A Plan

I started a Bible reading plan last night.  If I follow the plan I will be finished with the entire Bible in 2 years.  Knowing me I doubt I will follow the plan exactly.  I want to take my time and to jump in to a passage and dig out truths and nuggets for my life.  I have three different versions that I want to go through so that I can get a different perspective on the passage I am reading.  One is the NIV.  It is the True Identity which has notes and helpful articles.  I also am using the ESV, which is the version that we read in church.  I also am using a version called The Message, which is a modern version.  I did my first section for about the upteenth time last night.  I read it in The Message.  The section was from Genesis, chapters 1-3.  I  have read this passage hundreds of times, especially the first few verses.    Here is how this version describes it:  "Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness."  What a picture these words paint in your mind.  The creation part was worded kind of weird, but it was interesting. 

I also went through a couple of the notes in my NIV.  I had underlined the word rib and wrote this note in the margin:  Not from the head to top him or the feet to be trampled on but of his side to be protected and near to his heart to be loved.  I wish I could remember where I got that from.  I like it!!

Another unique thing I noted in The Message version was in verse 6 of chapter 3.  Where the serpent tempts Eve to eat the fruit from the forbidden tree.  Instead of seeing the fruit was good to eat and that it was good for gaining wisdom, the wording was: that it looked like good eating and she realized what she would get out of it - she'd know everything!  This made me laugh.  Because we all have a tendency at one time or another to think we know everything.  Just like rereading a well know passage to you in another version and finding something new and fresh.

This could be an interesting journey!