Well-Watered Women, Part 4: Cherish The Word

March 19, 2015  - By Gretchen Saffles

Today we are in day 4 of our “Well-Watered Women” series on how to study the Bible!  In today’s post, we will look at different resources that we can use to dive deep into Scripture and gain wisdom. There are many incredible tools to enhance our study of Scripture and we hope they encourage you and equip you. 

“Nobody ever outgrows Scripture; the book widens and deepens with our years.” ~Charles Spurgeon

Read A Mentor

There is no book that will ever replace the Bible. No other words satisfy our hearts like the “inspired” word of God. However, God has used many wise men and women to study and teach the Word clearly and with a gospel-centered mission that we can learn from. We can glean truth and wisdom from the studies of pastors, teachers, and scholars. There are many commentaries and references available for free online that will enhance your study of Scripture. As students of the Word, we want to first come to God’s Word and allow the Holy Spirit to teach us, and then use trustworthy, reliable sources to gain a fuller understanding of Scripture. You can be “mentored” by those you have never met just by picking up a book, study, or commentary and reading.

Dr. Jay Strack said this incredible statement –

“You will be the same person ten years from now except for the books you read, the places you go, the people you meet, and the Scripture you memorize.”

 What we put into our hearts changes us. Therefore, we want to choose books, commentaries, and studies to read and participate in that will point us to the cross of Jesus Christ. We should never place the words of man over the holy, life-changing word of God. Rather, we should pick other books to read that will enhance our knowledge of the Word and encourage us daily to live in obedience to God’s calling. Books should make you hunger for God’s Word even more. That is my desire in the list that is below.

Dig Deep

In studying Scripture, there is unending treasure to be discovered. We must first dig with our hands, our hearts, our minds, and our ears. One incredible gift of the body of Christ is that we can encourage each other through what we learn from the Scriptures. Hebrews 10:24-25 encourages us in this way – “let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” As the body of believers, we are to “hold fast the confession of hope,” “stir up one another to love and good works,” and “not neglect meeting together…but encourage one another.” These three commands can be done through biblical community and fellowship, and even through learning from each other in our studies and hungering after Scripture.

Resources

Resources

There have been countless believers who have lived before us (or are currently living) who have dug deep into Scripture and discovered gems that they share with us. Below are lists of commentaries, Bible teachers, and pastors who preach the gospel faithfully and have resources available for us to use in our own studies:

Bible Study Resources

  • How To Study Your Bible – Grace To You Ministries
  • Three Tips For Better Bible Reading – Desiring God
  • Secret Church: How To Study The Bible – Radical (This series of videos is well worth the time spent watching, learning, and writing! David Platt explains Bible basics as well as how we are to come to the Word of God.)
    • If you are more of a reader, here is the link to the written copy of this teaching.
    • Chronological Bible StudyIva May has written incredible studies and resources that go along with the chronological Bible. The way she breaks down Scripture and relates it to the gospel is eye-opening and challenging. You will never be the same after reading through the entire Bible!
    • Precept Ministries – Kay Arthur’s inductive Bible study method is one that I regularly use. Her studies go in-depth and are eye-opening. Just by doing one study you can learn the inductive Bible study method and use it in your own studies.
    • Women Of The Word by Jen Wilkin

Greek/Hebrew Resources & Online Commentaries

If you are new to reading commentaries, below are a list of ones that I recommend. Also, this article is helpful in teaching why these study aids are helpful and why we should also be discerning about what we read.

  • StudyLight.Org – I use this almost everyday when I study the Bible. In the search box, type in the verse you are studying and then click on the Greek or Hebrew option. You can then click on each word in the verse and it will bring up a separate window with the the original language, its meaning, and Strong’s Concordance number.
    • Often, after I find the original Greek or Hebrew word, I will look up the Strong’s number associated with the word using BlueLetterBible.Org to go even deeper and find other references where this word is used.
    • BibleHub.Com – This is a great resources that has different Bible translations, a few commentaries, related verses, and an option for Greek and Hebrew all in one place.
    • BlueLetterBible.Org – I mentioned this site previously, but it is a wonderful tool with online commentaries, Greek/Hebrew guides, as well as teachings and sermons related to each verse.
    • PreceptAustin.Org – This is one of my favorite online tools I use to find breakdowns of verses and portions of the Bible. It takes a little while to find your way around, but it has been so fruitful in my studies! If you are having a hard time searching, try using Google to search for a specific verse and then add “preceptaustin” next to it to find the link. Let’s say you want to study 1 Peter 3:1-4. You can type in the Google search bar – “1 Peter 3:1-4 preceptaustin” and it will come up with the correct link.

Online Women’s Resources

  • Set Apart Girl – I discovered Leslie Ludy’s ministry, Set Apart Girl, in high school and have followed it every since. Every other month they put out an online magazine that is filled with truth, challenge, and grace.
  • She Reads Truth – This ministry does a beautiful job of sharing Scripture every single day! You can get a lot of online studies and posts for free and have them delivered to your inbox each day. You can also purchase studies to do as well.
  • Hello Mornings – I recently found this ministry and have loved the encouragement from this community. If you are a young mom, I recommend being a part of this Bible study community.
  • Living Proof Ministries – Beth Moore has an online community of women who study and memorize Scripture together that is beautiful!
  • Proverbs 31 Ministries – The teachers and writers at Proverbs 31 Ministries are gospel-centered and speak grace and truth daily!
  • Revive Our Hearts – Nancy Leigh DeMoss has been a “mentor” to me for many years now. Her radio podcasts are encouraging and perfect to listen to on a drive, exercising, or cooking dinner.

iPhone Apps

  • She Reads Truth has an app that is a great tool for daily Bible study, reading plans, and even encouraging iPhone backgrounds.
  • Blue Letter Bible has also made an app available for studying Scripture using your phone.

