True confession: my desk is a mess. One day I’ll be brave enough to take a pic of it and show you just how messy it is, but today is not that day. Instead I’ll show one of the items that has a permanent place on my desk no matter how messy it is–my study bible.

I actually have several study bibles. My mom bought me my very first one, an NIV study bible, back in the late 80s. The bible on my desk is the NASB Inductive Bible, which I bought in 2001.

I really enjoy this bible. I had taken an inductive bible study class the year before, and decided to do some more studying on my own. This bible includes instructions on inductive bible study, explains the marking approach and how to use it, gives a place next to each chapter in each book to write the theme of the chapters, and at the end of each book there are At A Glance pages for further study of themes and important information. Of course there are charts and maps and introductions for each book, too. It’s a comprehensive study bible and it took me three years to get through it. Three years well spent!

Here are few pages with my notes (please excuse my chicken scratch):

I highly recommend getting and using a study bible. It doesn’t have to be an inductive study bible or the NASB translation. There are many study bibles available. Pick one that suits your needs.

Question: Do you have a study bible?