12-Step Devotional from the Life Recovery Bible

“We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of his will for us and the power to carry that out.” Step 11

Most of us need to desire something before we will wholeheartedly seek after it. Until we realize how much God loves us and cares about the details of our lives, we probably won’t have the desire to pray to him. Until we sincerely believe that he has completely forgiven us, we will be ashamed to face him. If we hold to our misconceptions about God, this step will be a formidable chore rather than a joy.

The life of King David should give us hope. After he had come face to face with his own sinfulness, he was able to sing, “What mighty praise, O God, belongs to you in Zion. We will fulfill our vows to you, for you answer our prayers. All of us must come to you. Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, you forgive them all. What joy for those you choose to bring near, those who live in your holy courts. What festivities await us inside your holy Temple” (Psalm 65:1-4). God wants us to be like those who lived and served in his Temple, walking freely into his presence. He wants us to know that we are welcome and valued before him. (See also Matthew 10:29-31.)

God is always present with us and can be a source of joy and happiness for us now. We can look forward to spending time with him and living in his presence every day.

Learn more about the Life Recovery Bible

By Mike Beaumont, editor of the Christian Basics Bible

Penicillin, saccharine, Coca-Cola, the microwave oven and the pacemaker…all have one thing in common: they all came about by accident, discovered when someone found something that they weren’t originally looking for. And that’s how the Christian Basics Bible came about.

It all started with my being deported from India….

After more than 25 years of working with churches, leaders and seminaries in India, I landed at Chennai to find that I had been ‘red flagged’ and was promptly put back on the very plane from which I had just disembarked. Over those 25 years, I had made hundreds of friends – one of them, a seminary student from Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) with whom I had become particularly close when his father suddenly died and, as acting principal of his seminary at that time, was able to help him get back home to his family in that time of need. That moment forged a link between us that lasts to this day. When he graduated, he returned to Myanmar where he became a lecturer at a seminary in Yangon. After much pestering, he persuaded me to go there as a visiting professor – and so began my love for Myanmar and its many different peoples.

As it happens, my long-standing friend and co-author of Christian Basics Bible (CBB), Martin Manser, also has a link with Myanmar since he married a Burmese woman. And it was this love of Myanmar on both our parts that would lead to the production of CBB.

It was while Martin was in Yangon visiting his wife’s family on one occasion that he met the Director of Christian Literature Crusade Myanmar. Knowing  Martin was an author and editor of many years’ experience, he shared with him his longing for some kind of Study Bible in the Burmese language, since there wasn’t a single one at that time, and wondered whether Martin might be able to help. Martin promised to give it some thought. And as he did, two things came to mind. First, he remembered that he had written some short introductions to the books of the Bible some years earlier, but nothing had come of the material. Second, he reflected on how he and I had collaborated on writing projects for over 20 years. Suddenly, the light went on. What if he put those two things together?

When he got back home, he contacted me, asking whether I would be interested in partnering with him in producing the first ever Study Bible in the Burmese language. As we prayed about it and discussed the idea further, we began to get really excited and felt this was something that God wanted us to do. For us in the West, where there is a plethora of Bible translations and editions, it’s hard to grasp what it is like for many Christians in the world where they often only have one basic translation, often without any notes or helps of any kind in it. This was certainly the case in Myanmar, where there was only one Bible text  – the Judson Bible, produced in 1834 and without a single footnote or comment in it. Even worse, there had been no revisions of that 1834 text; so many of the words in it were now simply quite meaningless in modern Burmese. So CLC got to work slightly updating the Bible text, while Martin and I got to work at our end – Martin using his skills as an editor to plan and shape the material, me using my skills as a writer to start producing the content – introductions to each Bible book and notes on key themes every 6 or 7 chapters or so. The publisher had requested we keep the material simple and compact, yet comprehensive – quite a challenge! And, of course, it had to be culturally relevant for Myanmar where some issues arise that just aren’t tissues in the West. After lots of hard work, we are glad to say that the Myanmar Study Bible was finally in the hands of Christians there – the first Study Bible in the Burmese language.

But what, I hear you thinking, does all this have to do with Christian Basics Bible?

