Contemplative Bible Reading

Proverbs 17:9 (Holman Christian Standard Bible) Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but whoever gossips about it separates friends. Offenses are committed daily. Some persons seem to offend others all the time. What is a good Christian to do? I can gossip about the offense, i.e., I can sort of tell the truth of about […]

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Ezekiel 22:7 (New Living Translation) Fathers and mothers are treated with contempt. Foreigners are forced to pay for protection. Orphans and widows are wronged and oppressed among you. The prophet is describing the collapse of a Godly people. The paragraph surrounding this verse includes many things such as these. Simply put, people are taking advantage […]

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Psalm 19:9a (English Standard Version) the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; This is a different way to express the fear of the Lord. “Clean.” What does that mean? The next phrase states that a clean fear endures forever. Things that endure forever have usually achieved some sort of perfection. There are no […]

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1 Chronicles 21:1 (New Living Translation) Satan rose up against Israel and caused David to take a census of the people of Israel. Satan attacks King David of Israel. What does Satan do? How does Satan “get at” David? What is the devious plot? What is the frontal onslaught? Satan spurs David to count his […]

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Job 1:1 (New Living Translation) There once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless—a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil. Such begins the Old Testament book that recounts the (hi)story of Job. A simple statement that describes the man. Note the […]

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1 Chronicles 12:32 (New Living Translation) From the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 leaders of the tribe with their relatives. All these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take. This verse comes from a long listing of persons who decided to follow David as their […]

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Psalm 97:1 (New Living Translation) The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice! Let the farthest coastlands be glad. I am logical, scientific, rational, and all those boring things. A coastland being glad? Are you kidding? That is just a place where land meets water. How can it be glad? Yet, here it is, right […]

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1 Samuel 12:25a (New Living Translation) As for me, I will certainly not sin against the Lord by ending my prayers for you. There are many ways to sin against God. How about this one: Not praying for someone. “I’ll fix you, I won’t pray for you anymore!” How silly. How arrogant. How sinful. How […]

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Psalm 103:15-17 (New Living Translation) 15 Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. 16 The wind blows, and we are gone— as though we had never been here. 17 But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him. Simple verses that compare us and God. […]

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1 Samuel 10:25 (New Living Translation) Then Samuel told the people what the rights and duties of a king were. He wrote them down on a scroll and placed it before the Lord. Then Samuel sent the people home again. At long last, God’s people had an earthly king. This didn’t work out that well, […]

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