Contemplative Bible Reading

John 7:25 (New Living Translation) Some of the people who lived in Jerusalem started to ask each other, “Isn’t this the man they (our leaders) are trying to kill?…” The leaders of the Jews in Jerusalem wanted to kill Jesus of Nazareth. What is a little surprising is that lots of just plain folks seemed […]

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John 7:14-15 (New Living Translation) 14 Then, midway through the festival, Jesus went up to the Temple and began to teach. 15 The people were surprised when they heard him. “How does he know so much when he hasn’t been trained?” they asked. Could Jesus read? I Googled that question and found a large number […]

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Psalms 49:11-12 (American Standard Version) 11 Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, And their dwelling-places to all generations; They call their lands after their own names. 12 But man being in honor abideth not: He is like the beasts that perish. I love to build things (see, for example, this […]

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Psalms 51:10 (American Standard Version) Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me. I use an older translation today. A little more poetic. I desire a clean heart. One that isn’t soiled with emotions that are bad for my outlook. Some examples: self-pity jealousy and envy hatred Oh […]

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Luke 10:41-42 (Holman Standard Christian Bible) 41 The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her.” Here is the story of the admirable Mary and that Martha who just […]

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Mark 14:33 (Holman Christian Standard Bible) He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be deeply distressed and horrified. I find the words used in this translation to be fascinating. Jesus was distressed and horrified. Horrified? Jesus? He had all power. What horrified Him? I think we could write a dissertation […]

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Mark 11:24 (New Living Translation) I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. I’ll pray for a million dollars (maybe ten or a hundred times that for good measure) and believe that I have received it. It will be mine, right? Perhaps that […]

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John 3:21 (American Standard Version) But he that doeth the truth cometh to the light, that his works may be made manifest, that they have been wrought in God. Another well-known passage in an older translation. We don’t use this language anymore. In some sense, these words have been pushed to the back corner of […]

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John 1:4 (American Standard Version) In him was life; and the life was the light of men. Let’s look at a familiar passage in what today is an unfamiliar translation. I don’t see well in the dark. I guess that is an understatement as I can’t see anything in the absence of light. God made […]

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Zechariah 8:16-17 (New Living Translation) 16 But this is what you must do: Tell the truth to each other. Render verdicts in your courts that are just and that lead to peace. 17 Don’t scheme against each other. Stop your love of telling lies that you swear are the truth. I hate all these things, […]

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