Contemplative Bible Reading

Luke 5:3 (New Living Translation) Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there. Once again, note the position of the great teacher. As in many cases, Jesus sits while He addresses the crowds. […]

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John 1:46 (New Living Translation) “Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” “Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied. I have heard Philip described as, “The Apostle for the rest of us.” Philip provides what may be the most powerful statement in spreading the good news about Jesus the Messiah, “Come and see […]

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Luke 1:78-79 (New Living Translation) 78 Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace. Words of poetry and promise too grand to […]

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John 20:22-23 (New Living Translation) 22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” Jesus changes the world. He imparts the ability for a bunch of average Joes to forgive sins. Up to […]

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Esther 4:15-16 (New Living Translation) 15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I […]

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Esther 3:8 (New Living Translation) Then Haman approached King Xerxes and said, “There is a certain race of people scattered through all the provinces of your empire who keep themselves separate from everyone else. Their laws are different from those of any other people, and they refuse to obey the laws of the king. So […]

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Zechariah 7:10 (New Living Translation) Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other. Notice the “do not” items mentioned in the first sentence. They are horrible—oppressing the helpless. These are obviously bad. How did the second sentence come right after the first. “Scheming against one another.” First, […]

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Haggai 1:14-15 (New Living Translation) 14 So the Lord sparked the enthusiasm of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the enthusiasm of Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the enthusiasm of the whole remnant of God’s people. They began to work on the house of their God, the Lord of Heaven’s […]

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Ezra 1:1-2 (New Living Translation) 1 In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the Lord fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah. He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and to send it throughout his kingdom: 2 “This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: “The Lord, […]

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1 Peter 3:9 (New Living Translation) Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing. Here is a little different contemplation on this verse. I usually read this […]

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