10 Best Bible Study Tools Articles of 2019
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2019 is drawing to a close, and with it comes the end of the decade. It was a sometimes thrilling, sometimes troubling year. But through all the highs and lows, the editors at Bible Study Tools worked hard to bring truthful, encouraging content to our readers. Indeed, the top stories from our Topical Studies section was as varied as the events of the year itself.
Our readers sought tips for physical healing by reading about healing foods and oils in the Bible. When news was bad, readers sought answer to tough questions like “Why does God let bad things happen?” and “Who does God say I am?” Together we dug into some beloved verses like Nehemiah 8:10 and Deuteronomy 31:6. Sometimes, current events even drove our readers to seek answers in Scripture, as in the article “Can Women Be Pastors?”
Through it all, we have sought to answer your questions and elucidate some foggier sections of the Bible. So thanks, readers. Thank you for reading, studying and growing alongside us. Keep sending us your thoughts, your questions and your insight. We look forward to another year (and another decade) working alongside you!
Photo credit: Unsplash/Debby Hudson
Here are the best Bible Study Tools articles of 2019:
1. 10 Healing Foods from the Bible
From the article:
Fruit
1 Samuel 30:11-12 NIV: They gave him water to drink and food to eat—part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived.
Numbers 13:23 NLT: When they came to the valley of Eshcol, they cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes so large that it took two of them to carry it on a pole between them! They also brought back samples of the pomegranates and figs.
Throughout the Bible, small fruits like figs, grapes, and pomegranates were used widely in beverages, cakes, or eaten as fresh fruit themselves. When the two spies scoured out the land of Canaan before crossing over to the land God had promised the Israelites, they returned with clusters of grapes so large, they had to use a pole to carry them.
Pomegranates have high anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and even anti-tumor properties. Loaded with minerals and vitamins like Vitamin A, K and E, fresh figs are also low in calories and high in fiber. Grapes contain resveratrol, a powerful antioxidant known for guarding against colon and prostate cancer as well as reducing stroke risk. They, too, are rich in vitamins and minerals and make great fresh or dried snacks.
When sin entered the world, disease entered too. But God in His great wisdom created the sources we needed—and the wisdom to use them the best we can to honor Him and keep our bodies healthy as temples of the Holy Spirit.
2. What Does “the Joy of the Lord Is My Strength” Mean in the Bible?
From the article:
The joy of the Lord is found on the road to restoration. God convicts us of sin, and often our first reaction is guilt and shame. But those feelings never come from God. Ezra the scribe gathered all the people. He read to them from God’s book and skilled ministers explained the words and their meaning to the people. Nehemiah 8:8 says, “They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.”
Once the people understood — really understood — they wept. God's Word was opening their eyes to the way they had failed Him, but Nehemiah was quick to remind them of who the Lord is. “They could delight in the joy of the Lord because he is a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate,” explains the NIV Quest Study Bible Notes.
3. Who Does God Say I Am?
From the article:
What does the Bible say about my identity? God, who spoke the world into existence, wants to talk to us. We are woven into the tapestry of all He has created. Being made in His image explains our innate desire for something more than ourselves. We’re built to seek and live life in communion with Him and are called to fulfill a unique purpose. All-knowing, just and perfect, His will for our lives reflects the loving Father that He is. The pain and consequential suffering in this world are unavoidable, but never trump God’s desire and ability to work all things for our good.
Perhaps "redeemed" is the best way to describe how God sees us. Dave Burchett wrote that redemption: “is the truth I have to remind myself just about every day. The fight has already been won. Yet I too often live as if my self-effort is required to make up for past struggles and efforts. That I need to earn the grace that is already mine.”
Surely, the prodigal son had to remind himself that his father’s reaction wasn’t a dream. Day after day, when he embraced the comfort of his home and family restored, he surely remembered the fate he deserved. Ephesians 1:7 proclaims, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” Redemption is a releasing effected by payment of ransom.
Who are we in God’s eyes? Liberated, loved, and redeemed for who we are . . . right now. Jesus took every sin we would ever commit to the cross with Him. Nothing can negate His perfect sacrifice for our eternal freedom.
4. Why Does God Let Bad Things Happen?
From the article:
There is no answer to our question without looking to the future, and without seeing through the prism of God’s kingdom. Jesus puts it this way, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Jesus himself never answers the question of why bad things happen in this world, other than to confirm that they will continue to happen. He confirms that the world is fallen because we are out of the relationship with God that we are meant to live in. The hope and peace we so desperately seek is not found in stopping every bad thing from happening, because we simply can’t do it. Jesus even tells us that.
The good we seek lies in the confidence that he has overcome the world, and that through his redemptive work he will one day bring all things back into order. It is only then that every tear will be wiped away, and all that is ‘bad’ will be forgotten. We can’t keep every evil and every injustice from happening, but we can know that God is good, he is working even when we can’t see it, and that one day all that is good and true will be fully restored.
Photo credit: Pixabay/Cocoparisienne
5. "I Will Never Leave You Nor Forsake You" Meaning of God's Promise for Your Life
From the article:
God commands our confident trust in Him. In a world that encourages us to believe in ourselves and to achieve all we deserve, it’s paramount to understand who and Whose we are. Society sets a bar to earn and accumulate. Accomplishments and accessories are lauded above humility and God-ordained purpose.