Commentators

There are many incredible Bible commentators that have studied Scripture intently and share the gospel through their studies. Below is a list of a few that I regularly use. I would love to hear of more gospel-centered Bible teachers you also use!

  • John Piper
  • Martin-Lloyd Jones
  • John Wesley
  • Matthew Henry
  • John MacArthur
  • Oswald Chambers
  • Charles Spurgeon
  • Billy Graham
  • J Vernon McGee
  • Alexander Maclaren

A few of my husband’s favorite resources that he uses daily:

A few of my favorite resources I use daily:

A few of Whitney’s (the LLB shop manager) favorite resources:

We would love to hear what resources you use daily for Bible study! What are some studies that have been fruitful in your life? Who are some teachers and preachers that point you to the gospel of Jesus Christ?

(photos by Katherine McBroom)

in Christ,

Gretchen

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  1. lhwinstead@gmail.com says:

    Thanks for sharing this post!! Just downloaded the “She Reads Truth” app 🙂 Looks like a great tool!!

  2. Meansshannon@yahoo.com says:

    Thanks so much for doing the well watered series. I’ve really enjoyed it. I have a quick question…on the study light.org resource page I don’t see where to select Hebrew/Greek. I only see the bible translations next to search. Could you please help.
    Thanks again for these great resources. And your videos have been so encouraging. Thank you!

    • gretchen@lifelivedbeautifully.com says:

      Hey Shannon! It is so hard to see! Once you type in the verse, there is two tiny little boxes that say “Original: Hebrew / Greek.” That is where you click the version! I am going to send you screenshots through an email as well!

  3. This is awesome. Now I want to get the Spurgeon Psalms book!
    You should check out Jen Wilkin’s stuff. She has incredible studies, and is my Kay Arthur. If you haven’t read her book “Women of the Word”, run to your kindle! The two of you have very similar hearts to have the Lord’s word known well among women.

    • gretchen@lifelivedbeautifully.com says:

      That Spurgeon book is so amazing!! The copy I have is my Pawpaw’s and I think it is out of print, but you can find it online for free and there might be some used ones! I love reading Psalms and he references SO many others in the commentary! 🙂

  4. shellymae1002@yahoo.com says:

    this is such a great post full of resources! Thank you so much!

  5. mnrice88@gmail.com says:

    Love these resources and reading your posts this week! They have been so encouraging! Louie Giglio from Passion City Church in Atlanta is phenomenal! You can watch his sermons on the church website or through the podcast app on iPhones. Also, Breakaway Ministries has a great app with videos and training! I heard about it recently and visit it often! I also recently saw Jen Wilkin speak and cannot wait to get her book, Women of the Word. In it, she teaches us how to study the bible.

    • gretchen@lifelivedbeautifully.com says:

      Oh yes! He is an amazing teacher! I need to add Jen Wilkin’s book to the list! I have heard it is amazing! 🙂 I also need to look up Breakaway Ministries! Thank you for sending that resource to me! I am so excited!

  6. nancy.pastewski@gmail.com says:

    I’ve never read through a book in the bible until studying Ruth with your study guide so I’m really excited to use these resources as I hunger to learn more from it!! Thanks Gretchan!!

  7. sarah.fuentes27@gmail.com says:

    Gretchen,Sister in Christ, just wanted to say how moved I have been by this series. I have already seen changes in my attitude throughout this week just by starting my day with our Father. I’ve been praying your prayer from well watered women part 1, “Father, wake me up!”, and the past two days I have been up before the alarm goes off! Unheard in my home! Usually I hit snooze 3-4 times before getting out of bed! Thank you for your honesty and sharing with us your methods to having a deep, fruitful quiet time that is intentional! No more “Bible Bingo” (random bible verses) for me! May God bless you a hundred-fold how you have blessed me this past week through these posts! Thank you!

  8. tiffany_noble96@yahoo.com says:

    Thank you SOOO much for these posts. This one especially has excited me so much with all these trustworthy resources. I’m a senior in high school and I am one of the leaders in my youth group and my goal is to help encourage the girls to dig deeper into the Word because its something ive become dependent on and grown from. I can’t wait to use all your tips! *and of course tell them about your blog 😉

  9. nscranford@gmail.com says:

    I tried to use studylight.org but couldn’t find the "greek/hebrew" option under translations. Any ideas? Has anyone else tried to use this resource with success?

    • gretchen@lifelivedbeautifully.com says:

      Yes! I can help you out! When you type in the verse you are looking up, click on "strong’s interlinear Bible" and it will bring the verse up again. Click on each word for a breakdown of hebrew/greek!

  10. Radio App says:

    This is an amazing website and we really enjoyed reading it.

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