You might have noticed a polling widget mysteriously appear in the right hand navigation bar of the blog a few weeks ago (if you didn’t: there’s a polling widget in the right hand navigation bar of our blog!). We’ve just put up a new poll, so take a second to weigh in on the following question:
Which Gospel would you recommend starting with to someone new to the Bible? Vote in the sidebar (on the far right side of the blog)!
We’re happy to announce that the first Encouragement for Today email devotional from Proverbs 31 Ministries comes out on Monday! Go to the sign-up page to make sure you don’t miss out!
Proverbs 31 has a heart for “bringing God’s peace, perspective and purpose to today’s busy woman.” They take their guiding principles from the description of a “Wife of Noble Character” in Proverbs 31:10-31.
Here’s an sneak-peek from Monday’s devotional:
“Mo-om,” my six year old son called from the den where he was working on math, “I can’t do this!”
I was in the kitchen washing dishes. “If you can’t do it,” I called back, “Just bring it to me.”
In a whoosh, I heard God’s still small voice, coming in on the heels of what I have just spoken aloud. “Isn’t that what I say to you?” He reminded me.
When I am overwhelmed: “If you can’t do it, just bring it to Me.”
When I am angry: “If you can’t do it, just bring it to Me.”
When I am hurting: “If you can’t do it, just bring it to Me.”
When I am confused: “If you can’t do it, just bring it to Me.”
Today is the National Day of Prayer in the United States. As anyone who has seen a recent newspaper knows, there are plenty of reasons to be praying: the economy, global politics, and various natural disasters—to name a few. While we should be praying every day, today is a great opportunity to take time to express our thanks and concerns about what’s happening in our nation and abroad.
When we look at the Bible, we see that God is very interested in communicating with his people. There are many discussions of when, where and how to pray, and many straight transcriptions of the prayers of His people. Prayer is inextricably woven into the fabric of the Bible.
One prayer that stands out to me is the one that Jesus taught his disciples in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4. Commonly called the Lord’s Prayer, it’s an elegant template for expressing ourselves before God:
“This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’
He said to them, “When you pray, say:
“‘Father,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.’”
It’s a powerful reminder of who God is and what we can rely on God to give us. More often than not, I find that the words of the Lord’s Prayer sufficiently express my thoughts and emotions without any additional commentary from myself.
Besides the Lord’s Prayer, what are some of your favorite prayers from the Bible? Head over to our page on Facebook to let us know!
We’re thrilled to announce the new and improved Bible Gateway!
Each month, millions of people visit Bible Gateway to engage with God’s Word. You might use Bible Gateway for your daily devotional reading, to prepare for Sunday School or a small group Bible study, to find inspiration in the Verse of the Day, or for one of many other purposes. At the new Bible Gateway, it’s easier than ever to access the Bible in whatever way you prefer–and you’ll notice many improvements and enhancements to the features you rely on.
At the new Bible Gateway, you’ll find:
We’ve carefully observed how people use Bible Gateway, and drawn on thousands of helpful suggestions and requests from our faithful visitors. We’ve worked hard to add to and improve Bible Gateway’s features while retaining familiar features and functionality.
We invite you to preview the new Bible Gateway and let us know what you think! Feedback from Bible Gateway visitors has been critical in getting to this point, and will continue to be vital as we prepare to unveil the new Bible Gateway. Use the link at the top of each page on the new site to click through to the survey once you’ve browsed the new site.
You can find the fully-functional preview of the new Bible Gateway at new.biblegateway.com. We hope you find it a welcome change, and we look forward to hearing from you!
During the three weeks leading up to Resurrection Day, thousands of Bible Gateway visitors enjoyed “Knowing Him,” a daily Easter devotional written by author and pastor Mel Lawrenz. We’re pleased to announce that Mel has agreed to continue his partnership with Bible Gateway in the form of a new, once-a-week email devotional called Everything New!
In Revelation 21:5 Jesus says: “I am making everything new!”
Every person wants something to be new in his or her life. A new beginning. A fresh start. But how does Jesus make marriages new? Attitudes new? Relationships new? Jobs new? Families new? Hearts new?
How about churches made new? Workplaces made new? Culture made new?
We’re thrilled to collaborate with Mel on this new devotional project. If you’d like to receive this once-a-week devotional from Mel Lawrenz at the start of your week, sign up for the “Everything New” devotional here.
You can learn more about Mel and his ministry—as well as read the recent Easter devotionals he’s written—at The Brook Institute.
