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NIV Essentials Study Bible

We’ve all stood in the Bible section for hours on end with the sales clerk hovering over us

trying to decide on the “Best” Bible for reading and study. We all want some devotional aspect, some Bible study aids, great notes an exhaustive index, good book and character headings, color maps – plus bells – and whistles and extras.

But is it possible to cram all of that into a single Bible? YES!

Zondervan has taken 6 of their best selling Study Bibles and weaved them all together into one “Essential” Bible so that now you don’t have to choose! You can have it all.

The NIV Essential Study Bible is a cross from:

  • The NIV Study Bible
  • The Quest Study Bible
  • The Archeological Study Bible
  • The Great Rescue Bible
  • and the NIV Student Bible

Now you can explore the scriptures through multiple lenses!

This Bible would be a perfect “First Study Bible” or a gift for a Student who is ready to go deeper. The Essentials has such a wide variety of routes and notes that it really presents a HUGE canvas to pull from.

Plus you are getting the new 2011 NIV translation which is slightly different in language and presentation than the NIVs released prior. Zondervan continues to work with pastors and Bible scholars, and include the latest discoveries about biblical languages and the biblical world to ensure that the latest NIV translation of the Bible remains faithful to God’s test.

Yes, it feels a little like a rebrand and a re-launch of some of Zondervan’s older material – but that shouldn’t turn you off, especially if you’ve never owned these Bibles before. Plus -since this is a mash-up of other publications, be ready for a BIG Bible to show up at your door (almost 1,800 pages)

Thank you to Zondervan for this advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

 

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By David – December 19, 2013

A Grown Up Christmas List

Making a list
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Luke 1:26-38

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Mary was asked to do something outside of anyone’s comfort zone. It probably wasn’t the Christmas gift she wanted. And so it makes me wonder….

Maybe. In our world right now, our handheld devices make the world smaller and more assessable, our dishwashers do all the work, our washing machines do all of the work, we have smart TVs, we have DVR’s that learn our viewing habits, I have nine remote controls. Some people have a Car that parallel parks for them, others have chairs that recline.

If you think about what you want for Christmas this year, how many of your “must-have” items have to do with bringing you MORE comfort, or MORE access or MORE ease in life? Is this what I want for my life? Less stress, less anxiety? Am I purposefully steering myself away from conflict? Has a lifetime of trial worn me down and now I simply wish to take the easy route?

Because what we see in the scriptures is a God who pulls people out of comfort, a God who breaks the rules, a God who asks people to go the extra mile, a God who wrestles with his leaders, a God who enslaves his own people, a God who asks the impossible and expects the miraculous.

And the problem is we think our best days our behind us. We look at the Bible as the glory days and we think, “Aw man, it will never be like THAT again.” But Jesus says God’s blessing lies ahead of all of us.

Jesus said in John 14:12

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these.

I want easy street- we long for comfort and ease and selfish joy, but I am afraid if we seek those things – we will miss it. We will miss all of it, miss our potential, miss blessing, and miss joy. THAT should scare us.

But what I notice in my own life is the older I get – the less willing I am to take risks.

When I was a teenager, I used to jump off my parent’s roof. I did it all of the time. You think I’d do that now? No way. But God lives in the taking of risks, He wants his people to step out in faith – even if it’s scary.

When was the last time you did anything that made you afraid in your faith?

When was the last time you did something and it made you nervous?

When was the last time you made a sacrifice for something you felt God calling you to do? Let me tell you something – if you looked back on your life, you would notice that life is not forged in comfort and ease, rather its forged in the trenches.

Jimmy Johnson, the old coach of the Dallas Cowboys said, “Do you want to be safe and good, or do you want to take a chance and be great?”

What about you? Can you take a risk?

If God is calling you – stop making excuses. Don’t wait until the road is clear. Don’t wait until the river stops moving…. jump in.

Matthew 16:24-25

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”

Jesus says “My disciples will shoulder their own cross. They will carry their own danger and their own trials” and what does he promise? That our lives will be found and our lives will be saved.

I think God comes to each of us and calls us to something great; something outside our comfort zone, something outside our familiarity, this Christmas I invite you to remember the words of Mary, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”

Are you willing to say that?

Are you willing to risk it all for the Messiah?

Blessings from God will come with trials and they won’t always come as we expect, I pray your church will be known as a place where its people are willing to step out in faith and to follow God’s anointed wherever He leads.

