God's Word For Today | Thankful Thursday

Welcome back to another Thankful Thursday. I always enjoy counting my blessings here with you all. One of the things I am thankful for is free Bible study materials. My church provides free devotion booklets called God's Word For Today. These booklets are such a great resource when studying the Bible. The devotional booklet is free to anyone who wants one and it has a three month devotional plan. As you can see this devotional booklet is for June, July, and August 2021. There is a beautiful photograph on the cover and a scripture in the NIV translation. As you all know I am a KJV girl so I look up the scriptures in my Bible and I never have a problem with that. The summer issue's scripture is:

JEREMIAH 17:7,8 (NIV) Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord....They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots into the stream.

JEREMIAH 17:7,8 (KJV) (7)Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. (8)For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding her fruit. 

This is Volume 75, Number 4 but honestly it does not matter which devotional you get. You can even get an older volume and number and the material is so good to work through. This page (below) shows the dates in one column, the name of the writer and their title in the middle column and then the pages of those devotions in the column on the right. This is nice because if you like a particular style of writing, you may be able to look up more information on the writer.

These next two photos are of the summer issue introduction pages, a Quicklook excerpt, and a Daily Prayer Emphasis. I am so excited to jump in to this starting in June because we are going to read Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, and finish up other historical books of the Old Testament. Since we are studying Ezra here on this blog every Wednesday, I think this is the perfect timing!

The devotional content begins on Tuesday, June 1. Beneath the title lists the scriptures to read. Then at the bottom of the devotional is the Thought for Today, a Quicklook reference, and Daily Prayer Emphasis. I love that each day it gives a different geographical location to pray for the residents there. This is going to be a great devotional to work through and I am so thankful this is a free resource at my church.

Inside the front cover there is contact information for ordering God's Word for Today. If you visit their website here you can order this devotional. It looks like it is $4.39 at the time this blog post is published. You can visit www.MyHealthyChurch.com or call 1-800-641-4310 for more information.

I am thankful this organization offers this amazing resource. If you are just starting to study God's Word, this would be a great way to dive in. If you have been an avid Bible reader and enjoy these types of studies, this would be a wonderful addition to the studies you are doing. I am not sponsored or affiliated in any way with this organization. I just wanted to share something I am going to be using this summer to study God's Word and wanted to let you know how to get your own copy if you are interested.

Thank you for spending time with me today as we count our blessings on this Thankful Thursday. Let me know if you get a copy of this! I have had other devotional booklets from them before and I am excited about starting the summer issue. Have a wonderful day! Be sure to come back tomorrow for some Fuel For The Weekend! God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

 

Three Free Resources | Bible Study

Every week on Wednesdays, it is my hope to bring you a Bible study. Today I want to talk about how to study the Bible. There are many different ways to study the Bible; countless devotions, books, and resources available for those who desire to learn more. Today, I want to share a few of my favorite free Bible study resources. No matter how you study the Bible the most important thing is that you study God's Word deeply and often. 

One of my favorite ways to study the Bible on my phone is with an app called YouVersion. This valuable tool is very convenient to study Scriptures anywhere. Some of the features I like about this app are the ability to do studies alone or with friends regardless of where they are as long as they have the app, too. I enjoy the ability to highlight favorite scriptures in any color I choose. There is a myriad of topical studies to choose from. The keyword search feature helps when you don't know exactly where in the Bible a verse or passage is located. I am a KJV girl but it is nice to have the verse comparison tool to read the same verse in multiple translations. Another cool feature on this app is the badges. It's fun to see a reward for reading the Word and doing Bible study plans throughout the year. I really enjoy the ability to create an image with the verse of the day. It can be saved or shared on social media and with family and friends. I especially enjoy listening to the Bible be read to me while I am working or driving and cannot read the text for myself. For several years now I have read the Bible through in a year and this app has given me a variety of plans to do that.

Bible Gateway is another fantastic free resource. You can quickly look up verses with key words. The commentary section is excellent and they also feature translation comparisons for verses and passages. There are reading plans, devotionals, keyword searches, and audio Bible features, too. I have used this resource a lot and refer to it often when preparing lesson plans for my students. It is a resource I highly recommend for those wanting to explore God's Word in an in-depth way.

Our Daily Bread is the third and final free resource I will talk about today. I have been reading through their small and compact devotional booklets for decades. Each booklet has three months worth of devotions and prayers with prompts for extra reading if you want to study further. These are great for those pressed for time or new to studying the Word. The website has free articles, videos, and you can even join their email list to get free uplifting content. You can donate to this ministry and it is an excellent one to sow into. Their mission statement is "To make the life-changing wisdom of the Bible understandable and accessible to all."

No one is paying me to say anything about these resources. These are by no means the only resources available. I enjoy using these when I want to look something up, dig further on a specific topic, or read what others have said in their commentaries. Whether you use one of these, all of these or none of these; the important thing is to daily break the bread of God's Word. It's vital to study the Bible for yourself because even pastors who study at great length can misquote a verse. I have sat under anointed men and women of God and heard some big blunders that I would not have caught if I was expecting to be spoon-fed the Word of God every Sunday morning. It's important to know the truth for ourselves and the only real way to do that is to study it for ourselves.

JOSHUA 1:8    "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."

2 TIMOTHY 2:15    "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

Friends, no matter what version of the Bible you read, or where you are in your faith journey, keep studying it. You grow closer to God, know His expectations of you, understand His character, know His Will for your life, and the more you read and learn, the sharper your spiritual sword will be to fight off the enemy! God bless you!!

Hugs,

Bridgett