ESV Study Bible Winners

Really now, y’all know how to make these contests difficult on the judges! I knew as soon as I began to read your entries that we wouldn’t be able to stick with two winners. We decided to pitch in a few more Bibles and (barely) managed to narrow it down to six contestants. We’ll share three winning entries today and three tomorrow. Then you’ll see why it was so hard to choose!

We wish we could award every contestant a Bible to give away. But if your nominee wasn’t chosen, may I encourage you to pray and ask the Lord to provide another way for you to give this precious gift? Our Lord delights in His Word going forth!

And now it’s my distinct privilege to announce our three winners for today…

Cassie nominated her sister:

I would love to be entered into the ESV Study Bible Birthday Giveaway.  Without a doubt, I would give this precious gift to my sister, Chelsea.  She lost her baby boy at 34 gestational weeks just a few weeks ago.  Though she is a very disciplined student of the Word, she has come to find an even more need for Scripture in the past few weeks.  She reads night and day as she rests in the reality that He is the only One that can and will sustain her.  She would treasure such a gift and without a doubt would fill it with underlining and notes of her own.  And knowing her, she would eventually pass it on to someone traveling a similar road, knowing that what the Lord has taught her through His Word would speak to others.  She's just that amazing.

Julie nominated her mother-in-law:

My mother in law became a believer (after 60 years!) and ever since she has been serving and super involved at our church (Calvary Bible Church in Burbank California). She stocks the pews, serves the shut-ins, and is very faithful. She recently tripped in the church parking lot and thankfully she wasn't hurt but her hardcover study Bible took the brunt of the fall! It completely fell apart but since it was all she had, she tried her best to salvage it. Needless to say... A new study Bible would be a great blessing to her!

Sarah nominated her childhood friend:

My childhood friend of 15 years has expressed great spiritual interest as of this past fall! We both grew up apart from the church and spent much of our time together building our friendship by committing shameful acts and reveling in them. We have each walked the path to destruction, only God saved me in 2005 and my life hasn't been the same (Praise God!).

For a few years there, neither was our friendship. However, God kept bringing her back into my life. I've been praying for her since I became a Christian and had alluded in a few conversations with her that her pursuits of men and drugs were because she was made to pursue God. Her response was always blank. But this fall, God softened her heart and I couldn't contain my desire to share the gospel with her and the message left us both speechless. Within a few hours after our conversation, she emailed me all these questions she had and we've been back and forth ever since!

She's been reading the Bible like crazy, but some of the study notes she shares with me don't seem quite right. I've been wanting to buy her a Bible, but with our first baby on the way and no insurance, all of our extra earnings are going toward this new little blessing. She expresses delight in the truths of God's Word, but that there's much she doesn't understand. I believe that this ESV Study Bible will be very helpful to her!