5 Great Resources for Quick and Effective Bible Study

I used to think that if I didn’t spend an hour a day in my “prayer closet” in deep prayer and bible study that I was a failure as a Christian. Now that I’m a mom, that notion is completely laughable. I feel like a saint if I simply crack open the Bible every now and then.  Deep inside my fuzzy mom brain and beyond the craziness of each day, there lies within me a longing to study the Bible, I mean really study it. But the truth is, I am lucky if I get the chance to sit down and really read it on a daily basis. I believe that God’s Word is living and active and life-giving. I believe it encompasses all of the hope and strength I need for each day. So I’d be a fool to not try to focus my attention on it for at least a few minutes a day. The reality is though, between meals, kitchen clean up, laundry, changing diapers, wrangling toddlers and disciplining preschoolers (all of which starts long before we’d like to get up), it’s just hard to focus our attention on anything for more than 30-60 seconds.

A few months ago, my pastor did a sermon asking the question, “How do we position our children in the lap of Jesus?” using the text in Mark 10:13-16 as his guide. This post is not about positioning our children in the lap of Christ but rather asking how we, as mothers, can find time to sit there with him. This verse though, arrested me in my thinking about the “burden” the children are on my relationship with him. {Don’t turn your nose up at me ladies. Even if you haven’t said it out loud or written it in a blog post, we’ve all – even if only subconsciously – thought that our kids are what’s keeping us from a deep relationship with God in this season}.

“Don’t push these children away. Don’t ever get between them and me. These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom.” Mark 10:14 {MSG}

If children are at the very center of life in the kingdom then my every day, sometimes mundane, stressful moments with them are kingdom work. I may not spend hours in deep bible study and knee bent prayer, but my attitudes and actions, my words and deeds when it comes to my kids are drawing me into his presence.

Wow. That let’s us off the hook a bit, huh?! But don’t pack up your bible just yet. While I believe my new-found revelation is true, I still believe we must study God’s Word as much as possible if we are going to grow in our relationship with him and our effectiveness as a follower of Christ. To that end, I want to share with you 5 resources I have found to be wonderfully effective and bite-sized bible study tools.

5 Great Resources for Quick and Effective Bible Study

1. Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence – I’m sure most, if not all of you have heard of this devotional and likely use it often. This is one of the books I keep in the middle of my kitchen table on a tray so that I can grab it and read the short, reflective and always convicting (in a good way) devotions when I have a few moments. They simply always cut right to my heart and begin a thought provoking churn in my mind.

2. Streams in the Desert – This classic devotional is deeply moving when you are walking through a difficult time but its truth is relevant every day of your life (especially for tired and weary moms or those who are waiting on something). This little book has carried me through many a rough season. Also full of short devotional thoughts, its pages are full of hope.

3. Choosing Joy – One of my favorite bible teachers is author, Angela Thomas. She has such a way of unpacking a scripture to make it beautifully life applicable. One of her latest devotionals is no exception. The reality of choosing joy in the midst of busy, tiring and mundane days is not something we often think about. We move throughout our week simply trying to survive. This book, broken down into 52 weekly devotions (a short page for each day) has guided me on a journey this year that has me choosing gratitude and joy above weariness and defeat.

4. Our Daily Bread – As far back as I can remember, this little book sat on our kitchen table, usually accompanying my mom or dad’s bible. Whether you choose to utilize this classic resource via old school paper (still sitting on my kitchen table) or via the Internet or app, its simple devotions will guide you through life applicable study of God’s Word. I am constantly amazed at how the subject matter mirrors something I have been pondering in my life. At the risk of sounding like (or looking like) my grandma, I’ll point out that this quarterly devotional booklet it small enough to carry with you for a long wait in the doctor’s office or car pool line (or if you aren’t my grandma and you have a smart phone, try the app).

5. Focused 15 – This tool is relatively new to me but I have enjoyed it thus far. Created my blogger Katie Orr, Focused 15 is her solution to the dilemma of mom-sized bible study. This ebook series (1 Corinthians 13 is the first with more to come), breaks down a specific verse or chapter of the bible into “intentional Bible study in 15 minutes a day.” Taking 15 minutes per day over 4 weeks, Katie guides you through a process to “develop a focused and trained eye in your own Bible study.”

I believe that Jesus wants us to know him. He longs for us to sit with him. And thus, any sacrifice we make to choose him will be richly blessed and multiplied. Most days it seems like 15 minutes is a great sacrifice. Don’t let the guilt of that reality keep you from him. Find a tool that helps you get the most out of the time you have.

And when all else fails, just pray. Talk to him. Conversation with God is the beginning to understanding the Bible.

What resources or methods have you found effective in studying the Bible in the little time you have?