Wow! First I must give a huge thank you to Thomas Nelson for giving me the opportunity to review such a spectacular Bible. I was over the top excited with the UPS man brought this package to my door. I opened it and boy, I've had a hard time closing it. In fact, I have left it open on my bed. Each time I walk past it I steal another few minutes diving into the Word.
Charles Stanley is filled with wisdom. The Spirit is moving through this man of God to bring the Word to the world. I have certainly learned from the wisdom of this wonderful man. If your searching for a new Bible this would be a great choice. I have also been blessed to review the Life Lessons Bible from Max Lucado, also printed by Thomas Nelson. Friends, these are two magnificent Bibles. Bibles that have broadened my vision of the Word of God and has brought clarity on many subjects.
When you open the Life Principles Bible you get exactly what you would expect from Charles Stanley. Superb and poignant! This Bible comes from the Signature Series. I have the hardback version, which I love. Now, when you open the Life Principles Bible you find the index for the thirty life principles. You may be thinking that thirty isn't many, but oh goodness, it is filled with inspiration. Each Life Principle contains a main verse, a section that is: "What The Bible Says About", "Answers To Life's Questions", "Life Examples", and "Life Lessons".
For Life Principles 1 , "Our intimacy with god-His highest priority for our lives-determines the impact of our lives." Then the main scripture is shared which is Genesis 1:26. In the section of, "What The Bible Says About", we find eight different texts to follow: The Holy Spirit and the Trinity, The Cover-Up, Enjoying God's Presence, God as Our Lover, The Best Friend You Will Ever Have, Knowing All of God, God's Forever Love, and Spiritual Growth, each containing scripture verses to seek out God's wisdom on these subjects.
Then we find, "Answers To Life's Questions", with subjects such as: "What Does the Bible say to lonely people?, What does it mean to sit before the Lord?, How can I develop and maintain an attitude of active listening before God?, How can I find renewal and restoration?, How does my relationship with the Lord affect what and how I hear from Him?, What happens when we praise God?, What does God's love look like?, When is the appropriate time to praise the Lord?, How does God define sin?, How can I get to really know God?, what are the characteristics of a godly man?, How can I know if my worship pleases God?, and How can God use an imperfect person like me?". Each with scripture verses pointing us to finding answers to these questions.
One of my favorites from, "Answers To Life's Questions is this": "Do you ever feel tempted to give up? Perhaps right now you feel overlooked, forgotten, mistreated, and you want to quit. Satan's goal is to get you to do just that-throw in the towel and call it quits. Discouragement is one of his most effective weapons. But remember this: while disappointments are inevitable, discouragement is a a choice. You do not have to yield to the devil's debilitating whispers of doubt and fear or be trapped in self-pity."
Life Examples are next. They begin with Phinehas, Deborah, Hosea, Nathan, David, and go all the way through to James. In the case of David we go to 2 Sam. 12:1-14 where Charles Stanley brings us to see, "A Case Study in Repentance". These are just marvelous and so descriptive.
The Life Lessons follow and here is where you will find scripture verses from Genesis to Revelation. These are nuggets of gold that help us understand scripture. This added section brings us to dive deeper into the Word. I am telling you all, this is a wondrous Bible!
These are placed all throughout the Bible and when you find each one it gives you direction to the next so you have a continual study. I enjoy having the encouragement to study God's Word. Charles Stanley makes it easy to understand. Through these life principles he brings it all together for us. Kind of like connecting the pieces together to make study easy and intriguing. The more I read, the more I wanted to read. This is just fascinating to read.
Each book of the Bible opens with Charles Stanley giving us an understanding of the entire book. As Genesis opens he tells us, "As you read Genesis, watch for the life principles that play an important role in this book." Throughout the Bible, Charles Stanley points out important parts of the Bible, parts that we may find hard to understand, or parts that we need more clarity on, with little arrows and highlighted words. At the bottom of each page you find the life principles for those pop-out scriptures.
I really enjoyed the "Answers To Life's Questions", and the "Life Examples". He gives us a sharper look into the people of the Bible. There are so many facets to this Bible, you might think it would be hard to follow, but not at all. It's easy and most of all, it is inviting. As I sat down to study I found myself diving in for hours. What an awesome thing, to lose track of time as you find yourself in the Word of God.
There is another Charles Stanley Life Principles Bible, it is called, "Life Principles Daily Bible". This Bible adds the element of having daily devotionals.
