By Clark Christian
There are gifts for a season and gifts that last!
Giving gifts each year can become less about meaning and more about checking off a to-do list. Because of this, items bought and wrapped for family or friends can be unused, forgotten, or regifted shortly after the New Year.
This year give something meaningful; something that will be cherished for a lifetime.
Give the gift of experiencing God in a new way through Scripture engagement.
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What is Scripture engagement?
After Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, he told them, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches” (John 15:4-5, NKJV).
These same words ring true to all his followers now as they did back then. We dwell with Christ the way a branch dwells on a vine: in a life-sustaining connection. The vine gives the branch all it needs to live and bear fruit.
[See the Scripture Engagement section on Bible Gateway]
One of the ways we can dwell in Jesus is to abide in God’s Word. Many of us are familiar with Bible study as a foundational aspect of the Christian life. But have you ever engaged with God’s Word on a deeper level—not just for knowledge but to experience it anew? Where you don’t skim the text but slow down and let it wash over you?
Scripture engagement causes us to hear and read the Bible with an awareness that we encounter God as we reflect upon Bible passages. This results in God forming us through his Word. This is nothing new. Followers of God have long valued meditating upon and living out the Scriptures (see Deuteronomy 6:1-6).
The Bible is the authoritative Word of God, the story God gave us so we can meet, know, love, and obey him. As you engage with that story in an experiential way, your life will be transformed to reflect his glory.
Listed below are a few gift ideas from Thomas Nelson to help the person in your life engage God through engaging Scripture.
[Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, Give a Bible This Christmas]
Good Tidings of Great Joy
Engage with the story of Jesus’ birth in a unique way that’s sure to become a treasured holiday tradition.
Good Tidings of Great Joy is the story of the first Christmas from the New King James Version (NKJV) of Scripture. What makes it special is elements have been arranged to create one unbroken narrative, ideal for immersing yourself in God’s presence during the Advent season.
Thoughtfully designed, this book is the perfect addition to your library or the library of someone you know. Read it together as a family or cozy up near the fireplace by yourself to reflect on the day that the Son of God left his heavenly throne to be placed in a humble manger.
NKJV Bible Journals
Many of us have taken notes during a sermon or in our own study of Scripture. However, writing our thoughts about Scripture doesn’t have to be solely about understanding the content; it can also be a conversation with God.
The NKJV Bible Journals enable you to reflect on your raw thoughts and feelings with the Holy Spirit as your guide, one book of the Bible at a time. Putting your pen to paper will deepen your engagement with God’s Word and shape you into God’s image.
Ideal for personal or group study, each journaling paperback includes individual book introductions and a single-column Scripture layout with a full page of light journaling lines opposite each page of Scripture. Buy as a complete set, boxed sets, or individual books.
Love God Greatly Bible
The Love God Greatly Bible encourages and equips women to meet God on the pages of Scripture.
This beautiful Bible provides a proven Scriptural engagement framework—Scripture, Observation, Application, and Pray—to guide the reader through the text in a meaningful way. Woven throughout are testimonies from women around the world to connect and strengthen one’s pursuit of God in any place and circumstance.
Everything you need for quality time in God’s Word, the Love God Greatly Bible is truly the perfect gift for any female in your life looking to engaging with God more deeply.
The Abide Bible and Abide Bible Journals
You were created to abide in God—to walk with him in an intimate, daily, interactive, and delightful relationship. That’s the primary focus of The Abide Bible and The Abide Bible Journals.
The Abide Bible provides you with key tools for engaging Scripture—and its Author—by using 5 engagement practices that have been used even in the days of the early church. With these practices, you will form holy habits when reading the Bible, allowing you to experience spiritual nourishment and growth that comes from encountering God’s presence in his Word.
Experience this devotional Bible one book at a time with The Abide Bible Journals—perfect for personal study, a small group, or an entire congregational study.
Regardless of your list, there’s a gift for anyone who desires to engage with God and be transformed by his Word.
BIO: Clark Christian is marketing director at Thomas Nelson Bibles.
Another Christmas gift idea: Give a loved one a membership to Bible Gateway Plus which includes more than 40 Bible study resources, including the comprehensive reference notes from the NIV Study Bible, Fully Revised Edition, the NIV Quest Study Bible, and many more. Try it yourself right now!
The post Give the Gift of Scripture Engagement this Christmas appeared first on Bible Gateway Blog.