Prayer - Does it make any difference? - by Philip Yancey

Do you struggle with prayer? So do others....
Philip Yancey probes the very heartbeat—the most fundamental, challenging, perplexing, and deeply rewarding aspect—of our relationship with God: prayer. What is prayer? Does it change God’s mind or ours—or both? This book is an invitation to communicate with God the Father who invites us into an eternal partnership through prayer.
Visit his website: www.philipyancey.com

Sermon on the Mount - Lloyd-Jones

Studies in the Sermon on the Mount
Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

I have many favourite books... but this is very close to the top as it is a study of my own favourite passages of the Bible. (Gary)

This is what others say about this book:
A spiritual classic, this detailed and comprehensive study by one of the greatest expository preachers of our time explains Christ's teaching in the Sermon on the Mount and incisively applies it to the Christian life. With characteristic vigor and emotional vitality Dr. Lloyd-Jones presents a brilliant and detailed exposition of one of the best known but most frequently misunderstood passages of Scripture. Here is a comprehensive and exhaustive study of our Lord's words as recorded in Matthew chapters five, six and seven.

This beautiful portion of the Sermon on the Mount is carefully analyzed, its contents outlined and thoughtfully arranged, and vastly rich and abundant truths are gleaned for your spiritual nurture. The author brought a wealth of devoted study as well as a profound spiritual appreciation to the work of interpreting this greatest address of our delightful experience in meditation. It presents depth of thought in simple language and beauty of style and contains a veritable thesaurus of spiritual truths drawn from the entire Bible.

ESV study Bible

All Christians need a bible, sadly not all seem to have one. Further to that most Christians should have a quality study bible with a lot of additional infromation that makes reading the bible more interesting and informative. 

Most of the english translations are pretty good and most people these days in South Africa anyhow will use the NIV translation. The ESV (English Standard Version) is a good literal translation of the Bible and now there is a new study version of it that is very highly regarded by some really good scholars. 

You can view information and some some sample pages from it at http://www.esvstudybible.org/#features. When you purchase the print version you also get access to an online version with further information. The ESV Study Bible is availble in South Africa from Loot.co.za. If you are looking for a good quality study bible and are prepared to try a different translation, this one is highly recommended.