Category: Bible Usage

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. ” John 3:16-17, NLT

Note from the Swindoll Study Bible

I think I love people deeply— until I read about the way God loves people. Chances are good I wouldn’t sacrifice my son or daughter for anyone. But God did— and He did it for all of us. He so loved you and me that He gave His Son to die for us.

Why did He do it? “So that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” You don’t have to clean up your life. You couldn’t if you tried. You just have to believe in Jesus Christ. That’s the Good News. He died for you on a cross. And if you believe in Him, you will have eternal life with God and a whole new beginning that starts from the inside out. Goodness knows we need help from the inside out.

Look inside the Swindoll Study Bible

“What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.

“I tell you the truth, everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, the Son of Man will also acknowledge in the presence of God’s angels. But anyone who denies me here on earth will be denied before God’s angels. Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

“And when you are brought to trial in the synagogues and before rulers and authorities, don’t worry about how to defend yourself or what to say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what needs to be said.” Luke 12:6-12, NLT

Note from the New Believer’s Bible

As this parable illustrates, it is easy to allow other pursuits to cloud our spiritual vision. We have to make enough money to get that new car, buy that house, or take that dream vacation.

But we get so caught up in chasing after money and success that we leave God out of the equation altogether. Jesus has strong words for people who store up earthly wealth but fail to cultivate a rich relationship with God—he says they are fools.

God’s answer to this dilemma is for us to focus on his will for our lives. Jesus said, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:33). The more you channel your energy, ambition, and life into this one holy pursuit, the less obsessed you will be with the cares and concerns of this world.

Everything else will come into balance. Seek God’s Kingdom in all that you do. Failure to do so will only guarantee confusion, failure, and emptiness.

Look inside the New Believer’s Bible

“For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” Zephaniah 3:17, NLT

Devotional from the THRIVE Devotional Bible for Women

Love Letter from God

Beloved Daughter

I am very near to you, and I delight in you. I am here for calm your fears and care for your every need. No one knows you better than I do because I created you to be close to Me. Many times you feel far from Me because you’re looking for comfort and love in places they can’t be found. I am the lover of your soul, and I want you to walk out each day in the confidence that you are loved and cherished by Me. As you look up to the heavens, know that I am with you everywhere you go.

Love,
Your Heavenly Father

Reflection

We can miss God’s presence when we’re blinded by our own fears and try to handle life’s problems on our own. When we are afraid, we should run right to our God. He feels more present when we feel out of control.

Treasure of Truth

God delights in you.

Look inside the Thrive Devotional Bible for Women

Activity from the Hands-On Bible

“O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.

You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.

You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.”

Psalm 139:1-3, NLT

Read those verses from Psalm 3 times to remind yourself who knows you best. Then ask a parent for guardian to help you print our a map of where you live.

Mark your map using the key below.

Use a highlighter to trace the roads your family uses, then read PSALM 139:1–3 out loud. God always knows where you are, what you’re doing , and what you’re thinking and feeling. Wherever you go, whatever you think or feel, God understands and loves you!

Use a red marker to draw a large heart that surrounds all the places you’ve highlighted on your map. Then hang your map in your room to help you remember the verse you just learned!

Bonus Idea: You also can print a map of the world or your country and mark different places you’ve been or lived.

Look inside the Hands-On Bible

“But you are a God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow to become angry, and rich in unfailing love and mercy.” Nehemiah 9:17b, NLT

From the Hands-On Bible

The Israelites kept a little pattern going that went like this:

1. Everything was OK
2. They’d start worshiping false gods
3. Things would go bad
4. They’d ask God for help
5. Everything was OK

This little pattern had been going on for more than 1,000 years. (If you were sitting in the care for 1,000 years, you could drive across the United States more than 90,000 times.) But God never stopped loving, forgiving, and waiting for the Israelites.

Read Nehemiah 9:17b again to see just how patient God is!

Let’s see how patient you are!

1. Fill a plastic cup with potting soil, and drop in a few seeds.
2. Cover the seeds with soil, and add water.
3. Watch the cup until you see the seeds start to grow.

When a plant comes up, remember that God always watches over, forgives, and waits for you!

