Contemplative Bible Reading

1 Corinthians 14:3 (New Living Translation) But one who prophesies strengthens others, encourages them, and comforts them. Old Testament prophesying meant predicting the future. God told the prophets what was to happen, the prophets told the people, and it happened sometime in the future. There is much discussion and disagreement about what “prophesying” means in […]

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1 Peter 4:4 (New Living Translation) Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. Why don’t you… Why aren’t you excited about… Why won’t you… What’s wrong with you? People say these things to Christians. Old friends from high school or […]

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1 Peter 3:8-10 (New Living Translation) 8 Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. 9 Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. […]

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Ephesians 1:2-4 (New Living Translation) 2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you […]

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John 12:3-5 (New Living Translation) 3 Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance. 4 But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, 5 “That perfume […]

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Galatians 4:8-10 (New Living Translation) 8 Before you Gentiles knew God, you were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist. 9 So now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and […]

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Romans 8:29 (New Living Translation) For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. God chose His people in advance to be like His Son. (I will not delve into the predestination discussion here.) Was Jesus […]

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Luke 12:14 (New Living Translation) 13 Then someone called from the crowd, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.” 14 Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?” A man comes to Jesus with a personal problem. The man wants Jesus to solve […]

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Romans 8:28 (New Living Translation) And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. The blessings roll on and on in this sentence. (1) God is active. God is causing things to happen all the time without end. […]

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Luke 12:1 (New Living Translation) …Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees—their hypocrisy. Jesus is speaking here. What is the yeast of the Pharisees? Many point out that throughout the Bible yeast is often mentioned with sin. Here, however, Jesus mentions a specific failure: hypocrisy. “Those Christians are nothing but a bunch of hypocrites.” I heard […]

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