The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible

Lucado, Max. The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible. Thomas Nelson, 2010. ISBN 978-1418543969.

I was recently given a complimentary copy of the Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible by Thomas Nelson Publishers for review purposes.

I am not a big fan of study Bibles. I prefer to use a Bible, concordance, Bible dictionary/encyclopedia then commentary (in that order). However, I was interested in this Bible for devotional purposes. I have found Lucado's writing to be both inspirational and encouraging. I requested this Bible, expecting to be able to combine Bible reading and devotional reading.

I was delighted to find this Bible using the New King James Version. I find it is readable while still sounding the way I expect Bible text to sound. I am surely biased since the NKJV was the first one I read through cover to cover.

Once I received the Bible, I discovered that is doesn't really fit the genre of "study Bible." I would class it as a devotional Bible. (By devotions I mean inspirational & encouraging writings apart from the Biblical text). Fortunately, this is exactly what I hoped it would be.

This is a sturdy hardback Bible with dustcover. It lays flat, making study very easy (It is laying open beside me as I write this review). The paper is the typical thin Bible paper which allows some bleed through from the other side.

This is not one of the Bibles with just a few inspirational pages sprinkled throughout. Nearly every page has study/devotion material. Each "lesson" includes the situation, observations, inspiration, application and exploration. In the passage on Mark 16:1-20, he describes the issues of Jesus' burial in the situation section. In the observation, he comments about Jesus and death. In inspiration he compares the death of Dwight L. Moody and that of an agnostic named Robert Ingersoll. The short application mentions our death while the exploration section lists references for five Bible passages that discuss victory over death. The inspiration section is taken from the book The Applause of Heaven also by Max Lucado.

I have read other reviews that stated the content of this Bible is a carryover from his earlier study Bible. It is clearly marked "Third Edition." If you already have a previous Lucado Bible, you may not wish to purchase this one. However, remember that this is in the New King James Version as opposed to the New Century Version of the earlier Bible.

For anyone looking for a devotional Bible, I would recommend this Bible as a good possibility. The text is clear with good headings. The devotional material is brief and engaging. As with much of Lucado's material, the notes are encouraging and interesting. The Bible also has a presentation page so this would make a good gift for that Lucado fan on your list.

The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible