Did you know this was in the Bible?

It occurred to me this morning as I was reading the daily Mass readings (which I get on my iPhone!), that many of you may have been raised how I was, meaning you didn’t read the bible at all growing up, and maybe you still don’t.  You may not even have a desire to yet.  So you might not know about some of the really cool stuff that’s in there.  It’s not all fire & brimstone (although there is some of that!), and it’s not all weird stories you can’t understand (although it’s some of that, too, to be honest!) – that’s all it used to be for me, but I’m thankful that’s not the case anymore.  Now I know that they’re all just different ways God uses to try to teach us more about Him.

I thought I’d share some neat readings now and then that I come across or some that I’ve always loved.  (Well, ‘always’ as in…since I began reading the bible a few years ago!)  I hope you learn something from it, or that it might spark an interest that makes you want to go pick up a bible…

Keep in mind:

If you don’t think this bible quote is as awesome as I do, that’s OK.

• Sometimes a reading will hit someone hard and another person may not be moved at all.
• Sometimes you need to ask the Holy Spirit to give you the desire to read and “get” the bible, and the passion to really want to stick with it daily.  I remember before my conversion I wanted to want to read the bible, but every time I tried I fell asleep or became frustrated that I didn’t get any of it.  The Holy Spirit definitely changed something in me.  Even once I had the desire I didn’t always understand it all, though, but more of that comes with time.  Some things still stump me these days (like today’s Gospel as a matter of fact), but I don’t freak about it.  You can always ask a pastor, ask a good friend who might know, or try a bible with good teaching notes.  (I used the Life Application Study Bible for years.)

Today’s readings:

Usually the new testament readings strike me more often than something in the old testament does.  (Read “What are the new testament and the old testament?”)  But today I didn’t really “get” the new testament reading (maybe someone can help me?  Luke 5:33-39), and it was the Psalm that grabbed me.  I write or underline in my bible when I find something cool, and here’s the note I had by today’s Psalm reading because I’d found another translation that I thought was neat (from Psalm 37):

photo credit, Creative Commons 2.0