Learn more about the Hands-On Bible

“You and these treasures have been set apart as holy to the Lord.” Ezra 8:28

Devotional from the Beyond Suffering Bible

Some responsibilities seem too weighty to carry and are therefore destined for failure. Imagine the daunting nature of Ezra’s task.

King Artaxerxes had returned all of the valuables King Nebuchadnezzar had taken when he conquered Israel. Thousands of pounds of gold, silver, and other precious items were entrusted to Ezra to carry back to the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem. Ezra did not have an armed escort to protect him and the treasure from almost certain danger. Most caravans during that time were vulnerable to bandits. If word leaked out about the wealth being carted to Jerusalem, the travelers would be doomed.

Ezra called twelve priests and charged them with the safe delivery of the Temple treasure. We don’t know whether they had the option of refusing such a burden, but their service was seen as a special offering to God.

As difficult as it is to fathom the enormous worth of this treasure, both in monetary value and as invaluable pieces designed for the worship of the Lord, Scripture assures us there is another treasure of even greater worth. God calls his people his treasure: “The Lord has declared today that you are his people, his own special treasure” (Deut 26:18). And in Matthew 18, Jesus speaks of God the Father giving special attention to the needs of “little ones” (18:10).

The phrase refers to children, but it also includes everyone who might be categorized as one of the “least of these” (Matt 25:40). The chronically ill, disabled, mentally ill, all those who are unable to care for themselves or provide for their own needs—God especially treasures these.

And just as Ezra entrusted the treasure to the priests, God has given us the responsibility to care for those he considers his special treasure. Whether we have been charged with the care of a dying infant for six months, a sibling with a brain injury, or simply being a friend to someone with a disability, every believer has a part to play. Though we may experience fear and feel the risks to be greater than we can manage, we can take comfort in knowing that God is protecting us and will save all of his treasured people.

Take a look inside the Beyond Suffering Bible

“Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
Worship the Lord with gladness.

Come before him, singing with joy.
Acknowledge that the Lord is God!

He made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.

Give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good.

His unfailing love continues forever,
and his faithfulness continues to each generation.”

Psalm 100, NLT

Notes from the HelpFinder Bible

We do not think of ourselves as a worshiping culture, let alone an idolatrous culture, but our behavior suggests otherwise. Consider our weekly gatherings of up to one hundred thousand frenzied fans observing a ceremony of men dressed in strange garb acting out a violent drama of conquest. Others stay at home and join in by way of a small glowing shrine set up in the family room.

Fans of professional football are probably not even aware that their behavior could be described as worship. Or consider the way thousands of young people scream and throw themselves at the stage where their rock-star idols are performing. Human beings were created to worship. To worship is to ascribe ultimate value to an object, person, or God—and then to revere, adore, pay homage to, and obey by ordering the priorities of our lives around that which we worship. The Bible teaches that God alone is worthy of our worship. Worship, more than anything else, will connect us with God, our only source of lasting hope.

What is the ultimate purpose of my worship?
• 1 CHRONICLES 17:16-18 | “Who am I, O Lord God . . . that you have brought me this far?. . . You know what your servant is really like.”

• 1 CHRONICLES 29:10-13 | Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly: “O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord. . . . We adore you as the one who is over all things. Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength. O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name!”

• ISAIAH 6:3 | They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!”

• LEVITICUS 15:31 | “This is how you will guard the people of Israel from ceremonial uncleanness. Otherwise they would die, for their impurity would defile my Tabernacle that stands among them.”
Worship is the recognition of who God is and of who you are in relation to him. Ultimately, everything we do should be based on what we think of and how we worship the almighty God. If our actions don’t pay ultimate honor to him, then we are paying ultimate honor to someone or something else.

• PROVERBS 3:9 | Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce.

• EXODUS 23:19 | “As you harvest your crops, bring the very best of the first harvest to the house of the Lord your God.”
Giving the firstfruits of your income to God honors him as your number one priority. Your offerings demonstrate that your work is for God and that his work is most important.

• REVELATION 4:9-11 | Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever), the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever). And they lay their crowns before the throne and say, “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.”

• REVELATION 5:11-12 | Then I looked again, and I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders. And they sang in a mighty chorus: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered—to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.”
Your worship of God is a foretaste of heaven.

