Yesterday at The Journey, we completed a 3 week series called "Destinations". In the series we've been talking about a phrase from Andy Stanley, where he said "Your direction, not intentions, determine your destination". All series long we looked at these key verses. We need God's direction, and God primarily speaks to us through His Word, the Bible. But, the Bible is an intimidating book - it's large (and there's no pictures), can be difficult to understand, and often we just don't no where to start.
So, this week on the blog, I'm going to give some potential ways, some fresh ways, some new thoughts on studying the Bible.
I'm trusting, that because you've found this blog, you know how to navigate around the internet - so today, I'm going to give some helpful online tools for studying the Bible.
You might want to check out Bible Gateway, where you can search specific passages of the Bible, you can search keywords, or look for words - like "love others" and see what verses in the Bible talk about that. Plus, you can choose from a variety of translations that can give you a new glimpse in familiar passages. You might want to check out "The Message" version on Bible Gateway.
You Version is a GREAT online tool that is part Bible Study, part daily reader, part online community. From our friends at Life Church, you can look up verses in the Bible, and you can highlight the ones you want to look at. Then, to the right of the page, you will find videos, people's personal thoughts, and professional commentaries related to those verses. The material is constantly growing as well. You can also have a place for your own journal entries and thoughts that you can keep for every time you go back to You Version. I know some people who simply read their Bible at You Version each day.
You could also check out this resource that serves as a bookstore, a Bible answer resource, and a daily reading (all laid out for you).
You can check out an online commentary (which explains the verses found in the Bible). The commentaries language is at times a bit archaic, but it can help you understand what you're reading. You can check it out here!!
Tomorrow, I'll pass along some questions that you can ask yourself as you read, that can bring some new insight as you read.
If you've got specific questions, leave them here, and we'll try to address them throughout the week.