The single most catalytic activity individuals can participate in to spur on their own personal walk with the Lord is reflecting on Scripture. (based on the Reveal Spiritual Life Survey)

To reflect on Scripture is more than just reading, it is stopping to think about the truths encountered in such a way that causes one’s thinking begins to change leading to behavior change (not just behavior modification).

How to do this in a busy life? Only intentionally.

A tool I use is the FaithLife Study Bible app on my iPad and Android smartphone. With Logos as the PC desktop interface. Here is a quick tutorial for installing and using it.

The FaithLife Study Bible is part of the Logos Bible Software platform. The FSB is designed for mobile devices and the Logos software for computers.

Step 1: Register your free FaithLife Study Bible

The email you use is your ID and you will need to use the same email and password for other steps as well.

Step 2: Download either the FSB app (to your tablet or smartphone) or the free Logos software (to your computer).

Step 3: Install Logos

For your computer, you will download the file “LogosSetup.exe”–make sure you know where you download it (I recommend your “download folder” or desktop).  You will need to download and then install it.  During the installation, you will be asked to register.

Step 4: Optional purchases

Along the way, Logos may try to get you to purchase different products and packages.  For the average user, these products may be too expensive.

If you want additional language resources they are available for free at Bible.org.  But at this point, you don’t have the ability to highlight and note the way you can on the FSB app or Logos (more in the next step).

If you like one particular Bible translation you can purchase just that version.  I recommend the ESV, which will cost you $10.  This will give you a couple of translations (the LEB–dynamic equivalent and ESV–formal equivalent translation) to compare in Logos or Faithlife.

Step 5: Study!

In either Logos or the Faithlife Study Bible app, you can highlight a word, a group of words, or a verse.

When you highlight you have the option of either adding a note or adding a color or symbol to the word/words/verse.

You can watch a Logos video tutorial for more.

I do recommend creating your own palette and doing all your highlighting and note-taking in one place if you are going to switch between a computer (using Logos) and a tablet/smartphone.

Here are the steps to create a new palette and thus a new highlighting note files.

1. Open the Highlighting tool from the Tools menu
2. Click on the New Palette button at the top of the Highlighting tool
3. Give the new palette a name. I use my initials, though you can call it whatever you want.
4. Hover over the new palette and a down arrow appears at the end – click it to show the menu (or right-click the new palette)
5. Choose Add New Style
6. Select the markup style you wish to use in this new palette (there are six traits to choose from) and customize it as you prefer
7. Give it a name at the top
8. When finished create the new highlighting style, click Save
9. Click the down arrow again (from step 4) and hover over Shortcut Key
10. A list of letters flies out to the right. Select one.

I’m still trying to figure out how to share my style palette.  When I do, I’ll share it.