Contemplative Bible Reading

Romans 16:20 (New Living Translation) The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. Read this one a few times. Satan, a powerful entity, a fallen angel, a being of almost limitless power. One day, Satan will be crushed under the feet of those who follow Jesus Christ. Do I live like I […]

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Romans 8:8-9 (New Living Translation) 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. 9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do […]

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Romans 6:18 (New Living Translation) Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living. Followers of Christ are now slaves to righteous living. Uh, er, what? Freedom in Christ makes me a slave to something? Some explanation please? An attempt: as a “slave” to righteous living, righteous […]

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Romans 1:28-32 (New Living Translation) 28 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. 29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. 30 They are […]

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Romans 1:14-15 (New Living Translation) 14 For I have a great sense of obligation to people in both the civilized world and the rest of the world, to the educated and uneducated alike. 15 So I am eager to come to you in Rome, too, to preach the Good News. Paul writes about his efforts […]

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Romans 4:6-8 (New Living Translation) 6 David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it: 7 “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. 8 Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared […]

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Romans 4:4-5 (New Living Translation) 4 When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. 5 But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. There is a big difference between a gift and a contract. It is […]

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Romans 2:1-4 (New Living Translation) 4 Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? This is one of those verses that hits me like a baseball bat (yes, I have […]

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Romans 8:29 (New Living Translation) For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. God chose His people in advance to be like His Son. (I will not delve into the predestination discussion here.) Was Jesus […]

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Romans 8:28 (New Living Translation) And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. The blessings roll on and on in this sentence. (1) God is active. God is causing things to happen all the time without end. […]

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