Devotional Bible Study

Bring the bible home for deeper devotional use and understanding. Bible Smarts provides for each book an overview of its authorship and historical setting, plus its stories and themes.

Love, our love for God–his love for us; that’s the heart of the matter. It’s what every Christian must know, understand, and apply, but what is love? The Heart of Christianity by Susan Elliott delves deep into the love of God with a textual study of I John, II John, III John, and Jude. This classroom-tested devotional study is a compelling work that brings to light the heart of Christianity and the importance of authentic and active love.

In this audio Bible study guide, Philip Yancey—bestselling author of What’s So Amazing About Grace?—suggests practical ways in which we can live as salt and light within a society that is radically changing. In Vanishing Grace, Yancey tackles challenging and timely questions and offers a discerning look at what contributes to the rising hostility toward Christians—acknowledging the ways that Christians themselves have contributed to this hostility and exploring how we can respond with both grace and truth.

One of the greatest modern writers on faith and spirituality, Walter Wangerin, Jr., is the author of more than 40 books and the recipient of the National Book Award. In Acts of the Almighty, Wangerin's deep biblical insight and poetic heart help us explore how the Bible fits together into one grand story. This 365-day devotional invites us to understand more fully God's redeeming works through five sections: Genesis and Exodus, David and Solomon, the prophets, the life of Christ, and the birth of the Church.

This unpretentious little book of meditations based on Scripture, ancient hymns, and writings from Church Fathers will nourish the souls of reflective seekers during the 40-day period of Great Lent. The authors of each meditation have delved deeply into the sins and shortcomings of their own hearts, enabling listeners to share in a collective human experience - from darkness to light, from despair to hope, and from isolation to commonality in the body of Christ - as they move steadily toward our Lord’s Resurrection.

Grow close to the Lord this Advent season with 25 insightful and meaningful devotions from The Christmas Code by best-selling author O. S. Hawkins. Trace the birth of Jesus from its roots in the Old Testament to the ultimate gift of God: salvation. With a short devotion each day leading up to Christmas, this booklet will be the perfect way to keep daily focus on the true meaning of Christmas. Each day includes a passage of Scripture, a devotional thought, a Code Word, and a prayer of reflection.

Nearly 2,000 years ago, Jesus told a simple parable about a family...a father and his two sons. It was a story of rebellion, repentance, and unfathomable grace. The Parable of the Prodigal Son still stands out as a crucial lesson about our struggle with sin and dependence on divine salvation. But there is a part of this story that often goes untold. It's a message you need to hear.

Robin Jones Gunn reveals poignant truths from her life as well as from the lives of women in the Bible as she flips the notion that we are at the mercy of circumstances. She asks, what if God has dreams for you? What if he is accomplishing those dreams in the midst of shattered hopes? When life doesn’t go as expected, it’s easy to feel like a victim. We look at the events that have gone wrong and view our lives as impaired. What if we could see our future as God sees it?

What in the world is God doing? It's easy to wonder this. We are living in an unfolding story, and it's hard to hold on when difficult circumstances linger, or your deepest prayer hangs in the air, seemingly unanswered. Thankfully the Bible is filled with people who experienced the same thing. They had to learn to trust God's way and timing—and their stories give us insights to live that way too.

The incredible true story and repentance prayer of King Manasseh changed his life! It changed the fate of the kingdom of Judah. It changed the lives of hundreds of millions of Christians and Jews across the globe and throughout millennia. The prayer is still personally impacting people around the world in our own times. It will change your life today!

Working through the book of Job, Sarah Walton (author of Hope When It Hurts) and her husband Jeff reflect on their own experiences in a marriage that has faced chronic illness, baggage from the past, a child with neurological challenges, and financial difficulties—and show how to cling to Christ and each other. This is not a "how-to" guide on having the best marriage, but rather, a walk alongside you and your spouse, sharing the realities of suffering and the effects it can have on a marriage.

Are you a Christian battling with disease? God bless you. God loves you. He is with you right now on your healing journey. Jesus Christ is your savior. Your God is Jehovah Rapha - the God who heals. And he will heal you. Be decisive about that belief. We give you opportunities to abide in and cling to God’s word through guided meditations, curated Bible verse word baths, and more. Find Healing in the Bible and Jesus’ Words: Christian Meditation “My God, I Cried to You, and You Have Healed Me” is a curated Bible verse word bath focused on healing scriptures.

Inspired by the great preacher Charles Spurgeon, Warren Wiersbe launched a personal study of the lives of prominent Bible characters. Interested in more than biographical facts, Wiersbe sought out the themes of each person's life as reflected in the pages of scripture. How does the Bible summarize this person's life? What is the key to understanding his or her character? How do I see my own life reflected in the life of this person?

Rise of the Enemy: A Dragon Slayer Bible Story will inspire boys to join the armies of the Dragon Slayer in the epic battle of good vs evil. Through action-packed stories, inspiring scripture, and challenging devotional readings, boys will be trained to stand firm against the invisible enemy, and to use weapons of warfare to deflect the lies of the Evil One.

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible proclaims justice and abundance for the poor. Yet these powerful passages about poverty are frequently overlooked and misinterpreted. Enter the Poor People's Campaign, a movement against racism, poverty, ecological devastation, militarism, and religious nationalism. In We Cry Justice, Liz Theoharis, co-chair of the campaign, is joined by pastors, community organizers, scholars, low-wage workers, lay leaders, and people in poverty to interpret sacred stories about the poor seeking healing, equity, and freedom.

Ever feel lost in translation? With the NET Old Testament, you don’t need to be. Modern listeners can find it challenging to connect with the ancient words and cultural contexts of the biblical writers. The NET Old Testament offers a completely new solution: pairing a listenable, everyday English translation with the largest set of translators’ notes ever created for a Bible. It is an indispensable resource for every Bible listener.

This 31-day devotional audiobook has been made with the purpose of giving you a daily glimpse into the abundance of God’s love, which he makes available to those who believe and trust in him. The short, bite-sized portions are aimed at providing food for thought to carry you through the day, bringing comfort and encouragement where needed.

Take an in-depth look at why fiction is so important to the Christian faith and to our overall biblical reading experience and spiritual growth by studying literary devices in short stories and the Bible.

Bills pile up, relationships fall apart, kids go wild, and coworkers are sometimes completely nuts. The struggle is truly real, but God's grace is amazingly life-changing. No struggle can overpower his love. Encourage yourself with daily prayers, devotionals, and Bible stories for adults struggling in faith. Build up your most holy faith.

Digging Deeper:The Bible Study is a self-reflective, interactive, thematic Bible study and meant to be listened to in conjunction with Digging Deeper: The Devotional. It encourages you to reflect on your Christian walk to develop a closer relationship with Jesus and to apply Bible teachings to everyday life. Each chapter is saturated with Rev. Lunde’s nuggets of insight into how to live the Christian life in spite of seemingly insurmountable hardships. Themes address topics such a fear and worry, God’s presence in time of trouble, and the wisdom of trusting in God.