5 Great Bible Apps and How to Use Them
Reading the Bible is hard! No one who has made a genuine effort to absorb this ancient text walks away going, "Ya, that was so simple." This book is the most important piece of literature you could ever read, yet it is soaked in mystery and complexities. God, your creator and the one who loves you, has given this to you as a gift. How is it possible to understand that idea and yet not drink deeply of its truths? Thankfully, there are some tools out there to make your study easier. I've recommended some great resources for Bible study. However, I have never shared a more in-depth look at each of my favorite Bible apps and features in one post before. Let's take a look:
The Bible App from YouVersion - Daily Reading
This app has had my attention for the longest out of all the following resources. It is my go-to app for my everyday Bible study, and for good reasons. The format is simple and enjoyable to read, yet functional. It has several features that it does very well. It's not trying to do everything imaginable, so what it does, it does really well.
The feature I have used the most is the audio Bible. After selecting a particular chapter and Bible translation in the "Read" pane, click on the audio icon (it looks like a speaker with waves coming out of it) and press play. The ability to soak up to the Bible no matter what I'm doing is fantastic. For my morning God time, I normally read along with the audio version. I also keep a pencil and notebook ready to make some notes about what I'm hearing.
Another profoundly useful thing about this app is the Bible plan feature. You can select from among seemingly hundreds of different Bible plans that will guide you through portions of the Bible (or the whole thing) anywhere between a few days to over a year. Instead of needing to have a paper version of a Bible plan with you and then opening to the portions of the Bible in the plan, the app does it for you. Several Bible plans that I've enjoyed most have four or five different snippets of the Bible each day. Having the app do the jumping for you helps you focus on what you're listening to.
One of my personal goals each year is to read through the entire Bible. It has been so exciting to have gone through the whole Bible a bunch of times. It helps me see more aspects of his love and plan for us! I've been able to do this by following several excellent Bible plans that take about 15 minute per day to read. Here are a few:
The One Year ® Bible - Daily readings from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs will guide you through God's Word in one year. I like this one because it keeps a balance between different major sections of the Bible so you're not just reading Leviticus for several weeks.
Reading God's Story: One-Year Chronological Plan - This plan takes you through the Bible in the order it was originally written. I love this kind of plan because having a historical context and timeframe for when the books were written keeps me engaged with the story arch of the Bible.
Chronological - Another reading plan through the Bible in the order it was originally written.
ESV Study Bible - Includes readings from four sections of the Bible each day: the Psalms and Wisdom Literature, Pentateuch and History of Israel, Chronicles and Prophets, and Gospels and Epistles.
Canonical - This plan goes straight through the Bible from front to back cover. No hopping around.
ESV Bible App - If You're Looking for Simplicity
Reading through a typical Bible can be overwhelming when there are so many extraneous notes and verse numbers making our brains work extra to just get to the text. These things were added to our Bibles to clarify meanings and help us know where we are, but they are not always necessary. I have really enjoyed the "Reader's Bible" movement recently, starting with the Bibliotheca book set and ESV Reader's Bible. The central idea is to strip away everything but the actual text of the Bible. That's right, no verse numbers, no cross-references, and no footnotes.
The ESV Bible app allows you to do just that. I wrote a blog post specifically about this app and how to "Read the Bible Like a Novel" with it. It makes the experience much more immersive. Check it out here.
Blue Letter Bible - Deep Study
While I'm using another reading app like The Bible App or the ESV Bible, I often run into words that pop out at me. I use this app to do deep dives into the meanings of particular words. It has a great “Interlinear->Strong’s” function to see a definition of the word in its original language. I used this feature a lot when I was writing my book James to get to the bottom of what James (his name was actually Jacob) was talking about.
If I'm ever looking for context and seasoned insight into what a section of the Bible means, I use this app's "Commentaries" feature. After tapping on a verse, tap the Commentaries button and then select the one you'd like to read. I like the commentaries by Chuck Smith and David Guzik most consistently, but they've all been helpful. I don't use website or app for much else because the formatting is so dated and distracts me.
Olive Tree - Desktop App
I use this desktop app most of the time when I'm studying the Bible on my computer. It looks good, has some nice features, and allows you to do some interesting cross-referencing. I know it sounds silly, but the thing I like best about it is the ability to copy sections of scripture that removes the verse and footnote numbers AND includes the verse and translation. Like this:
Revelation 21:3-4 (ESV) And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
I copy of a lot of scripture into my writing or my personal devotional tools, so this little feature makes me happy.
Bible App for Kids - Teaching Children
I mentioned this app in my blog post about the best Christian children's books (even though it's an app), and for good reason. It's a delightfully animated and interactive way to engage your children in the story of the Bible. It's free and has so many stories from the Bible.
As always with children's versions of the Bible, it waters down, simplifies and pares down some of the more poignant points of the stories, so don't expect it to be like Systematic Theology. It is a great way to introduce the themes and stories of the Bible to your children. Instead of letting it be all they get, let it be the foundation for conversations you will have with them.
The Point of Bible Apps
No matter what Bible apps you end up incorporating into your regular study, keep in mind that they're not the goal. My purpose is not to burden you with so many things that you miss out on God. Whatever Bible app or resource you use, remember that its purpose is to help you build a relationship with your creator.
Whatever Bible app or resource you use, remember that its purpose is to help you build a relationship with your creator.
Question: What are your favorite apps to study the Bible? How have they impacted your personal study? Let me know in the comments!