wanted to understand what I read.

I wanted to know not just what scripture said but what it meant. And even more than that, I wanted to know what I was expected to do about what it meant.

While I have no delusions of ever fully understanding everything about the Bible, I did want to glean from those who had taken the time to dive into God’s Word on a much deeper level than I had. So my resources were sort of like having an actively involved friend on the journey with me.  A friend who just happened to have some great foot-notes and cross references and maybe even a few colored maps of where we were going.

I’ll also share how I’ve since learned to be careful who I invite along for that ride. Because apparently even the history and culture and language and traditions of biblical times can be subject to perspective. Like Miss Maudie said in To Kill a Mockingbird, “Sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whiskey bottle in the hand of [another].”

Everyone has an opinion, right.

My personal experience of uncovering God’s truth through His Word and accompanying study materials is the main reason I’m excited to introduce you to an awesome new resource from Thomas Nelson, The Woman’s Study Bible. And we get to give away a copy for FREE. Yay! {Be sure to leave a comment below to be entered in the drawing.}

I’m seriously picky about my Study Bibles these days. Because when I am actively seeking clarity and discernment on rightly handling God’s Word in that moment, I need to know I can trust my references.

This Bible doesn’t disappoint. I absolutely love the special features like the topical articles, the essays from women I follow and respect who are dealing with various life issues, and the many Character Profiles. Then there’s all those charts and timelines that are perfect for more in-depth studies, making this perpetual student quite happy.

I will warn you in advance, though: On the days you’re trying to navigate all of life and you feel like your “Quiet Time” might be a maximum of 5 minutes, the rich coloring of this Bible is going to shamelessly tempt you to linger just a little longer.

We’re super excited to be able to give away a copy so leave us a comment below and tell us how you use Study Bibles {or how you would like to} as you dig deeper into God’s Word.

{P.S. If you’ll be kind and share this giveaway on social media for us, we will give you an extra entry in the giveaway! Thanks in advance, friend.}

 

 

 

 

 

About

Jo Ann helps busy, go-getter women stop ignoring the signals that they're doing too much. As an author and Life Coach, she helps them learn how to make time for themselves so they can start loving their lives again. You can connect with her at JoAnnFore.com.