My, Devotion to Him #79
1. A Study Bible
I’ve read different parts of various Study Bibles and have come to the conclusion that this type of Bible be of great value. It’s nice and very helpful to have the assistance of explanatory notes, book introductions, maps, charts, verse references and connection links to other Bible verses all within one Bible. Truly a great help and one of the greatest tools to help someone Study the Bible. A recommended one is the NIV Study Bible. I use the NIV in all devotions as this is the most comprehensive version for me to read and still within the guidelines of reliable translation.
2. A Notebook/Note Pad
Some people like to jot down notes for future references, discoveries, revelations, passages that are helpful, passages for further reading and studying on, verses that have spoken to them. I rarely write stuff from the Bible on a note pad or anything like that. As I use my phone for all that stuff. There a plenty of Bible apps such as the one that I have which is the NIV StudyBible App. Some of these Bible apps let you highlight verse in several different colors, provide the ability to tag a note to a certain verse, write notes, etc. I find it useful to write things done as we may need them in the future and it’s helpful to be able to access them easily without flipping through every part of the Bible to find that one verse. Highlighting and note taking is very useful and recommended.
3. A Concordance
I never knew what this was. Until a former Pastor of mine gave me one. I absolutely love it. A Concordance list all the places any word is used in the Bible. Now there are slight differences between a regular Concordance and an Exhaustive Concordance. A regular one is good. It is helpful for examining what scripture teaches about a certain topic and very helpful for finding a passage you remember but can’t recall where it’s found. A recommended one is Strong’s Concordance.
4. A Bible Dictionary
The Bible dictionary provides brief definitions of words you might run across while reading through your Bible. Even providing brief biographies of key people in the Bible.
5. A Topical Bible
A very interesting Bible as it groups together all the scripture verses on any topic you might want to study. However, caution is advised as these are grouped together based upon the interpretation of the person who put the book together. Take the time to explore the context before you change any of your views based upon reading this type of Bible.
6. Manners & Customs of the Bible
There are endless resources out there to help you understand the sometimes puzzling customs of Biblical times.
7. A Bible Commentary
A commentary helps people interpret Bible passages. However, it is critical to remember that these are often scholars putting forth their own views, it is a good idea to compare several commentaries. There are two different commentaries.
- A commentary that covers the whole Bible. Often little details are overlooked unless it’s key to understanding the passage or book. Sometimes these can be vague or covering the basics of each book.
- A commentary that covers a single book of the Bible. These tend to almost always have every little detail in them. The sole focus is on one book of the Bible in which every little thing is discussed or mentioned.
8. A Bible Atlas
Bible atlases help readers to see exactly where a certain event took place. Some times these might even show the relationship between two localities, culture, etc.
There you go. Eight different tools that can be used to help us read through the Bible. I hope and pray this has been very helpful to you all.
God bless you my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Copyright © 2017 by Jacob D. Olinger
Spirit Warrior Ministry 