Contemplative Bible Reading

Psalm 69:5-7 (New Living Translation) 5 O God, you know how foolish I am;my sins cannot be hidden from you.6 Don’t let those who trust in you be ashamed because of me,O Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies.Don’t let me cause them to be humiliated,O God of Israel. The writer bemoans his foolishness. The writer is […]

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Genesis 45:3 (Christian Standard Bible) Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But they could not answer him because they were terrified in his presence. This is part of the (hi)story of Joseph and his brothers. After many years and twists and turns, Joseph is a ruler in Egypt […]

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Genesis 22:8 (New Living Translation) 8 “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham answered. And they both walked on together. This is part of the (hi)story of Abraham and his son Isaac. God told Abraham to take Isaac up the hill and sacrifice him. This is a crazy story with […]

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1 John 3:7-8 (New Living Translation) 7 Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. 8 But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. […]

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Exodus 25:8 (New Living Translation) Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them. God is speaking to the people of Israel through Moses. God wanted the people to build a special place—a holy sanctuary. That place had requirements of entry of special people who had special jobs […]

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2 Corinthians 10:4 (New Living Translation) 4 We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. The writer is telling the readers in Corinth about some of the ways that God has made Christians different (if we accept that). Once different, we destroy […]

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1 Chronicles 21:30 (New Living Translation) 30 But David was not able to go there to inquire of God, because he was terrified by the drawn sword of the angel of the Lord. This is the conclusion of the (hi)story of God sending an angel to destroy Jerusalem as punishment for one of David’s sins. […]

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1 Thessalonians 3:12 (New Living Translation) 12 And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. The writer to this church is sending a written prayer. The writer prays that everyone in this distant church loves one another more each […]

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