One of the most incredible
things we can do is gain perspective. It
is like hearing only one side of a story.
When you hear from the other person’s perspective, things might just
change. Another way to look at it is
like looking into the sky or to the top of mountain, and in the next look you
go up in the sky or on the mountain and look make. Either way the views and story are very
different from the other.
But it is the same place or
same story. The same type of thing is
true about Scripture.
In today’s devotion I’d like
to make my point in relation to studying the Bible. It can be helpful and insightful to examine
other translations of the Bible. It is
always helpful to go back to the original language like Greek or Hebrew or
Aramaic, but that is not always possible.
Different translations of
the Bible will use words or phrases that highlight more of the meaning that God
intends to share with us. We always have
to rely on God for understanding, and we can take it on ourselves to be good
students of the Bible and of our faith in God.
Like I shared yesterday, I
pray that God and our walk with Him will consume us. To be consumed will encourage us to know Him
and to know His word even more.
To illustrate I take one of
my favorite verses, James 1:5 that I quote often, and look at it from very
different angles using translations of the Bible. Enjoy.
Read carefully. May God open His
word for us so we know Him even more!
James 1:5 New Living Translation (NLT)
If you need wisdom, ask our generous
God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
James 1:5 Amplified Bible (AMP)
If any of you is deficient in wisdom,
let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching
or faultfinding, and it will be
given him.
James 1:5 Contemporary English Version (CEV)
If any of you need wisdom, you should
ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for
asking.
James 1:5 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he
should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it
will be given to him.
James 1:5 King James Version (KJV)
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask
of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be
given him.
James 1:5 The Message (MSG) *
If you don’t know what you’re doing,
pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be
condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second
thought.
James 1:5 Living Bible (TLB) *
If you want to know what God wants you
to do, ask him, and he will gladly tell you, for he is always ready to give a
bountiful supply of wisdom to all who ask him; he will not resent it.
James 1:5 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask
God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you.
Santiago 1:5 Reina-Valera 1995 (RVR1995)
Si alguno de vosotros tiene falta de
sabiduría, pídala a Dios, el cual da a todos abundantemente y sin reproche, y
le será dada.
James 1:5 Common English Bible (CEB)
But anyone who needs wisdom should ask
God, whose very nature is to give to everyone without a second thought, without
keeping score. Wisdom will certainly be given to those who ask.
This is one of my favorite
verses because I often, I mean daily, need God to invade my mind and heart with
His supernatural and unending wisdom.
One my own I am in trouble. With
His truth I will find success, peace and be a blessing to others.
I pray that we will be consumed
by God and love His word more and more.
* These are paraphrases; make sure you understand the
difference between a translation and a paraphrase of the Bible.
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