Contemplative Bible Reading

Proverbs 15:9 (New Living Translation) The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but he delights in the prayers of the upright. The LORD does not delight in the actions of the wicked as He does in the actions of the upright. Notice – the wicked offer sacrifices. By definition, that means the wicked give […]

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2 Chronicles 20:29-30 (New Living Translation) 29 When all the surrounding kingdoms heard that the Lord himself had fought against the enemies of Israel, the fear of God came over them. 30 So Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side. The surrounding kingdoms realized that the LORD […]

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2 Chronicles 17:9-10 (New Living Translation) 9 They took copies of the Book of the Law of the Lord and traveled around through all the towns of Judah, teaching the people. 10 Then the fear of the Lord fell over all the surrounding kingdoms so that none of them wanted to declare war on Jehoshaphat. […]

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1 Kings 20:26-27 (New Living Translation) 26 The following spring he called up the Aramean army and marched out against Israel, this time at Aphek. 27 Israel then mustered its army, set up supply lines, and marched out for battle. But the Israelite army looked like two little flocks of goats in comparison to the […]

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2 Chronicles 17:7-9 (New Living Translation) 7 In the third year of his reign Jehoshaphat sent his officials to teach in all the towns of Judah. These officials included Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah. 8 He sent Levites along with them, including Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-adonijah. He also […]

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2 Chronicles 12:7-8 (New Living Translation) 7 When the Lord saw their change of heart, he gave this message to Shemaiah: “Since the people have humbled themselves, I will not completely destroy them and will soon give them some relief. I will not use Shishak to pour out my anger on Jerusalem. 8 But they […]

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Psalm 27:1 (New Living Translation) The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? Sometimes I (re)find a verse or two that summarizes everything. I slap my head and wonder why I make life so complicated that I cannot put one foot in front of the other. Here is such […]

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Psalms 27:11 (New Living Translation) Teach me how to live, O Lord. Lead me along the right path, for my enemies are waiting for me. Simple, under-stated, yet powerful. Please, oh Lord, teach me how to live. Why does the writer ask for instruction? Because there are people seeking to harm the writer. Are we […]

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1 Chronicles 26:13 (New Living Translation) They were assigned by families for guard duty at the various gates, without regard to age or training, for it was all decided by means of sacred lots. Here is yet another example of a decision made by casting lots. This was an important decision: who would guard what […]

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Psalm 35:1,6 (New Living Translation) O Lord, oppose those who oppose me. Fight those who fight against me. … Make their path dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them. These two verses are from a Psalm of David. David asks Jehovah to oppose those who oppose David. The second verse listed […]

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