Contemplative Bible Reading

Psalm 20:7 (New Living Translation) Some nations boast of their chariots and horses,but we boast in the name of the Lord our God. This Psalm is attributed to King David. David is speaking for the people of Jehovah God, the Creator. The topic is national identity, national culture, and pride. David’s people boast in the […]

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Psalm 19:14 (New Living Translation) 14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. I want to please God. But how? With every word that comes from my mouth. Great. An opportunity. Please God. Let me consider the words about […]

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Psalm 94:16-17 (New Living Translation) 16 Who will protect me from the wicked?Who will stand up for me against evildoers?17 Unless the Lord had helped me,I would soon have settled in the silence of the grave. The last year or so in America have seen one travesty after another. The wicked kill the innocent. The […]

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Psalm 40:9-10 (New Living Translation) 9 I have told all your people about your justice.I have not been afraid to speak out,as you, O Lord, well know.10 I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart;I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power.I have told everyone in the great […]

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Psalm 99:9 (New Living Translation) Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain in Jerusalem, for the Lord our God is holy! Consider the last words: Jehovah our God is holy. Holy means separated, different. The Creator, Jehovah, the God of the chosen people is different from all other gods. And there […]

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Psalm 101: 6 (New Living Translation) I will search for faithful people    to be my companions. Companions can define a person. I choose my companions. I choose my life. The writer of this 3,000-year-old verse searched for people who were faithful to God the creator to be his companions, to define his life. This is certainly […]

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I will post this in a different format than usual to emphasize the differences in translations and meaning. The fear of the Lord is a phrase commonly used in the Bible and just as commonly misused by us when reading and explaining. One concept that is repeated in scriptures is the beginning of wisdom. In […]

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Psalm 100:4-5 (New Living Translation) … Give thanks to him and praise his name.5 For the Lord is good.His unfailing love continues forever,and his faithfulness continues to each generation. Thank you God. Perhaps I haven’t prayed that yet today. Perhaps I haven’t realized that yet today. I am, after all, human with all my human failings. […]

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Psalms 19:14 (Revised Standard Version) Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart     be acceptable in thy sight,     O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. As a person who speaks and writes words (probably too much and too many) and thinks often and deeply (again, probably too much), this verse pokes […]

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Psalm 37:1 (New Living Translation) Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. Look at those people. Look at what they are doing. Can you imagine anyone would do those things? And look at the cars they drive, the clothes they wear, the places they go, the houses the own…all the material […]

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