Contemplative Bible Reading

John 3:19 (New Living Translation) And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. Funny thing about being in a well-lit place: I can see everything I am doing. And…everyone else can see everything I am […]

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John 3:18 (New Living Translation) There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. Some translations use the word “condemnation” instead of “judgement.” That is because if God judges me alone, well, I’m […]

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Romans 7:24 (New Living Translation) …Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? The above words are preceded by “Oh, what a miserable person I am!” Such is life as a human being in this world. What did I do? How did I get here? And… Who will free […]

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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. I don’t like the use of “slavery” in Romans. In America, we often hear “slavery” and immediately stop thinking about what God is telling us and start thinking of American history, the Civil […]

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Romans 2:18 (New Living Translation) You know what he wants; you know what is right because you have been taught his law. Pardon the sermon. I don’t write those often, but here is one. In the letter to the church in Rome, Paul provides many words concerning THE LAW. In the last few hundred years […]

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Romans 1:17 (New Living Translation) This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight.. I try to notice sentences like this in the Bible. There is a big flashing blue light (remember K-Mart?) on the page. Pay attention here! The good news, the gospel, the (hi)story of the life of Jesus […]

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Acts 9:15-16 (New Living Translation) 15 But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. 16 And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.” God is conversing with Ananias […]

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2 Corinthians 5:20 (New Living Translation) So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. An Ambassador for the U.S. Department of State has an official title. That title is “Chief of Mission.” An ambassador is a person sent on a mission by someone else. There is a task to accomplish and […]

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Acts 1:17 (New Living Translation) Judas was one of us and shared in the ministry with us. Much is written about Judas, the one who betrayed Jesus. There is much speculation about his eventual state in the greater scheme of things. Let’s consider this one sentence. Peter is talking. He admits that Judas was on […]

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John 3:17 (New Living Translation) God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. This is pretty simple. How did we miss it? “God just doesn’t want me to have any fun. God hates us. God just wants to slap me around.” I’ve heard these […]

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