You may have noticed that I had a poll up last week asking what version of the Bible you read. There are so many different versions out there. One of my favorite websites is Bible Gateway. While on Bible Gateway I counted twenty-six different versions just in English! And devotionals, oh I can't begin to imagine what is out there. Tons, let's just leave it at that. Do all these Bible say exactly the same thing? Do all devotionals say exactly the same thing? No.
So how do we know what is right?
We know the heart of the Father.
If we are just reading the Bible and reading devotionals but not spending time praying, worshipping and getting to know His heart, we will never know which Bible or which devotional to believe.
Now I am not saying the different versions are wrong. Please do not misunderstand. But there are so many versions and it seems new ones coming out all the time. And yes, some make it so easy to understand. But beware. Some of these newer versions are someones interpretation of the Bible and may not line up exactly with the God's heart.
I encourage you, pray before you read. Especially devotionals. Pray and ask God to show you what He wants you to see. We must know the heart of the Father to understand the words of His letter.
Sweet Blessings~
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I love reading the Message version...just for a change, but I always like to compare it to other versions. It's fun to read but I always want to make sure what I am reading is accurate. Thanks
ReplyDeleteI like the KJV best. It is the one I started out with and at that time the Lord blessed me with understanding of it. I don't mean I understood everything but before I started really digging into the Word I understood what it was saying to me at that time. Does that make sense? There was one version out there that was easy to read but it also left out some of the verses and I think it left out a whole chapter. We do need to beware of what version we are reading. Thanks for the reminder, and blessings to you.
ReplyDeleteEileen, I enjoy the Message on occassion as well. But like you said, we need to compare it to other Bibles.
ReplyDeleteI love what you said, Jenifer - "We must know the heart of the Father to understand the words of His letter." I love Bible Gateway too. I like to read different translation of the same verse just to get a better understanding.
ReplyDeletegreat post! Yes, I use the CEV for kids church and its not soo bad but its always good to know for yourself!
ReplyDeleteVery well said, Jenifer. You are so right. Right now I am reading The Message version through front to back. I am not too sure about a lot of things that I read, I go to the KJV or the Amplified to understand it better.
ReplyDeleteI don't read devotionals much, I find most of them to be somebodies opinion or just not very interesting or enlightening.
Hugs, Cindy
i like the KJV the best and I love the cross references. I try to pray before I read the scriptures and it does open up my insight into them.
ReplyDeleteLovely post and blessings to you!
Kelli and I were just discussing that we can not trust everything we read or hear... we must "test" it! And you're so right our relationship with Him will produce an understanding of His heart and He will always reveal truth to us if we are willing to get on our knees and pray. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI do think that it is great that you point out that some versions are just paraphrases and not actual translations of the text. I think that too often people don't realize that. Paraphrases are good to get a new perspective but they should always be read prayerfully and compared to an actual translation of the text.
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful point Jenifer, and one that I think is glossed over quite frequently. While I generally find the NIV "speaks" to me, I also spend quite a bit of time praying about what I'm reading for clarification and guidance.
ReplyDeleteHave a Blessed Day!
I like to use the Message Bible when I'm teaching my high school students. I'm selective as to which verses I use as they don't always ring true. However, on certain issues that young people deal with, the in your face way the Message Bible puts it leaves them without excuse.
ReplyDeleteFor study, of course, there is no better tool than KJV, but I enjoy God's Word, CEV and ESV for comparison. Amplified is my very favorite.
Thanks for sharing