Because this is where the penicillin and saccharin and Coca-Cola come in. For it was while we were working on this project for Myanmar that the idea of CBB was born. One day, during a phone conversation about the project, Martin suddenly said to me, “You know, this material is really good. I’m sure there is potential for it being used much more widely.” And immediately, I knew that he was right. For there we were, trying to express what are often complex and profound spiritual truths in simple ways for Myanmar Christians, when many in the West were in need of exactly the same thing. In fact, I had been greatly exercised for a number of years as a pastor by the fact that more and more people in the West were becoming more and more ignorant of even the most basic Bible stories (let alone doctrines). And so when they became Christians, they brought very little, if any, of the Bible background that people of a generation ago would have brought, making the Bible so much harder to understand.

And so we began to dream. What if we were to produce an edition of the Bible that was especially written for people who came to faith with little or no Bible background? What if we were to write things in really simple way, avoiding ‘Christianese’ and technical language that those of us who have been Christians for many years so often take for granted and use without thinking? …

And so we began to draft an outline of what would become known as Christian Basics Bible. It would have some introductory essays on things like how to become a Christian and how to read the Bible; each Bible book would begin with a simple summary of what it was all about and what the reader should look for as they read it; there would be notes, but not too many so we didn’t overwhelm the reader, focusing on key ideas, people and events; it would have sections at the back, with a glossary to explain words whose meaning we often take for granted, and a section outlining some of the basic truths of the Bible,  to help people know where to look when they were thinking about various issues. We then produced some sample material to show the kind of thing we were thinking of, and sent it off to Tyndale.

We can’t tell you how happy we were when we got an immediate positive response from them!  (Any author will tell you they often expect at least ten rejections before any publisher even starts to show an interest.)  Tyndale was excited by our concept and asked if we could meet senior staff members who were due to pass through London England soon. And so, over lunch in a London hotel, CBB was born. Like Coca-Cola, by accident.

Over the next couple of years, Martin and I devoted much of our time to the project, writing and re-writing until we got the tone that we wanted – pastorally warm; simple yet Biblically accurate; written in language for people who hadn’t been exposed to the Bible before; seeking to be as neutral as possible over issues over which equally-lovely Bible-believing Christians have genuine disagreements so that it could be used by the widest possible base; and, of course, based on the easy-to-read New Living Translation. Yes, I know some Christians don’t like this edition because they think it isn’t close enough to the original text. Well, it is close – it just uses a different translation principle: what is known as ‘dynamic equivalence’ rather than ‘word for word’. And since it is designed for people who have little or no Bible background, it is so much easier for them to read and understand in comparison to versions like KJV or NASB or even NIV.

As the final edited text started drawing to a conclusion, Tyndale’s design department got busy, producing some amazing info-graphics for the back of the Bible. Then they asked for our input on its cover. I said I didn’t really mind how it looked – providing it didn’t say ‘Holy Bible’ and have a cross on the front! If that shocks you, then please remember the purpose of CBB: to be an edition for new believers from little or no Christian background, not primarily for those who had been Christians for a long time for whom such things have become the norm. (And anyway, the original Bible texts didn’t say ‘Holy Bible’ and have a cross on them!). And so we came up with the idea of a cover with three building blocks, reflecting what had become something of a sub-title for CBB: Foundations of the faith for followers of Christ.

What a joy it was to hold my very first copy in my hands, some three years after that Coca-Cola moment!

Since its launch Christian Basics Bible has been well-received. Those who have recently become Christians and who come from little or no Christian background, have found it easy to read and understand. But also those who have been Christians for many years have find its approach and simplicity refreshing, commenting on how they have now understood things in the Bible that have passed them by for years.

So there it is: the Bible that came about ‘by accident’. But many of the things that come about ‘by accident’ prove to have enduring popularity. Our prayer is that this might be true of Christian Basics Bible.

Watch this video to learn more about the Christian Basics Bible

In the busyness of life, it can be easy to forget those who have walked in our shoes. We may get annoyed that our day is interrupted as someone slowly attempts to complete a routine task. And in a culture that idolizes youth and beauty, lines on a face or gray hair can make someone feel less valuable or that they no longer contribute to a world that seems to be quickly passing by. But to God, each person is of infinite value.

