Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 1:34 am
2/23/09 Monday 12:26AM
I love studying God's Word. I love how He guides me through His Word, pointing things out to me, and even those times when I find a little humor in it when applying it to my walk.
The other day I was reading aloud to hubby something that The Holy Spirit pointed out to me. I happened to be reading from my hubby's Bible which is a side-by-side KJV and Living Bible.
I Peter 1:1 (KJV) Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappodocia, Asia, and Bithynia.
I Peter 1:1 (Living Bible) From: Peter, Jesus Christ's missionary. To: The Jewish Christians driven out of Jerusalem and scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappodocia, Ausia, and Bithynia.
When I read the KJV I was struck by the word "stranger" so did a double take and thought about it for a bit. Stranger? Stranger to what, and where? See, I like to read the KJV for this very reason. Sometimes if I read another version, I miss out on some things The Holy Spirit wants to give me revelation on or about. He knows how I think, and He knows how I love to explore and study His Word. Awwwww, Thank You Lord.
So often I've felt like a stranger -- like I didn't fit in, like I was an odd duck. Growing up I rarely was alone -- seems coming from a large family and even larger extended family did train me how to rally others around, but one thing I didn't learn was how to be alone. That condition was one I would not experience fully until adulthood and it caused me great fear. But then I realized loneliness could come knocking even in the midst of others.
Hmmmm, I do tend to get off topic sometimes, but oh how I love how He guides me through the various situations with one verse of His precious Word.
Here in I Peter 1:1 Peter, inspired by The Holy Spirit, refers to us as strangers. Strangers in the world because we've been separated out. It's a good thing -- it's a God thing. We should be able to find His peace and His joy in being a stranger. Most times I do, sometimes though, I feel alone. God allows for this. In His wisdom, He knows to bring me to that place, at times, to teach me something: about me and to grow me deeper into my faith walk, and then to awaken compassion in me towards others and their lives.
Once I had read the KJV and the Living Bible version, I read it in the NIV: I Peter 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
I read the 3 different versions aloud to my hubby. I was pointing out how The Holy Spirit highlights certain words in KJV, whereas if I read them in another version I sometimes gloss over, because the words have been made more common place to my way of speaking and thinking; thus, I don't tend to study or meditate on the words as much.
That's when my hubby said "I wonder if The Message version of I Peter 1:1 reads "homies" or "homeboys" instead of "strangers"? We got a chuckle out of that.
Strong's Concordance shows the word "strangers" (in the Greek to English) as #3927 and shows that this particular # or meaning of the word is used as "strangers" one time, and as "pilgrims" twice.
Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
I Peter 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
There was a time that if I heard the word "pilgrim" I would have thought of the first Thanksgiving in America between the Indians and the Pilgrims, or I would have thought of someone doing an impression of John Wayne.
There was a time that if I heard the word "stranger" I would have thought of danger.
Now it is part of my identity -- my Lord has separated me out. I am now a stranger, a pilgrim -- a child of God. From this vantage point, I come to understand the feeling of loneliness from a different prospective, because He often uses it to draw me closer to Him.
Thank You Holy Spirit.
I love studying God's Word. I love how He guides me through His Word, pointing things out to me, and even those times when I find a little humor in it when applying it to my walk.
The other day I was reading aloud to hubby something that The Holy Spirit pointed out to me. I happened to be reading from my hubby's Bible which is a side-by-side KJV and Living Bible.
I Peter 1:1 (KJV) Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappodocia, Asia, and Bithynia.
I Peter 1:1 (Living Bible) From: Peter, Jesus Christ's missionary. To: The Jewish Christians driven out of Jerusalem and scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappodocia, Ausia, and Bithynia.
When I read the KJV I was struck by the word "stranger" so did a double take and thought about it for a bit. Stranger? Stranger to what, and where? See, I like to read the KJV for this very reason. Sometimes if I read another version, I miss out on some things The Holy Spirit wants to give me revelation on or about. He knows how I think, and He knows how I love to explore and study His Word. Awwwww, Thank You Lord.
So often I've felt like a stranger -- like I didn't fit in, like I was an odd duck. Growing up I rarely was alone -- seems coming from a large family and even larger extended family did train me how to rally others around, but one thing I didn't learn was how to be alone. That condition was one I would not experience fully until adulthood and it caused me great fear. But then I realized loneliness could come knocking even in the midst of others.
Hmmmm, I do tend to get off topic sometimes, but oh how I love how He guides me through the various situations with one verse of His precious Word.
Here in I Peter 1:1 Peter, inspired by The Holy Spirit, refers to us as strangers. Strangers in the world because we've been separated out. It's a good thing -- it's a God thing. We should be able to find His peace and His joy in being a stranger. Most times I do, sometimes though, I feel alone. God allows for this. In His wisdom, He knows to bring me to that place, at times, to teach me something: about me and to grow me deeper into my faith walk, and then to awaken compassion in me towards others and their lives.
Once I had read the KJV and the Living Bible version, I read it in the NIV: I Peter 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
I read the 3 different versions aloud to my hubby. I was pointing out how The Holy Spirit highlights certain words in KJV, whereas if I read them in another version I sometimes gloss over, because the words have been made more common place to my way of speaking and thinking; thus, I don't tend to study or meditate on the words as much.
That's when my hubby said "I wonder if The Message version of I Peter 1:1 reads "homies" or "homeboys" instead of "strangers"? We got a chuckle out of that.
Strong's Concordance shows the word "strangers" (in the Greek to English) as #3927 and shows that this particular # or meaning of the word is used as "strangers" one time, and as "pilgrims" twice.
Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
I Peter 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
There was a time that if I heard the word "pilgrim" I would have thought of the first Thanksgiving in America between the Indians and the Pilgrims, or I would have thought of someone doing an impression of John Wayne.
There was a time that if I heard the word "stranger" I would have thought of danger.
Now it is part of my identity -- my Lord has separated me out. I am now a stranger, a pilgrim -- a child of God. From this vantage point, I come to understand the feeling of loneliness from a different prospective, because He often uses it to draw me closer to Him.
Thank You Holy Spirit.