Memory Monday - February 1

Happy February! I hope your January was grand!

If you memorized all of last week's memory challenge I'm proud of you. I'm finding that my biggest challenge is not mixing up different translations.

When I was young the King James Version was about the only translation available. I memorized many Bible verses and passages out of the KJV. In 1975 I received a "Scofield Bible" from my lovely girlfriend (who the next year would become my lovely wife). It was KJV, but Dr. Scofield had changed a lot of the archaic words of the KJV into words that made sense! It was so cool!

Later I bought a New International Version. Wow! Sentences in modern English helped make the Bible so much easier to understand.

When I was ordained into the ministry in 1982 my church gave me a New American Standard Bible. I loved it! Like the NIV it was easier to understand than the KJV, but it was written beautifully like the KJV. Since that time I've researched and found that the NASB is considered one of the most acurate translations and uses much older manuscripts than were available in 1611 when King James had his Bible translated.

There are many great translations available today. The Holman Christian Standard is another great translation. The important thing in reading and memorizingscripture is that you use a translation and not a paraphrase.

So... because I have read and memorized so many verses in several different translations I sometimes get some of the words mixed up. So far - and probably always unless for some specific reason - all of our Memory Mondays verses have been taken from the NASB,

For the next few weeks I'd like us (those of you who are joining me) to memorize the Beatitudes. You probably know many of them and probably out of the KJV, but I'm going to put them up here in NASB, Half way through the week I'll give you some background and info on why they are called "the Beatitudes." for now, here are the first two.

painting by Carl Bloch 1890

Matthew 5:

3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.