Monday, October 26, 2009

Are you able to read this?

Can you read this?  It's really important.  Hurry, please read below:  

Poslanica Efežanima 4:17-19

živimo kao djeca svjetla's
17Ovo kažem u Gospodinovo ime: zaklinjem vas da ne živite kao što žive pogani, razmišljajući isprazno. 18Oni su, naime, zaslijepljeni i zamračena uma, daleko su od Božjega života jer su zatvorili svoj razum prema njemu i ne mogu shvatiti Božje putove. 19Ne mare više je li što dobro ili zlo. Odali su se bludu i u pohlepi počinjaju kojekakve nečistoće.

No? Why not? But it’s a Bible verse. Don’t you read your Bible? Why can’t you understand this? I’ll give you a hint, it’s from Ephesians 4: 17-19.

No, don’t Goggle it!!!! Come back here.

The majority of us cannot read it, (In case someone from Croatia happens on my blog I have to say majority). This is Ephesians 4: 17-19 from a Croatian translation of the Bible but for many years this was kind of how my Bible looked to me until someone wiser came alongside and gave me some direction.

The Bible is our instruction book for life, a tool from God. How to handle everything in life, no matter what, it’s in there but you have to find a translation that you understand. I always had a hard time with the King James version. As you already know by reading my blog, one of satan’s hot buttons in my life was my intelligence, or my perceived lack of intelligence. Because I didn’t think I was very smart, when I would open up a Bible and see all the thee, thy, thou, and the therefores, that little voice would say,” See, you are too stupid to even understand this or it’s boring, or it doesn’t apply to your life today, real people don’t talk like that.”

But one day I met a lady who was outgoing, funny, loved to sing, (she reminded me of my Grandmother Williams), and she loved her some Jesus. She and I talked and I explained to her my frustration with understanding God’s word. She told me there were OTHER Bible translations out there. I had no idea and that felt wrong to me. Other translations? But doesn’t that change the meaning, change what is important, etc? She said that you have to educate yourself on Bibles that are sound in doctrine AND that you can understand. Like the verse above, if you only speak English and you try to read the Bible in Croatian, how is that gonna work for you? So I found a great Bible, I use the New International Version Life Application Study Bible. It’s great for me because it speaks in a way I can understand, gives more information about the verses, and it gives me background information and cross-references, etc. but there are many others out there.

The verse at the top of the page is translated below in four versions. Go to http://www.biblegateway.com/ or http://www.biblos.com/ and you can see other versions. Find one that you understand, that speaks to your heart. I’ll be talking more about the actual verse tomorrow.

Ephesians 4:17-19 

(New Living Translation) 17 With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18 Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 19 They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

(The Message) 17-19And so I insist—and God backs me up on this—that there be no going along with the crowd, the empty-headed, mindless crowd. They've refused for so long to deal with God that they've lost touch not only with God but with reality itself. They can't think straight anymore. Feeling no pain, they let themselves go in sexual obsession, addicted to every sort of perversion


(King James Version) 17This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, 18Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: 19Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.


(New International Version)
Living as Children of Light
17So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.

Check them out, pick one, and start using it. Every day. God wants to equip His children for the day with His word, His wisdom, and His guidance. The Bible is your instruction manual for life, it’s imperative that you obtain a translation that you are able to decipher, comprehend and incorporate into your day to day existence (translation: Get one you can read and understand).

God Bless!

Leigh



2 comments:

Velvet said...

Leigh,

I just love reading you blogs. They touch me in a way you will never know. You are such an inspiration. Thank you and keep sharing!
Velvet

Renee Ingoe said...

Thanks Leigh. Your right, some people think if it isn't impossible to understand, then surely it can't be a word from God.
Hopefully you have helped them. Can't wait for group tonight.