Contemplative Bible Reading

Isaiah 53:3 (New Living Translation) He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. This is a prophecy from Isaiah. The “He” discussed is Jesus (some believe otherwise, but I read this […]

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1 Corinthians 3:10-11 (New Living Translation) 10 Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ. […]

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Job 6:6 (New Living Translation) Don’t people complain about unsalted food? Does anyone want the tasteless white of an egg? This is Job talking. He is attempting to justify his complaining to God about his circumstances. Please note, Job is in some bad circumstances. And then Job throws in this phrase: Does anyone want the […]

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Luke 24:13-17 (New Living Translation) 13 That same day two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 As they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them. 16 […]

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A little change in my Bible reading this year.  I continue to read a One Year Chronological Bible, but this year in the New Living Translation.

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In the past, I have used the New International Version and the NIV 2011 in the vast majority of these blog posts. Starting now, I plan to use the New Living Translation (NLT) the vast majority of the time. Why the change? I recently learned that the NLT has surpassed the NIV as the most […]

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Exodus 23:14 (New Living Translation) “Each year you must celebrate three festivals in my honor…” Consider this one: God commanded His people to celebrate three festivals each year. Imagine that, being commanded to celebrate three times a year. And these were big celebrations, not a little birthday party for a child. Some of these celebrations […]

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Proverbs 15:27 (New Living Translation) Greed brings grief to the whole family, but those who hate bribes will live. These Proverbs were written several thousand years ago or last weekend. Sometimes I confuse the two time periods. This proverb tells me that greed can ruin a family or a community or a nation. How did […]

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Proverbs 15:15 (New Living Translation) For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast. Can we describe life any simpler than this? I don’t know how. Then again, I wasn’t sure of the definition of despondent. Let’s look at this definition: Adjective: In low spirits from loss of hope […]

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Acts 2:37 (New International Version 2011) When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” This verse comes from the Day of Pentecost. Peter is preaching what some call the first sermon. This is the critical point in any attempt […]

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