Life Application Bibles - finding the life you were meant to lead

Posted by Les Ellison  ·  Be the first to comment

Make the vital connection between what it says in the Bible and the stuff of your day to day life. Life Application full-text or single book Bibles in most translations give you the resources and motivation to bridge the gap between reading the Bible and putting it into practice.

Life Application is more than just holding on to a wealth of information and background detail. It's about turning knowledge into understanding and understanding into your fulfilling action plan for life.

The Bible is the 'How to' book for living the life that God intended for you, and the Life Application Bible is the resource that helps you read, understand and put the Bible into action.

What is life application?

Application isn't just about gathering knowledge, and it's not just about learning how some ancient Bible character handled life's challenges long ago. It's not about simplistically showing how lessons learned in Bible times are just as true today.

Application starts with knowing and understanding what the Bible says, but can't stop there. It's not about knowing what was done, but finding out what to do. Putting the Bible into real life action isn't dull and it isn't tedious. It's challenging, exciting daring and potentially life changing.

Application is more than just a general direction for life. Cross referencing stitches together key passages letting you see the Bible as God's universal plan. Detailed 'application' notes throughout the text give you pin-point meaning for the relevance of individual passages in your daily life.

What makes a Life Application Bible different?

The Bible isn't about setting up a restrictive set of rules. It's about setting you free to live the life that God has planned for you. That means understanding what the Bible has to offer and how to make it happen for you in your daily life.

Applying the Bible to your life means looking to answer the questions:

  • What does this Bible passage really mean?
  • How does it apply to my life?
  • Why does some of the Bible seem irrelevant?
  • Who do the Bible's ancient cultures have to do with now?
  • I love God, why can't I understand what he says through the Bible?
  • What's going on in the lives of people in the Bible?

The Life Application Bible sets out to answer all of these and adds a question of its own: 'So what does all this mean to me, my family, friends, colleagues, community and church?' Finding the answer to this question is what applying the Bible to life is all about.

What are life application notes?

Application notes appear on the same page as their related Bible text making them easy to find and read. Each note is a short, easy to read paragraph answering the question: 'so what does that mean to me in my life?'

Answering the 'so what?' question, each application note has three parts:

  • A brief explanation of the background to the text and the truth it brings to the people who first heard it.
  • A connecting bridge between the truth for Bible times to what still makes it relevant for the world today.
  • The application which shows how this timeless truth can make a difference for good in your life day to day.

The thousands of life application notes effectively teach, lead, guide and inspire. They give you the resources and direction you need, but only you can put them into practice.

Can you give me an example?

Luke 8:45-46tells the story of Jesus on his way to restore to life the daughter of Jairus. A woman touches his him and is cured of twelve years constant bleeding.

  • The explanation reveals why the woman was considered untouchable by the society of the day.
  • The bridge from the Bible to us is in Jesus' open proclaimation to the crowds that he touched the outcast.
  • The application note concludes that as God overlooks no-one, everyone deserve your attention and respect.

What else do I get?

All the features you need to guide and assist your Bible reading are here. These include an overview and timeline for each book, charts and cahracter profiles, full page colour maps and over 200 'thumb-nail' maps embedded in the text.

Cross-references link Bible themes, events and key words into an accessible Bible dictionary and concordance. With its emphasis on applying the Bible to life, these resources and the daily reading planner might not be as comprehensive as those in Bibles more focused and study and exploration.

Extending the theme of life application, a Christian Worker's Resource guides you in how to encourage new believers, how to put together a Bible talk and gives you the Bible references to help you respond to their questions and concerns about applying the Bible to their lives.

What is there for me in Life Application Study Bibles?

Most English translations including the New Living Translation (NLT), New International (NIV) and King James Version (KJV) are available as in Life Application editions.

A wide range of covers and sizes including fashionable designs and pocket versions are offered alongside traditional editions bound in luxury leather. Large print and thumb-index formats make up a complete range of easy access editions that work well as gifts and as introductions to the Bible for new Christians.

Eden.co.uk buyer's tip: The huge amount of useful information in a Life Application Bible needs a lot of print. This means a larger Bbile with more pages, or thinner pages and smaller print. If you're going to use yours at home, rather than carry it around, choose an edition with easy-to-read larger print on easy to turn heavier quality paper.

Life Application Study Bibles: The Trivia Files

Life Application full text Bibles and commentaries on individual books are published by Tyndale House who also publish the novels of Karen Kingsbury (the Baxter family books), Francine Rivers (Redeeming Love) and the 'Left Behind' series of Tim Lahaye and Jerry Jenkins. Tyndale House was founded by Kenneth Taylor to publish what became the 'Living Bible'. The Living Bible has sold more than 23 million copies worldwide since 1971.

Quick Guide to

Life Application Study Bibles: What are they?

  • Full text Bibles with supporting facts and details that connect your Bible reading with your real day to day life.
  • A guide to the Bible's original meaning in the context of its day and what it means its readers in today's world.
  • Available in covers, styles, formats and trasnlations to suit all readers.

Why should I buy it?

  • To get an all-in-one full text Bible to help you understand the Bible in the context of its day.
  • For insight, guidance and the inspiration to apply the Bible's meaning as an action plan for your life.
  • As a gift to encourage another to apply the Bible's message in their daily walk of faith.
 

Over to You

At Eden.co.uk you can find a truly interactive Christian community helping you find all you need to live, learn and grow your faith.

The Life Application Bible introduces each book of the Bible with its 'vital statistics'. These include information on the book's purpose, author, dates, setting, key verse and key people.

  • Suppose there was a Life Application version of your life story, what would be the 'vital statistics' of your biography?
  • The Life Application Bible contains thousands of cross references. How important is it that to you, and do you regularly cross check a Bible reference to get a better insight on what in means for your life today? 

Tell us. Post your ideas, views and tips - beautiful, bizarre and brilliant at Eden.co.uk

4th June

June 4th, 2012 - Posted & Written by Les Ellison

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