We have had so many requests lately for recommendations for Bible Studies and devotionals to do at home so today our team member, Meg Thatcher, is sharing some of her favorites. Meg is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and has a passion for mentoring tween and teen girls. We are excited to share her recommendations and we’d love for you to share yours at the bottom of the post!
In God’s Word, we can learn about all aspects of his character. God’s Word teaches us about His unmatched majesty and beauty, while also teaching that God calls us to approach His throne where he is eager to meet us with grace. Immersing ourselves in His Word equips us to face the afflictions that have defined 2020. We learn that God doesn’t change his character when bad things happen. We open our Bibles and moor ourselves to His word to find consistency, encouragement, and promises of hope for the future.
Opening your Bible can seem overwhelming. It takes time and discipline and faith that God will fulfill his promise to use His word to speak to you. It is easy to replace our time in the Word with books and devotionals and Bible studies because they are often easier to understand. By no means are these books bad, but it is important to understand that they are not meant to be a replacement, but rather an encouragement to turn to and dig deep into God’s word. However, not all devotional books are the same and many use Scripture out of context and lead you away from intentional time in the Word. It is important to be able to discern between a book that is replacing the Bible and something that is meant to be a tool to help you understand and interpret the Bible.
Therefore, we must evaluate these books before we introduce them to ourselves, our family, friends or children. While there are many questions to ask in this process, the most important is how heavily it relies on paraphrases of the Bible and personal anecdotes rather than actual Scripture.
Today, I want to share my favorite Bible studies and devotionals that are intentional in leading you to Scripture, emphasize the importance of context in the Bible and are biblically sound. As a seminary student, we were required to read a lot of books, in addition to our assigned Bible reading. I learned that the better you know Scripture, the easier it is to recognize something that is contrary. I believe these are books, devotionals and studies that help you to understand and interpret Scripture and dig deeper into God’s Word.
For Men
The Life Guide series has many books for individual and group Bible Studies for men and women. Lee is going through the one above with her oldest daughter. Also, the Illuminated Bible (shown above) is sold in individual books of the Bible, helpful for taking notes and journaling. A set makes a lovely gift, too!
For Women
For Tweens and Teens
The Write the Word journal is not a Bible Study or devotionals but a way to write, meditate and pray Scripture. It makes a great gift for teen girls.
For Children and Family
See Lee’s favorite Bibles for children click here.
Thank you for this post! I’m bookmarking all of these. I’m not able to find the Jesus and Women study by Jen Wilkin–there’s one she wrote called Women of the Word and then another by Kristi McLelland called Jesus and Women. Would love to know which one you recommend!
Sorry title mix up! She updated above!