Living by the Book/Living by the Book Workbook Set (67 page)

• Determine why this verse is dropped into the center of a chapter focusing on God’s love.

• Try to think of examples in your own life in which you see a contrast between righteous and evil actions and the consequences that result.

• When, in your own life, have you acted as Cain did (to a lesser extent)? When have you suffered as Abel did? How does this verse speak to each of those situations?

What other observations can you make about this verse?

(See below)

30 minutes

“It helps to read the Bible in different versions. If you’ve been reading the same translation for years, try something fresh and contemporary for a change” (p. 69).

T
oday’s assignment might require a trip to the library or a nearby Christian bookstore. Or perhaps you can borrow some Bibles from friends or your church. But be prepared to find several different translations/paraphrases of the Bible to read and compare.

One of the best ways to read the Bible as for the first time is to look up portions of Scripture that are most familiar to you. But if you don’t have a particular passage in mind, try one or more of the following:

• The creation story (Genesis 2:4–25)

• Psalm 23

• A prophecy about the coming Messiah (such as Isaiah 9:6–7)

• The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1–12)

• Paul’s conversion (Acts 9:1–19)

Select one or more passages and read the same account from four different Bible versions. Some readings are likely to be quite similar. But if you contrast the King James Version with
The Living Bible,
for example, be prepared for a significant difference. In each case, try to put aside what you already know and let the text speak to you freshly, as if it were the first time you were reading it.