Contemplative Bible Reading

James 1:3 (New Living Translation) 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. James is writing to Jews who believed that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God. These groups of believers had been scattered to the winds and found themselves in little groups here […]

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James 5:16 This is a little different post. Here are several translations of this one verse. (I like the King James Version best.) King James Version: Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. The Message: The […]

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James 1:5 (Holman Christian Standard Bible) Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him. I live to improve. I want to be and do better everyday. I desire this to a fault. Yes, others don’t always share […]

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James 5:1 (New Living Translation) Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. Boy, I wish I were rich. Uh, well, read the above verse. Terrible troubles haunt rich people. The not-so-rich (loads of money) don’t worry about the stock market, the prime rate, […]

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James 1:27 (New Living Translation) Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. This is one of those sentences in the Bible…I read the opening phrase…and…here it comes. Write this one on the wall or […]

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James 1:2 (New Living Translation) Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. This is one of the more annoying verses in the Bible. How did God put it in here? I suppose I am to put the emphasis on the word opportunity. That […]

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James 5:19-20 (New Living Translation) 19 My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, 20 you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins. One way that I […]

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James 4:7 (New Living Translation) So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. The devil is a large, powerful enemy. This verse, however, tells me that the devil will flee from me. Hmmm, I must be pretty powerful, too. What do I have to do so the devil flees? […]

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James 3:2 (New Living Translation) Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. Notice the power and promise of this verse. If I can control my tongue, I can control myself in every other way. Contemplate on […]

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James 2:3-4 (New Living Translation) 3 If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, 4 doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives? This is the passage from […]

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