Contemplative Bible Reading

Jude 1:22-23 (New English Translation) 22 And have mercy on those who waver; 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; have mercy on others, coupled with a fear of God, hating even the clothes stained by the flesh Jude is writing to dear friends in Christ. There are sinful people all around […]

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2 Corinthians 10:7 (New Living Translation) 7 Look at the obvious facts. Those who say they belong to Christ must recognize that we belong to Christ as much as they do. Paul is writing to a church in Corinth. There is a lot of fussing going on. Some say Paul is a phony. Paul is […]

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John 18:28 (New Living Translation) 28 Jesus’ trial before Caiaphas ended in the early hours of the morning. Then he was taken to the headquarters of the Roman governor. His accusers didn’t go inside because it would defile them, and they wouldn’t be allowed to celebrate the Passover. The Jewish leaders were having the Roman […]

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This post is different from the vast majority of them in this blog. There is much talk, yelling, demonstrating, banner carrying, and such this past month or two in the name of social justice. Search this blog for the word “justice.” I don’t know how many posts in this blog are about justice and righteousness—several […]

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2 Peter 2:19 (New Living Translation) They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you. This is but one verse and one description in a chapter full of them. The persons described herein “know better.” They are surrounded by those who live for […]

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Deuteronomy 29:24-25 (New Living Translation) 24 And all the surrounding nations will ask, ‘Why has the Lord done this to this land? Why was he so angry?’ 25 And the answer will be, ‘This happened because the people of the land abandoned the covenant that the Lord, the God of their ancestors, made with them […]

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1 Samuel 25:24 (New Living Translation) She fell at his feet and said, “I accept all blame in this matter, my lord. Please listen to what I have to say. In the verse, she is Abigail—a woman married to a wicked and ill-tempered man named Nabal. He is David—one day to be king, but now […]

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Tomorrow is Christmas Day. Fundamentalist Christians (that’s an old term, but I guess it still fits some of us some of the time) talk about how Jesus really wasn’t born on December 25th and all that stuff that is true but sort of ruins the spirit for a lot of folks. Sigh. Here is something […]

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Exodus 21:16 (New Living Translation) Kidnappers must be put to death, whether they are caught in possession of their victims or have already sold them as slaves. This is what Joseph’s brothers did to him. Now the law, as stated here, came after the (hi)story of Joseph and his brothers. Still, I doubt that any […]

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Yesterday was Christmas Day. I suppose I should write something about that. I am older than I used to be. One of the things about that is that persons who were always part of Christmas are not here anymore. They have died. My wife’s mother and grandmother died in the last 18 months. My mother […]

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