Resources For Getting Into God's Word
Dear Calvary Family,
"If you want to be changed, if you want to become more like Jesus Christ, discipline yourself to read the Bible.” - Donald Whitney. This is my desire for all of us at Calvary - to be people who are constantly changing and growing toward becoming more like Christ and that means building intentional rhythms for getting into God's Word.
We talked this last Sunday all about the spiritual practice of Scripture and I wanted to give some thoughts and links to resources here so you can spend time listening, reading, studying, memorizing and meditating on the Bible.
LISTEN
YouVersion Bible App: One of the easiest ways to listen to the Bible is through this Bible app that everyone should download onto their phone or tablet as soon as possible. All you have to do is look up your passage and click the icon on the top for listening. Also, it’s free!
Dwell: If you don’t love the reader’s voice on YouVersion and want some more options for voices and background music, then Dwell is a great option. It’s a bit pricey but pretty wonderful if you use it.
READ
YouVersion Bible App: This app also has a plethora of options for reading plans based on age, topic or timeline. I encourage you to try to read the whole Bible at least once in your life! That being said, there’s a bunch of shorter options as well, even ones for kids.
The Bible Project: This is both a website and an app that are wonderful. The app has reading plans and there’s a great section on the Bible Project website that teaches you How to Read the Bible. Check it out as well as the other resources on their website and app to help you read and study the Bible.
STUDY
All of the above resources are helpful for study, especially The Bible Project, but here’s a few more for you.
Bible Gateway: This is a great website for looking up passages in different versions. I also use this to print out pages of the Bible to mark up when I’m studying a passage more deeply.
The Step Bible and Bible Hub: These websites are good free resources for starting to look into the Greek and Hebrew language of the Bible in an accessible way for people who haven’t been to seminary. I still use The Step Bible over some more complicated software programs.
RightNow Media: This link will take you to Calvary’s website with many resources but it also has the way to log-in to RightNow Media for free. This is a massive library of video Bible studies on almost every book of the Bible and almost every topic you could imagine. This is a wonderful and FREE resource for you.
MEMORIZE
Navigators Topical Memory System: This is one of the best lists of bible verses to memorize both as a new believer and for mature Christians. This website lists all their recommended verses and you can also buy a book with cards to help you memorize.
Bible Memory Apps: This article has a review of several Bible memory apps for your phone. I personally don’t use any of these but this can help you if you want a digital option.
MEDITATE
Check out the resources on our Calvary app for both videos and a guide on how to do Lectio Divina on your own. This is the way we practiced meditating on Scripture on Sunday morning. You can also find these videos and guides on the other practices we have learned about so far in the series.
Let’s all dig into God’s Word together! I pray that these resources can get you started or help you go deeper into the riches of the biblical text.
May the Lord bless you and keep you,
Eric Wakeling