For 50 years, Doug and his wife, Helga, have lived out this truth. Though a tutor by profession, he found his calling bringing God’s love to people others might not even notice. Whether it’s to someone tucked away in a nursing home or rehab center or to a person in a halfway house or addictions program, Doug has devoted his life to bringing God’s Word to the often forgotten.

“It doesn’t matter who we are, God has a calling for each of us. He has a desire for us to become more like him and to share him with a world that needs to hear his Word,” said Doug. “Every Christian is called to be a blessing to others, and I have found my calling.”

Each month, Doug visits at least fifteen nursing homes. As he went from facility to facility, one thing he noticed was the lack of Bibles with text large enough for the residents to read.

“At one of the facilities, the activities cart had the largest Bible I had ever seen. It was enormous! I asked the activities person about it, and she said when a person requested a Bible they wheeled the cart into the room and read to him or her,” said Doug. “That day I knew I needed to do something. Many of these people needed the comfort of the Word of God right next to them and shouldn’t have to wait for someone to wheel in a cart to engage with God’s Word.”

With the help of Tyndale House Publishers, Doug was able to create a Giant Print New Testament and Psalms special edition. In less than two years, he has personally given out 8,000 of these Bibles and is working with nursing home ministers to distribute additional Bibles to people in residential facilities in several states.

“The New Living Translation really conveys the warmth and intimate love God has for each us. It is so well received by the residents everywhere I go. Not just the nursing homes but also the halfway houses and addictions and rehabilitation centers. People of all ages can relate and understand it. Throughout the text, you feel God’s persevering love for us,” said Doug.

Even at 78 years old, he doesn’t have plans to slow down. Doug is part of a softball team, and when he is on his way to tournaments, he brings several copies of the special edition Bible to drop off at nursing homes and centers he passes on his way.

“Every time I talk to a resident at a nursing home or share a Bible with a staff member, I know the privilege of being able to share God’s love with them. These are divine appointments, and I never take that for granted.”

His passion for sharing the Word of God is encouraging others to share God’s love too.

“There are several homes where the residents have started their own Bible studies since they each have a Bible they can read. Others feel more confident sharing what God is doing in their lives with a Bible right there next to them,” said Doug. “God’s Spirit is in each of us, and we need to be the funnel for God’s love to be shown to everyone we come in contact with.”

Reading the Bible more is one of the most common resolutions for Christians heading into 2019. But statistics show that 80% of new year’s resolutions fail by mid-February.

Maybe this has been your experience. You find a new reading plan, you try harder. But by springtime, that same feeling of guilt and failure is back.

Have questions about Immerse? 

We’ve got answers

Did you or someone you know receive a journaling Bible for Christmas? You may be excited to get started but aren’t exactly sure how. Or maybe you are afraid to mess up. Sometimes all the extra space in the wide margins can be intimidating. Where do you start? How will you identify what to journal about? What does a creative response to Scripture even look like? What supplies do you need? There are many great questions that people wrestle with when they are just getting started. But just remember, your Bible is the holy Word of God. And God speaks to you through his Word! Our goal as followers of Jesus is for Scripture to be written on our hearts so that we can live it out in our daily lives. We want to know God and to make him known, and we want to become more like him. Bible journaling can help us do this. Not only does it give us a beautiful, meaningful tool for Bible study; it also gives us a collection of entries that we can look back to time and time again and be reminded of truths from the Bible and of God’s faithfulness.

Our advice for those who are just getting started is: Just get started! Dive in. Do what feels comfortable and natural to you right now. Use supplies you already have. Let God lead you. Instead of buying all the supplies you see others using, be creative about using things around the house. Use a cool Christmas card you received to make an amazing insert, or place a picture of a family member near a Scripture you are praying over them. (Many people tape on such items by using decorative tape called washi tape, but any kind of tape works great!)

