Book Review: NIV Lifehacks Bible

One of the most important elements of the Christian life is spiritual formation. Spiritual formation takes place when discipline ourselves in walking with Christ. Spiritual formations come in various ways such as journaling, memorizing verses in the Bible, and prayer. Many books have been written on the subject which is a big help for new believers as well as those who have been Christians for a long time. You might say you can call spiritual formation, habits, which means a regular practice or tendency that is hard to give up.

Zondervan has produced a new specialty Bible to assist believers in developing spiritual habits called, the "NIV Lifehacks Bible." What exactly is a "lifehack?" Joe Carter, who is the contributing editor of this Bible, said a lifehack is "any advice, shortcut, tip, or skill that helps (the reader) get things done more efficiently and effectively. Applying lifehacks to disciplines makes those disciplines more readily integrated into (the reader's) life."

Most retailers and publishers would call this a study Bible, which it is not. A study Bible would have detailed book introductions along with study notes at the bottom of each page to help the reader learn more the passage and its historical context. This Bible is more of a specialty Bible where it has articles catering to a specific person. This Bible is geared toward those who want to have spiritual disciplines which is a good thing.

There are various articles throughout this Bible that address different topics such as humility, holiness, and evangelism. At the end of each article, Carter gives a sentence or two to help the reader apply what he wrote to their lives.

One plus about this Bible is a reading plan. No, not a reading plan for the articles, but a Bible reading plan. There are some complicated ones out there, but the one in this Bible looks like a simple approach to read the Bible. In fact, I am might be considering using it next year as I wrap up my three-year reading plan.

What made me curious about this Bible is the fact that Joe Carter, editor for the Gospel Coalition, wrote the articles and Kevin DeYoung wrote the forward. The articles are very simple to read and are very practical. I wish they had this Bible available in the ESV, but I get why it is in the NIV because there are some new believers who want to read an easy-to-read version which is what the NIV is.

Thanks Booklook Bloggers for letting me review this Bible.