This Bible will truly help to guide you through the Bible in an exciting way that invites you to stay in the Word.
Here is one of my favorite quotes from Life Principle 15 Brokenness Is God's Requirement For Maximum Usefulness. "What is God stripping away from your life? What do you trust in more than the Lord? God will break your dependence upon anything other than Himself no matter how long it takes or how difficult the process may be. He is committed to bringing you to a place of wholeness and spiritual maturity-conforming you to the likeness of His Son. (Rom. 8:29)
This Bible was a gift from Thomas Nelson for my review.
For Life Principles 1 , "Our intimacy with god-His highest priority for our lives-determines the impact of our lives." Then the main scripture is shared which is Genesis 1:26. In the section of, "What The Bible Says About", we find eight different texts to follow: The Holy Spirit and the Trinity, The Cover-Up, Enjoying God's Presence, God as Our Lover, The Best Friend You Will Ever Have, Knowing All of God, God's Forever Love, and Spiritual Growth, each containing scripture verses to seek out God's wisdom on these subjects.
Then we find, "Answers To Life's Questions", with subjects such as: "What Does the Bible say to lonely people?, What does it mean to sit before the Lord?, How can I develop and maintain an attitude of active listening before God?, How can I find renewal and restoration?, How does my relationship with the Lord affect what and how I hear from Him?, What happens when we praise God?, What does God's love look like?, When is the appropriate time to praise the Lord?, How does God define sin?, How can I get to really know God?, what are the characteristics of a godly man?, How can I know if my worship pleases God?, and How can God use an imperfect person like me?". Each with scripture verses pointing us to finding answers to these questions.
One of my favorites from, "Answers To Life's Questions is this": "Do you ever feel tempted to give up? Perhaps right now you feel overlooked, forgotten, mistreated, and you want to quit. Satan's goal is to get you to do just that-throw in the towel and call it quits. Discouragement is one of his most effective weapons. But remember this: while disappointments are inevitable, discouragement is a a choice. You do not have to yield to the devil's debilitating whispers of doubt and fear or be trapped in self-pity."
Life Examples are next. They begin with Phinehas, Deborah, Hosea, Nathan, David, and go all the way through to James. In the case of David we go to 2 Sam. 12:1-14 where Charles Stanley brings us to see, "A Case Study in Repentance". These are just marvelous and so descriptive.
The Life Lessons follow and here is where you will find scripture verses from Genesis to Revelation. These are nuggets of gold that help us understand scripture. This added section brings us to dive deeper into the Word. I am telling you all, this is a wondrous Bible!
These are placed all throughout the Bible and when you find each one it gives you direction to the next so you have a continual study. I enjoy having the encouragement to study God's Word. Charles Stanley makes it easy to understand. Through these life principles he brings it all together for us. Kind of like connecting the pieces together to make study easy and intriguing. The more I read, the more I wanted to read. This is just fascinating to read.
Each book of the Bible opens with Charles Stanley giving us an understanding of the entire book. As Genesis opens he tells us, "As you read Genesis, watch for the life principles that play an important role in this book." Throughout the Bible, Charles Stanley points out important parts of the Bible, parts that we may find hard to understand, or parts that we need more clarity on, with little arrows and highlighted words. At the bottom of each page you find the life principles for those pop-out scriptures.
I really enjoyed the "Answers To Life's Questions", and the "Life Examples". He gives us a sharper look into the people of the Bible. There are so many facets to this Bible, you might think it would be hard to follow, but not at all. It's easy and most of all, it is inviting. As I sat down to study I found myself diving in for hours. What an awesome thing, to lose track of time as you find yourself in the Word of God.
There is another Charles Stanley Life Principles Bible, it is called, "Life Principles Daily Bible". This Bible adds the element of having daily devotionals.
This Bible will truly help to guide you through the Bible in an exciting way that invites you to stay in the Word.
Here is one of my favorite quotes from Life Principle 15 Brokenness Is God's Requirement For Maximum Usefulness. "What is God stripping away from your life? What do you trust in more than the Lord? God will break your dependence upon anything other than Himself no matter how long it takes or how difficult the process may be. He is committed to bringing you to a place of wholeness and spiritual maturity-conforming you to the likeness of His Son. (Rom. 8:29)
This Bible was a gift from Thomas Nelson for my review.