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By David – December 18, 2013

To be blessed by God

christmas tree ornament
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Luke 1:26-38

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

In the enunciation, God chooses Mary – and yes, she was “a young woman.”  Theologians estimate that Mary was around 14 years old – give or take. Most women at this time became betrothed to a man once their body began their cycle. The average lifespan of a person was about 40 years so you can imagine then – that the moment you are able to conceive – it’s probably a good idea to start a family. It increases the chance that you will have offspring, especially during a time when there was a high infant mortality rate.

And we said earlier that Mary was blessed by God. But what does that mean? We use the word blessed and blessing a lot in church talk. It’s a special outpouring of approval and grace. But really… what was Mary’s blessing?

She was asked to have a child out of wedlock. She was asked to raise that child and to love that child and to sacrifice herself for that child – and she had to stand by and watch that child die …all because she was blessed by God. But does Mary’s life really sound that blessed? Perhaps the blessings of God don’t always feel or look like blessings?

Going back to the virgin birth for just a second – even the idea of a virgin birth was dangerous – the Old Testament says that if a woman was found to be with child outside of marriage she could be stoned to death. In the Middle East – the shadows of this law still exist. Right now in some middle eastern faiths if a woman is raped. Her punishment is to be whipped over 200 times and thrown into prison. But because Mary was “blessed by God” she would become pregnant out of wedlock.

To pray for God’s blessing is to invite God to guide you and to use you how he wishes. But blessings from God can be costly. Blessings from God can be dangerous.

One writer says it this way, “The piercing truth is that God does not choose a person for ease and comfort and selfish joy but for a great task that will take all that head and heart and hand can bring to it. God chooses a person to use that person.” I cannot find a single instance in the New Testament where a person who had some special revelation from God (angel, vision, or supernatural manifestation) did not also have some special suffering and cost to bear. Mary is no exception. The special revelation given her in the great things done for her entailed special glory with suffering.” (George Wood)

You know what I think?

I think Mary was frightened.

The angel says “don’t be afraid for the Lord is with you.”

But when God calls us to a task, to a ministry, I think our first reaction is to be afraid.

We see fear all the way back to the beginning of the story with Abraham. The Hebrew story begins with God calling Abraham out of his home to a strange and distant land and the Lord says, “Don’t be afraid.”

Later we find Moses, Moses is hiding in a land called Midian and God tells him, “I want you to go back to Egypt even though there are people there who want you dead – don’t be afraid. I will be with you.”

Jesus’ own ancestor, King David famously writes, Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley,  I will fear no evil,  for you are with me

And then we have the words of Jesus – himself. He sends his disciples out to evangelize to share the good news that the son of David has arrived and he tells them

Matthew 28:19-20 Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. (but they don’t have to be afraid, why?) And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

God asks each of us to trust Him and to take risks and THESE are a part of his blessings.

God’s blessing will ask you to do daring things. I mean, even with simple small things (forget trying to build a well in El Salvador or evangelizing on the streets of New York) even simple things like fellowshiping, talking with strangers, inviting our friends to church, tithing – those feel daring and out of control to us – we’re not in our wheel house- we’re not in our comfort zone.

Remember, Mary was afraid and she still said yes.

Mary was asked to do something that could bring about her death.

The blessing of God is not always comfort or ease; and so when we pray or ask for God’s “blessing” be prepared that this is an invitation for God to step into your life.

 

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By David – December 12, 2013

The Global War on Christians

John Allen is an American journalist based in Rome who specializes in news about the Catholic Church. He is senior correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter and vaticanologist of CNN and NPR. Allen is also the author of several books including his latest “The Global War on Christians.”

Not since Foxe’s Book of Martyrs has their been such a book of imprisonment, torture and murder. Bear in mind since Allen is a Catholic writer, most of these accounts are tales of “The Global War on Catholics” but it is still relevant. The sad truth is that Christians are killed every day for their beliefs and it doesn’t look like it’s going to end any time soon. North Korea recently killed 80 people by firing squad – some of which for just owning a Bible.

As such this book is more than an “eye-opener” it’s almost a left hook to the jaw. There are no punches pulled here and this is not your “bed time reading devotional.” Allen makes sure to bring his reader into the front lines so that there is no dancing around the subject matter. Once completing the book the reader is almost exhausted and left with the question, “Well, what can I do about it?”

Those of us who live in the west are certainly blessed to enjoy the freedoms we have.

