Contemplative Bible Reading

Philippians 2:3-4 (New Living Translation) 3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. This may be an odd take on these verses. Let’s say the majority of persons in […]

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John 15:14-15 (New Living Translation) 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. An acquaintance of mine grew up on a farm, […]

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John 15:7 (New Living Translation) But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! I remain in God and His words remain in me. I pray that my mother will be healed, but she isn’t. So, what’s the deal with […]

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Philippians 1:9-11 (American Standard Version) 9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment; 10 so that ye may approve the things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and void of offence unto the day of Christ; 11 being filled with the fruits […]

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Philippians 1:9 (American Standard Version) And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment; I delve back into the American Standard Version translation as I find its wording fascinating here. It seems that love is part of discernment. I believe that “discernment” here means the ability […]

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Luke 24:24 (American Standard Version) And certain of them that were with us went to the tomb, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not. I am using the American Standard Version of the Bible for today’s verse. It has a certain twist to the words that struck […]

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1 Timothy 1:9 (New Living Translation) For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders. Righteous persons—those who […]

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Ephesians 4:26-27 (New Living Translation) 26 And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a foothold to the devil. This is a famous passage. One paraphrase that applies strongly to me: Get over it so you can sleep at night. […]

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1 Corinthians 1:10-11 (New Living Translation) 10 I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. 11 For some members of Chloe’s household […]

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2 Timothy 2:16 (New Living Translation) May the Lord show special kindness to Onesiphorus and all his family because he often visited and encouraged me. He was never ashamed of me because I was in chains. Paul is writing about the love of a friend Onesiphorus. Paul was in prison, but his friend visited him […]

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