Contemplative Bible Reading

Proverbs 1:10 (New Living Translation) 10 My child, if sinners entice you,turn your back on them! Simple advice. Oh I wish we would follow this. “Hey, come on, get behind this latest social cause. It is right!” I hear this too often. Then someone in the ruling elite chimes in. “Yes, let’s do that.” But […]

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Psalm 81:5 (New Living Translation) 5 He (God) made it a law for Israelwhen he attacked Egypt to set us free. This sentence is part of a few sentences where the writer urges the people to praise God. The writer concludes with the “why” of praising: because God attacked Egypt to set the people free […]

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Proverbs 3:27-28 (New Living Translation) 27 Do not withhold good from those who deserve itwhen it’s in your power to help them.28 If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say,“Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.” Years ago, Nike had the ad campaign of “just do it.” They found that ad campaign in […]

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Judges 12:5-6 (New Living Translation) 5 Jephthah captured the shallow crossings of the Jordan River, and whenever a fugitive from Ephraim tried to go back across, the men of Gilead would challenge him. “Are you a member of the tribe of Ephraim?” they would ask. If the man said, “No, I’m not,” 6 they would […]

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Isaiah 43:10 (New Living Translation) 10 “But you are my witnesses, O Israel!” says the Lord.“You are my servant.You have been chosen to know me, believe in me,and understand that I alone am God.There is no other God—there never has been, and there never will be. The Wikipedia definition of witness includes: a witness is […]

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Proverbs 1:18 (New Living Translation) 18 But these people set an ambush for themselves;they are trying to get themselves killed. This is one conclusion to a tale of how sinners entice the righteous to plunge into sin with them. It has to do with setting an ambush to attack innocent people and steal all their […]

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Proverbs 4:25-27 (New Living Translation) 25 Look straight ahead,and fix your eyes on what lies before you.26 Mark out a straight path for your feet;stay on the safe path.27 Don’t get sidetracked;keep your feet from following evil. There is an old expression (I heard it 40 years ago), “Plan your work; work your plan.” The […]

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Exodus 1:8 (New Living Translation) 8 Eventually, a new king came to power in Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done. And now we come to the (hi)story where God uses Moses and others to bring the descendants of Jacob out of Egypt. This begins with a small statement about the […]

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