Contemplative Bible Reading

1 Thessalonians 1:8-9 (New Living Translation) We don’t need to tell them about it, for they keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the living and true God. Paul and his fellow missionaries are writing to the Christians in Thessaloníki (I think that’s how […]

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1 Thessalonians 3:12 (New Living Translation) 12 And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. The writer to this church is sending a written prayer. The writer prays that everyone in this distant church loves one another more each […]

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1 Thessalonians 4:1-3 (New Living Translation) 1 Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more. 2 For you remember what we taught […]

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1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 (New Living Translation) 19 Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. 20 Do not scoff at prophecies, 21 but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. 22 Stay away from every kind of evil. This is excellent advice for just about anything. Here is an idea. Is it good? […]

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1 Thessalonians 4:12 (New Living Translation) Then people who are not believers will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others. Depending on other persons can be a dangerous thing. If I owe too much to another person, they control my decisions. Well, if I owe the mortgage company […]

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1 Thessalonians 5:26 (English Standard Version) Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. We usually joke about this verse. Then we dismiss it as something cultural that was done a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. I think we miss the key word in this little sentence: HOLY. Throughout this letter […]

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1 Thessalonians 1:4-5 (New Living Translation) 4 We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people. 5 For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what […]

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1 Thessalonians 3:12 (New Living Translation)  And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow… These words are in the middle of a short prayer that Paul writes in a letter. I find them to be something to pray everyday. God, help us love one another more today than […]

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1 Thessalonians 5:15 (New Living Translation) See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people. “God needs someone to give that guy just what he deserves, and I’m just the person to do it.” Isn’t that silly? Yet, we try to live […]

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1 Thessalonians 4:1 (New Living Translation) Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more. Paul writes to a church and urges […]

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