Tornado destruction in Alabama. Image: Reuters
Please join us today, and in the days to come, in praying for the victims of the tornado destruction in Alabama and elsewhere. Pray also for the government and other relief agencies (including Christian organizations) that are doing their best to help in the aftermath of disaster.
Natural disasters have always presented a challenge to Bible readers who believe in God’s total authority over nature. Some Christians, troubled at the thought that God would allow innocent people to suffer, have tried to interpret recent natural disasters as a form of judgment on particularly evil sinners. But Matthew 5 assures us—even if it doesn’t explain things as much as we might prefer—that “[your Father in heaven] causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
In Mark 13, Jesus reassures his followers with words that apply perfectly to us today: “When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.” It might seem strange to find comfort in disaster—but Jesus isn’t commanding us to rejoice in destruction. Rather, he gives us a reason to cling to hope even amidst the indiscriminate horror of natural disasters and war.
So we can mourn with the victims of disaster even as we look ahead in hope to a day when such sorrows will be no more. And in the meantime, there is no better way to love our neighbors than to lend a helping hand when they are in need. So whether through prayer, financial support, material assistance, or some other means, we encourage you today to bring comfort to the hurting—in Alabama, in Japan, in the Middle East, anywhere—as Jesus Christ did.
Image via Reuters, from this Wall Street Journal article.
I confess that I did not wake up early this morning to watch the royal wedding. Nevertheless, I was curious to learn what Bible passages were quoted in the course of the ceremony. Although the recitation of Scripture at weddings and other ceremonies can be rote, as a Christian I nevertheless love to hear the Bible read at public events. And as a member of the Bible Gateway team, I’m doubly curious because Bible Gateway often sees a traffic spike to Bible verses that are mentioned at major events (like the Superbowl).
The wedding featured a lengthy Scripture reading by the bride’s brother. (Watch a video of the Scripture reading.)
The passage Middleton read is actually two sections from the same chapter in Romans: Romans 12:1-2,9-18, using the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. It’s a commonly cited passage for obvious reasons: it’s a powerful and moving exhortation to live lives characterized by love.
Here’s the full passage read at the wedding:
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. (Romans 12:1-2,9-18 ESV)
The launch of the SBL Greek New Testament on Bible Gateway has us thinking about the benefit of having access to the Bible in its original languages. It’s obviously important for pastors and scholars who are involved in Bible translation, but what about for the average Joe in the pews?
We could come up with reasons on our own, but we thought it’d be more fun to hear from all of you. If you’re lucky enough to be able to read the New Testament in Greek we’d like you to answer the following question: What’s the number one benefit of reading the New Testament in the original Greek?
Monday, May 2 marks the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, and over the last few months there has been much reflection online about the significance and ongoing influence of the venerable KJV. We thought it might be useful to collect links to some of the more interesting KJV-related articles that have caught our attention:
(Some of these links might be familiar to you if you follow our Twitter feed.)
What other online reading about the KJV would you recommend as its anniversary approaches? Stop by our page on Facebook and share!
A recent USA Today article touts the ubiquitousness of the King James Version (KJV) Bible in the United States. They’re cribbing off of a Lifeway Research study that shows “82 percent of Americans who read the Bible at least once a month own a KJV.”
The article includes a video that serves as a good primer on the history and appeal of the KJV:
The USA Today story slightly misconstrues Lifeway’s research, however. Aside from an initial question about whether or not the person reads the Bible monthly, the study is concerned with KJV ownership than active readership. Owning doesn’t necessarily mean reading, a truism that those of us lucky enough to own more than one Bible are well aware of. The study instead focuses on what it is that draws readers into this 400 year old text. Here’s an excerpt from Lifeway’s article about the study:
When asked to indicate whether five specific statements had been their experience with the KJV, many adult Americans respond positively to: “I have found the language to be beautiful” (31 percent) and “I have found the language to be easy to remember” (23 percent).
The experience of some is less complimentary, responding, “I have found the language to be hard to understand” (27 percent) and “I have found the language to be outdated” (16 percent).
It’s interesting to see that nearly a third of the responders liked the KJV for its language, and nearly a third confessed to finding the language difficult or outdated. This calls to mind a recent New York Times article, “Why the King James Bible Endures,” which notes that even in its time, the language used by the KJV’s translators was considered archaic:
The King James Bible was deliberately archaic in grammar and phraseology: an expression like “yea, verily,” for example, had gone out of fashion some 50 years before. The translators didn’t want their Bible to sound contemporary, because they knew that contemporaneity quickly goes out of fashion.
You can read the full research in .pdf form from Lifeway’s site.
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