Your Bible journaling doesn’t need to be anything extravagant to be meaningful. This is your Bible. This is your time with God. Let God lead you, and don’t let your fears or questions (whatever they may be!) hold you back from jumping in. No matter what your finished page looks like, what is of utmost importance is being in the Word. Soak it in. Meditate on it. Live it out. Bible journaling is a mechanism by which we can draw nearer to God through his Word and through using our God-given creativity. We all have creativity, but it’s often expressed very differently by each of us. Don’t let all the glitz and glitter of supplies and techniques distract you from the One who is pursuing you!

If you are looking for more Bible-journaling resources, check out this 15-minute video by Amber Bolton. In it, Amber gives you a small taste of her two-hour-long workshops. You’ll learn about her 4-Step Bible Study Process and find encouragement to get started. The video is a study of 1 John 4:7-21. Get out your Bible and let’s get started!

In this video, Amber is using the Inspire PRAISE Bible. Inspire PRAISE is the second Bible in the bestselling Inspire Bible line, with over 500 all-new line-art illustrations to color, including full-page illustrations. It has some special features that the original Inspire Bible did not have, such as thicker white paper, colorful vellum see-through journaling page inserts, stickers, and even a pocket in the back. There is a large-print edition now available as well, though it does not include the stickers or the pocket.

If you are ever able to attend one of Amber Bolton’s Inspire Bible TOUR workshops, we would encourage you to go! Or if you would be interested in hosting an event in your community, contact us. Workshops are for people of all ages and stages of faith. They are for those who have never Bible journaled before and for those who are experienced Bible journalers. Each workshop is unique because of the diverse mix of people that attend, and it’s a fun way to meet others from your community who are interested in Bible journaling. You’ll likely come away feeling inspired and blessed to be a part of the community of believers seeking to know God more through this creative avenue.

Want to know more about Amber Bolton?

Interested in more information about the Inspire Bible TOUR?

Read: John 17:6-19

AS JESUS PRAYED for His disciples, He prayed for three things: that they would be unified, that they would be protected from the evil one, and that they would be made holy.

First, Jesus prayed for His disciples’ unity. If you study the twelve disciples, you willnotice that they were individualistic men. They were not necessarily cooperative. They were stubborn. They were at times dull and unteachable. They were proud. Matthew was a tax collector. Peter was a fisherman. John and James were called “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17). Yet the Lord prayed, in effect, “Father, I want You to take these tough-minded men and build them into a unit.” In John 17:11, He prayed, “Protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are.”

Second, Jesus prayed for His disciples’ protection. “I have given them your word,” He continued. “And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one” (John 17:14-15). These verses give us a clear description of Jesus’ strategy. He never encourages living behind the walls of a monastery, either physically or spiritually. He wants His disciples to be in touch with the world so that the world will have His light. If the world never saw or rubbed shoulders with Christians, it would have no light. So Jesus was saying, “Lord, I don’t want You to take them out of the world. Leave them in the world, but preserve them.” It’s not about isolation, but insulation. We need to be “insulated” so that we can move through the fire and the crucible of this world without being discouraged or destroyed by the evil one.

I think Jesus’ two requests for unity and protection are linked. The evil one discovers disunity and hits us at that chink in our armor. That’s why we, the church, are told by the apostle Paul in Ephesians 4 to keep ourselves united in the Spirit. The Spirit of God gives unity, and we are to cultivate it. We are to bridge the gaps, the cracks, the chinks. The whole purpose is so that we might have a positive effect on a decadent, perverted society.

Third, Jesus prayed for His disciples’ holiness. Notice this third request: “Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth” (John 17:17). First Jesus said, “Keep them,” and now He says, “Sanctify them.” He wants His followers to be set apart for their intended purpose. He doesn’t want them to ever lose the vision. How are we made holy? Scripture tells us right here: through God’s Word, which is truth. You cannot live the life you were fully intended to live apart from this Book. If you get away from the Source of truth and move into the wastelands of subjectivity and human opinions, invariably you will be led astray. If you’re living your life apart from regular contact with the Word of God, the world is on its way to moving in. We who believe in Jesus today are included in this prayer (see John 17:20). Jesus has prayed for us to have unity, protection, and holiness. These things have therefore been given to us. We need to live them out.

Find out more about the Swindoll Study Bible