Allen has written a very relevant and very needed work. Allen also has a very intellectual writing style – he is very gifted with words, but it might be a harder work for some lay people to get through at times. So certainly pick this up if you think you can

Thank you to Image & Random House for this review copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

 

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By David – December 11, 2013

God’s Blessings Break the Rules

The Rules
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There is a tradition in scripture that the first born gets the blessing.  In middle eastern culture the first born gets the father’s blessing, the first born gets the inheritance, but what we find all through the Hebrew scriptures is –  it’s actually the second born who is blessed. In fact in every significant story in the Bible, what you will find is the hero, the called out one – will never be the actually first born.

The eldest is passed over for the father’s blessing and the inheritance, leaving his or her descendants filled with resentment and hatred.

So what is this blessing?

Was it money?

Not really, although money was part of it. The real issue was the birthright, the key place in those genealogical passages that we usually skim over and complain about reading. The one with the birthright was chosen to be in the lineage of the family. And if we look at Jesus’ genealogy – if we look at the great story the Bible tells – what we’ll find is – the first born is almost always looked over.

In Genesis 4, God chose Seth and not Cain or Abel

Genealogy of Jesus in Luke 3:38

…the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

Cain was the first born, the rightful heir but he killed the second born and was banished from his homeland and it came about that the lineage of Adam was through Seth

In Genesis 17, God chooses Isaac and not Ishmael.

Genealogy of Jesus in Luke 3:34 …the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham

Ishmael was the rightful first born son, but the blessing fell to Isaac and Isaac’s story even became a foreshadowing of Jesus.

And what’s interesting is that Isaac and Ishmael had different birth Mothers, and in theri story God chose Sarah and Not Hagar. Hagar was the first of Abraham’s wives to bear a child, but she was sent away – it wasn’t until later that Sarah was able to conceive and it is through her that the Hebrew people connect their lineage.

In Genesis 25 God chooses Jacob and not Esau .

Genealogy of Jesus in Luke 3:34 …the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham

Here we have twin sons, and technically Esau came first, but Jacob steals his fathers blessing with a bowl of stew and a disguise. And when you talk about a second born being chosen over the first, I think the story of Jacob and Esau is the Bible’s most famous.

In Genesis 29 God chose Rachel and not Leah

The Bible says Jacob fell in love with Rachel and worked for her Father for seven years, but at the end of it all he was given the first born Leah instead. But his heart was not for her and even though she gave Jacob more children, more sons, Jacob always loved Rachel and her sons more. And those sons would be Joseph and his brothers.

God chose Joseph over his 10 brothers.

Jacob has twelve sons and technically, Joseph and his brother Benjamin are numbers 11 and 12, but another way to look at it, is of Jacob’s two wives – Leah had Joseph first – thus making Joseph the “second” first born. Either way, the blessing still falls to Joseph and he ends up becoming another HUGE foreshadowing of Christ in that he becomes a King and saves his people.

God chose Judah over his 3 older brothers

Genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:2 Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers…

But Joseph is not one of Jesus’ ancestors – Jesus comes from another brother – the line of Judah, but is Judah a first born? Nope – he’s fourth after Reuben, Simon and Levi. When all of the brothers met Joseph in Egypt, Joseph said that he wanted to keep Benjamin as his slave, but when every other brother was silent, it was Judah who offered himself in place of his brother and so earned the right to be blessed above his elder brothers.

Even in the parable of the prodigal son – who gets the blessing in the end?

The second born son!

He’s the one that storms off, but he’s also the one who returns, and if you read to the end of the story, look at this…

Luke 15:25-28

Now his older son was in the field; as he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.  So he summoned one of the servants and asked what these things meant.  ‘Your brother is here,’ he told him, ‘and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound. Then he became angry and didn’t want to go in.

The first born son, refuses to enter his Father’s house. He refuses to participate in the feast. What is this a picture of?

A person standing outside heaven and not enjoying the feast of the Father? Hell! It’s a picture of someone’s willful choice to not accept the invitation from the Father. And it’s the second born son who is blessed.

Why? Why this theme in scripture. Why does God have a rule only to break it time and time again? You could answer, “Well God makes the rules so he can break the rules,” but do you want the real answer?

Time and time again, the first born is passed by shunned and left for dead – from the beginning of the bible all the way until Jesus – all so the he and he alone stands out! . God wanted there to be no mistake, no confusion, and no competition. Jesus is the true first born!  Jesus is the ONLY first born son to receive the inheritance from the King and this is why I think the virgin birth is so important – because it eliminates -without a doubt the fact that Jesus was Mary’s first child.

Right?

So in thinking about blessings, don’t look in the places you expect…

God’s blessing doesn’t have to follow the rules.

 

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By David – December 8, 2013