A review of Explore by the Book; John 14-17, Romans, James

A review of Explore by the Book; John 14-17, Romans, James

by Tim Keller and Sam Allberry

Publisher's description:

Timothy Keller and Sam Allberry sit alongside you as you open up the treasures of three enriching parts of God’s Word. These inspirational readings are presented in beautiful hardback format, complete with ribbon marker and space for journaling.

Carefully-crafted questions, insightful explanations and helpful prompts to apply the Scriptures to your life will take you to the heart of God's word and then push God's word deep into your heart.

These 90 devotionals in John 14-17, Romans and James, taken from the Explore Quarterly range, are a great way to start reading the Bible. If you already spend time each day in God’s word, this book will take you deeper in to the riches of Scripture, drawing you closer to the Lord and gaining fresh appreciation for His love for us in Christ.

This 90 day devotional is what the publisher calls an "open Bible devotional".  What does that mean?  Well, unlike many devotionals that have you read a small portion of Scripture and then finish up with the main devotional thought, this one forces you to do the daily devotional with your Bible open.  In fact, this book is more like a daily study than a devotional.  

Each day you have a Scripture reading, in this case systematically working through John 14-17, Romans, and James.  As you read the daily Scripture, you also have a series of questions and application that force you to keep your Bible open as you answer them as well as commentary on the passage you are reading. Each day ends with a prayer in response to what you have read and a page for writing down thoughts and prayers.

I really liked this format and found it a good way to have a daily Bible study that was brief but nourishing. I especially liked the emphasis on prayer at the end.  I also really appreciate how this book works through large portions of Scripture, which is always more beneficial than cherry picking small passages here and there.

This book would make a great gift for someone you know who wants to study the Bible but doesn't know how, or doesn't have much time to sit and do a regular study.  What a great tool!

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.