• GENESIS 4:3-4 | When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. Abel also brought a gift—the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock.
In the gifts of Abel and Cain we see that, from the very beginning, humans have an instinct for worship. We desire to offer thanks and honor to God by expressing our praise and bringing offerings from our work to God. Even if we fall short of the mark, as Cain did, the instinct is still there.

Learn more about the HelpFinder Bible

“So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.

In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.” 1 Peter 5:6-10, NLT

Notes from the Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition

We often worry about position and status, hoping to get proper recognition for what we do. But Peter advises us to remember that God’s recognition counts more than human praise. God is able and willing to bless us according to his timing. Humbly obey God regardless of your present circumstances, and in his good time—either in this life or in the next—he will honor you.

Carrying our worries, stresses, and daily struggles by ourselves shows that we have not trusted God fully with our lives. Humility is needed, however, to recognize that God cares, to admit our needs, and to let others in God’s family help us. Sometimes we think that struggles caused by our own sin and foolishness are not God’s concern. But when we turn to God in repentance, he will bear the weight even of those struggles. Letting God carry our anxieties calls for action, not passivity. Don’t submit to circumstances; submit to the Lord, who controls circumstances.

Lions attack sick, young, or straggling animals; they choose victims who are alone or not alert. Peter warns us to watch out for Satan when we are suffering or being persecuted. When you are feeling alone, weak, helpless, and cut off from other believers, or when you are so focused on your troubles that you forget to watch for danger, you are especially vulnerable to Satan’s attacks. During times of suffering, seek other Christians for support. Keep your eyes on Christ, and resist the devil. Then, says James, “he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

When we are suffering, we often feel as though our pain will never end. Peter gave these faithful Christians a broader perspective. In comparison with eternity, their suffering would last only “a little while.” Some of Peter’s readers would be strengthened and delivered in their own lifetimes. Others would be released from their suffering through death. All of God’s faithful followers are assured of an eternal life with Christ, where there will be no suffering (Revelation 21:4).

Look inside the Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition. Now, available in Large Print and Personal Size.

In front of King Agrippa Paul shares his story of transformation after meeting Christ. Read this passage from Acts and the note from the New Believer’s Bible. Then reflect on why should we always be willing to share our story?

“‘One day I was on such a mission to Damascus, armed with the authority and commission of the leading priests. About noon, Your Majesty, as I was on the road, a light from heaven brighter than the sun shone down on me and my companions. We all fell down, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is useless for you to fight against my will.’

‘Who are you, lord?’ I asked.

‘And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. Now get to your feet! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and witness. Tell people that you have seen me, and tell them what I will show you in the future. And I will rescue you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.’

‘And so, King Agrippa, I obeyed that vision from heaven. I preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that all must repent of their sins and turn to God—and prove they have changed by the good things they do. Some Jews arrested me in the Temple for preaching this, and they tried to kill me. But God has protected me right up to this present time so I can testify to everyone, from the least to the greatest. I teach nothing except what the prophets and Moses said would happen—that the Messiah would suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, and in this way announce God’s light to Jews and Gentiles alike.'” Acts 26:12-13, NLT.

Note from the New Believer’s Bible

A useful tool in our evangelistic toolbox is the story—also called our testimony—of how we came to personally know Jesus Christ. Paul often used this method effectively, such as in this account of his appearing before King Agrippa. After explaining how Paul had personally come into a relationship with Christ, he segued into the proclamation of the gospel message (Acts 26:19-23).

Every believer has a testimony. Some may be more dramatic than others. Such was the case with Paul, formerly the notorious Saul of Tarsus, who had been an aggressive persecutor of the church. Whether your testimony is incredible or ordinary, your personal salvation story will help you find common ground with nonbelievers.

You can tell them about your life and attitude before coming to Christ, then explain the changes that came afterward. When nonbelievers see that you can relate to their own lives, they may be more open to what you have to say. The objective in evangelism is to build a bridge, not burn one. Your testimony is a great way to do that.

Why don’t you take a moment to think about the changes that have taken place in your life since you became a Christian? You may even want to write down your testimony so that you will be ready to share it at the next opportunity.

Take a look inside the New Believer’s Bible

Learn more about the New Believer’s Bible

Take a look inside the New Believer’s Bible

Join us and Pastor Laurie on YouVersion for a 7-day reading plan in the New Believer’s Bible