Contemplative Bible Reading

John 5:6 (New International Version) When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” What a silly question? Jesus asks a man who had been an invalid for 38 years if he wanted to get well. […]

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John 6:8-9 (New International Version) 8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” These verses come from John’s account of Jesus feeding the 5,000. Andrew brings a small amount […]

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John 11:57 (New International Version) But the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that if anyone found out where Jesus was, he should report it so that they might arrest him. This verse occurs late in the life of Jesus. The Pharisees wanted to arrest Jesus and do away with him. They saw Jesus […]

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2 Timothy 3:16-17 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. All Scripture is God-breathed. Paul is writing about what we know as the Old Testament. Sometimes I assume that the New […]

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Acts 15:19 (New International Version) “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. James is speaking here to the Council at Jerusalem.  Some of the new Jewish Christians wanted the Gentile Christians to learn all of the old Jewish law as part of […]

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Matthew 3:8 (New International Version) Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. Here is another one of those verses that asks us to do two different and sometimes contradictory things. The first phrase is produce fruit – an action. The second phrase is the word repentance – which means to change your mind. Change your heart […]

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Hebrews 12:2 (New International Version) Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. This is a simple phrase. Perhaps that is why I like […]

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Romans 8:2 (New International Version) 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. Today is the 4th of July – America’s Independence Day. Much of America’s independence was based on a desire to worship God free from the dictates of another […]

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James 5:16b (King James Version) The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. This is one of my favorite sentences from the Bible. I love the King James Version of this. Something about this rings in my ears. (The New International Version is shown below. I suppose it is easier to understand, but […]

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Luke 24:9-12 (New International Version) 9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the […]

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