Contemplative Bible Reading

Romans 3:23-24 (New International Version) 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. These verses are translated with different words and different punctuation in the many different English translations of the Bible we […]

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Romans 1:16 (New Living Translation) 16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. This is early in Paul’s letter to Christians living in Rome. Paul isn’t ashamed of what he writes. He is […]

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John 1:46 (New Living Translation) “Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied. People were gathering around a fellow who had appeared from the little hamlet of Nazareth. This Jesus fellow was saying things that amazed them. The things he said weren’t complicated, but were simple, basic, clear, and touched their hearts. Those who had seen […]

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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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Luke 21:36 (New Living Translation) Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man. Bad times will come. Bad things will happen in life. This verse is talking about a specific event. Allow me to extend it to life […]

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Ephesians 5:8-9 (New Living Translation) …So live as people of light! 9 For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. God puts a light within us. God asks that we merely live what he has given us, i.e., live the light. The result is a life that is good and […]

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Luke 20:20 (New Living Translation) Watching for their opportunity, the leaders sent spies pretending to be honest men. They tried to get Jesus to say something that could be reported to the Roman governor so he would arrest Jesus. There is much happening in this (hi)story. Let’s focus on the spies. A group of respected […]

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Luke 20:20 (New Living Translation) Watching for their opportunity, the leaders sent spies pretending to be honest men. They tried to get Jesus to say something that could be reported to the Roman governor so he would arrest Jesus. Jesus had told a story to illustrate what God wanted and didn’t want in our lives. […]

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Luke 2:8-9 (New Living Translation) 8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, This is part of the familiar (hi)story of the birth of Jesus […]

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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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