“Very often, people have a hard time taking God at His word,” wrote Jack Graham. “If God says it, that settles it, and there’s absolutely no reason to doubt it.” So, in place of worldly standards, the Old Testament admonishment of Deuteronomy 31:6 can serve as a benchmark in our everyday lives.
Hebrews 13:5 echoes the same sentiment, putting an extra emphasis on what not to have confidence in: “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”
Photo credit: Pexels/Joseph Redfield
6. How to Talk to God: What Does the Bible Say about Prayer?
From the article:
Prayer runs alongside worship in regard to the different ways in which we express our faith. Carefully memorized prayers repeated religiously, journaled thoughts, silent sacred moments with God, and hearts poured out through song all grab God’s attention. Our Father’s focus is on the content of the conversation more so than the delivery.
The invisible presence of our all-present God fuels the radical part of our faith. Talking to Him in the car, out on a run, in a church sanctuary or Bible study full of heads bowed. We can talk to God anywhere, anytime. In the real and raw life moments that leave us speechless, the gift of salvation flexes its most important muscle: The Holy Spirit.
Many biblical heroes prayed God’s will over their own. As Jesus faced the cross, He prayed for God to take it away — but then sealed His heart’s intentions with, “but your will be done.” The Book of Proverbs, written by the great and wise King Solomon, says the root of all wisdom is fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7). Authentic prayer begins with a heart reverently devoted to God. The Holy Spirit searches our hearts and knows its intentions and motivations. Regularly watering our hearts in God’s Word fosters genuine prayer. When we submit our lives into His sovereign hands, we can confidently pray, “Your will be done,” just as Jesus taught.
Photo credit: Unsplash/Naassom Azevedo
7. 7 Healing Oils Found in the Bible
From the article:
Hyssop
In Biblical times, hyssop grew in Egypt, in the desert of Sinai, and in Palestine. Today, it is derived from the plant Hyssopis Officinalis currently found here in the United States (Utah) as well as France and Hungary. Hyssop was used in ceremonial offerings and cleanings, and one of the ingredients in the sponge used to soak up sour wine given to Jesus on the cross. It represents the freedom and forgiveness of the Gospel; pointing to the atoning death of Jesus.
Hyssop in Scripture:
"Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning” (Exodus 12:22).
"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7).
Uses for hyssop:
While the Bible references Hyssop as used for purification purposes, Hyssop is also used to stimulate creativity and also helps open up the circulatory system.
Practical application:
Create a balm by adding hyssop essential oil to shea butter and rub all over your feet for overall health and well-being.
Photo credit: Pixabay/lucianaeris
8. 10 Important Things the Bible Says about Death
From the article:
Some believe once we die, we simply cease existing. They assert that human consciousness arises gradually as the brain develops and will either slowly deteriorate or simply cease. The Bible, however, says differently. Scripture teaches that while our present physical bodies will decompose, our souls will live forever, either in God’s presence or eternally separated from Him.
In Matthew 25, after sharing two parables designed to reveal the realities regarding God’s kingdom, Jesus discussed a time when He will separate the “sheep from the goats.” Those declared righteous through His blood will receive eternal life, whereas those who rejected Him will “go away to eternal punishment” (Matt. 25:45).
In other words, eternity awaits all, though our ultimate destination may look vastly different.
Photo credit: Unsplash/Scott Rodgerson
9. Can Women Be Pastors? The Ordination of Women to Pastoral Ministry
From the article:
We serve the Lord according to God's calling, according to God's own revealed order, and we do so in humility, and total dependence upon his strengths. And we never serve apart from others. We are, indeed, members (eyes, ears, hands, feet) of the same body. Our calling is always conducted in the presence of others following their vocation. So, let respect and honor be the marks of our ministry, even—no, especially—with those brothers and sisters from whom we might part because of this or another matter.
Men and women of good will might certainly disagree about this teaching. In fact, we do. But if one reads 1 Timothy 2 and concludes a position differently than my own, and does so out of an earnest desire to understand and follow God's Word, then I have only to say, let us “cooperate without compromise." And if your heart is with my heart give me your hand.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/ViktorCap
10. God’s Grace - 6 Ways to Understand Its True Meaning
From the article:
What is the grace of God? Simply put it is God's favor and kindness toward us. God rains down grace on all mankind. He gave us the beauty and wonders of nature that we see each and every day. He gives us near misses when accidents are heading our way. He often brings us the right thing just in time. And He also gave us an innate conscience to know right from wrong. All these things are common graces, and everyone born on the earth has the benefit of them because God so loved the world.
Just being born on this planet includes many benefits. Oh, but when I became a believer in Christ, I got even more graceful benefits! In fact, believers are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm because we are united with Christ. Let's take a look at 6 specific areas where God shows us grace.
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Bethany Pyle is the editor for BibleStudyTools.com and the design editor for Crosscards.com. She has a bachelor’s degree in writing from Christopher Newport University, a background in journalism and a passion for telling good stories.
Bethany Pyle is the editor for Bible Study Tools.com and the design editor for Crosscards.com. She has a background in journalism and a degree in English from Christopher Newport University. When not editing for Salem, she enjoys good fiction and better coffee.