LECTIO DIVINA

There are lots of ways to read the Bible, this is one way that we like to stop and reflect on scripture.


READ THE SCRIPTURE

what is the text saying?


MEDITATE ON ITS MEANING FOR YOU

what jumps out to me personally?


PRAY, BASED ON YOUR MEDITATION

what do I say to the Lord?


CONTEMPLATE ON THE PRESENCE OF GOD

allow His Spirit to wash over you


WHAT ARE THE STEPS FORWARD?

what action plan do I plan to take?

    • Nehemiah 9:1-15

      1    On October 31 the people assembled again, and this time they fasted and dressed in burlap and sprinkled dust on their heads. 

      2    Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all foreigners as they confessed their own sins and the sins of their ancestors. 

      3    They remained standing in place for three hours while the Book of the Law of the Lord their God was read aloud to them. Then for three more hours they confessed their sins and worshiped the Lord their God. 

      4    The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Kenani—stood on the stairway of the Levites and cried out to the Lord their God with loud voices.

      5    Then the leaders of the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah—called out to the people: “Stand up and praise the Lord your God, for he lives from everlasting to everlasting!” Then they prayed: “May your glorious name be praised! May it be exalted above all blessing and praise!

      6    “You alone are the Lord. You made the skies and the heavens and all the stars. You made the earth and the seas and everything in them. You preserve them all, and the angels of heaven worship you.

      7    “You are the Lord God, who chose Abram and brought him from Ur of the Chaldeans and renamed him Abraham. 

      8    When he had proved himself faithful, you made a covenant with him to give him and his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites. And you have done what you promised, for you are always true to your word.

      9    “You saw the misery of our ancestors in Egypt, and you heard their cries from beside the Red Sea. 

      10   You displayed miraculous signs and wonders against Pharaoh, his officials, and all his people, for you knew how arrogantly they were treating our ancestors. You have a glorious reputation that has never been forgotten. 

      11   You divided the sea for your people so they could walk through on dry land! And then you hurled their enemies into the depths of the sea. They sank like stones beneath the mighty waters. 

      12   You led our ancestors by a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night so that they could find their way.

      13   “You came down at Mount Sinai and spoke to them from heaven. You gave them regulations and instructions that were just, and decrees and commands that were good. 

      14   You instructed them concerning your holy Sabbath. And you commanded them, through Moses your servant, to obey all your commands, decrees, and instructions.

      15   “You gave them bread from heaven when they were hungry and water from the rock when they were thirsty. You commanded them to go and take possession of the land you had sworn to give them.

    • Ephesians 6:21-24

      21   To bring you up to date, Tychicus will give you a full report about what I am doing and how I am getting along. He is a beloved brother and faithful helper in the Lord’s work. 

      22   I have sent him to you for this very purpose—to let you know how we are doing and to encourage you.

      23   Peace be with you, dear brothers and sisters, and may God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you love with faithfulness. 

      24   May God’s grace be eternally upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ.

    • Psalm 119:97-104

      97   Oh, how I love your instructions! I think about them all day long.

      98   Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are my constant guide.

      99   Yes, I have more insight than my teachers, for I am always thinking of your laws.

      100  I am even wiser than my elders, for I have kept your commandments.

      101  I have refused to walk on any evil path, so that I may remain obedient to your word.

      102  I haven’t turned away from your regulations, for you have taught me well.

      103  How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey.

      104  Your commandments give me understanding; no wonder I hate every false way of life.

    • Mark 8: 27-30

      27   Jesus and his disciples left Galilee and went up to the villages near Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along, he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

      28   “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other prophets.”

      29   Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Messiah.”

      30   But Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.

    • Ecclesiastes 3:16-22

      16   I also noticed that under the sun there is evil in the courtroom. Yes, even the courts of law are corrupt! 

      17   I said to myself, “In due season God will judge everyone, both good and bad, for all their deeds.”

      18   I also thought about the human condition—how God proves to people that they are like animals. 

      19   For people and animals share the same fate—both breathe and both must die. So people have no real advantage over the animals. How meaningless! 

      20   Both go to the same place—they came from dust and they return to dust. 

      21   For who can prove that the human spirit goes up and the spirit of animals goes down into the earth? 

      22   So I saw that there is nothing better for people than to be happy in their work. That is our lot in life. And no one can bring us back to see what happens after we die.

    • Song of solomon 3:6-11

      6    Who is this sweeping in from the wilderness like a cloud of smoke? Who is it, fragrant with myrrh and frankincense and every kind of spice?

      7    Look, it is Solomon’s carriage, surrounded by sixty heroic men, the best of Israel’s soldiers.

      8    They are all skilled swordsmen, experienced warriors. Each wears a sword on his thigh, ready to defend the king against an attack in the night.

      9    King Solomon’s carriage is built of wood imported from Lebanon.

      10  Its posts are silver, its canopy gold; its cushions are purple. It was decorated with love by the young women of Jerusalem.

      11  Come out to see King Solomon, young women of Jerusalem. He wears the crown his mother gave him on his wedding day, his most joyous day.

    • 1 Peter 2:19-25

      19  For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. 

      20  Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.

      21  For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.

      22  He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone.

      23  He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.

      24  He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.

      25  Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls.

    • psalm 144:9-15

      9    I will sing a new song to you, O God! I will sing your praises with a ten-stringed harp.

      10  For you grant victory to kings! You rescued your servant David from the fatal sword.

      11  Save me! Rescue me from the power of my enemies. Their mouths are full of lies; they swear to tell the truth, but they lie instead.

      12  May our sons flourish in their youth like well-nurtured plants. May our daughters be like graceful pillars, carved to beautify a palace.

      13  May our barns be filled with crops of every kind. May the flocks in our fields multiply by the thousands, even tens of thousands,

      14  and may our oxen be loaded down with produce. May there be no enemy breaking through our walls, no going into captivity, no cries of alarm in our town squares.

      15  Yes, joyful are those who live like this! Joyful indeed are those whose God is the Lord.

    • Mark 8:31-9:1

      31   Then Jesus began to tell them that the Son of Man must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead. 

      32   As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things.

      33   Jesus turned around and looked at his disciples, then reprimanded Peter. “Get away from me, Satan!” he said. “You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

      34   Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. 

      35   If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. 

      36   And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? 37   Is anything worth more than your soul? 

      38   If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

      1   Jesus went on to say, “I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Kingdom of God arrive in great power!”

    • Ecclesiastes 4:1-3

      1   Again, I observed all the oppression that takes place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, with no one to comfort them. The oppressors have great power, and their victims are helpless. 

      2   So I concluded that the dead are better off than the living. 

      3   But most fortunate of all are those who are not yet born. For they have not seen all the evil that is done under the sun.