Good Morning Friends,
Last Saturday I shared a scripture reference—Isaiah 8:23—that may or may not appear in the Bible you use. Some of you looked it up and found the words tucked into the surrounding verses. Others may have been puzzled, or perhaps didn’t check the footnotes at all. But hidden in that moment is a deeper invitation. Do You Sense God Speaking To You Through A Living Text?
Scripture: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.
2 Timothy 1:1-8 (NIV)
Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness— in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, and which now at his appointed season he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior,To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.
Titus 1:1-5 (NIV)
And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.” So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house. Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”
Mark 3:22-30 (NIV)
Message: Across these three passages, a single thread is woven with striking clarity: God entrusts His people with a sacred calling, and that calling must be guarded, nurtured, and lived out with courage. Paul reminds Timothy and Titus of the gift and the truth they carry. This is true for the very Bibles we read too. Jesus, in Mark’s Gospel, confronts those who try to distort His work and undermine the Spirit’s power. Together, these texts invite us to consider: What has God entrusted to us and how are we stewarding it and that includes what scripture we share and how it works together for good for all the languages of the world. And what is interesting is that sometimes the very differences we notice in our Bibles become opportunities to trust the God who speaks—not just the format in which the words appear. Today, let’s explore how chapters, verses, and variations in Scripture can actually strengthen our confidence in God’s faithfulness. The thing is that Scripture was alive before it was ever numbered. When we open our Bibles, we encounter a text that feels settled and orderly. Chapters, verses, headings, and footnotes give the impression that Scripture has always looked this way. But the Word of God began as: stories told around fires, songs sung in worship, prophecies spoken aloud, and letters carried by hand. For most of Israel’s history, Scripture was heard, not read. Scrolls had no numbers. Rabbis and early Christians memorized vast portions and referred to passages by themes or opening lines. Before numbers, there was memory. The structure we now take for granted developed slowly: Chapters were introduced by Stephen Langton in the early 1200s. Verses in the Old Testament followed ancient Jewish scribal traditions. New Testament verses were added in 1551 by Robert Estienne—legend says he did some of the work on horseback! These tools help us navigate Scripture, but they are not inspired features. Sometimes the Spirit invites us to read past the numbers and listen for the flow of God’s heart.
And So, Different Christian traditions inherited different ways of organizing the biblical books. The content is overwhelmingly the same, but the numbering can vary. Psalm 9 and 10 in Hebrew are combined in the Greek tradition. Psalm 147 in Hebrew is split into two in the Greek. Psalm 23 is still Psalm 23—but many psalms around it shift by one number. And Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant traditions divide the ten commandments slightly differently, even though the content is the same. Some passages appear in certain ancient manuscripts but not others: Mark 16:9–20, John 7:53–8:11, Acts 8:37, 1 John 5:7–8. Most modern Bibles include them with footnotes explaining the evidence. These differences remind us that Scripture was copied by hand for centuries. And yet—despite all the human hands involved—the message of God’s love, covenant, and redemption remains astonishingly consistent. The Spirit has guarded the truth, even as the form has shifted. This teaches us something profound: God entrusted His Word to His people. He didn’t drop a finished book from heaven. He invited communities—Israel, the early church, scribes, translators—to carry His Word forward. God speaks through imperfect processes. Even with variations in numbering or manuscript differences, the gospel remains clear. The story of God’s faithfulness is unbroken. God calls us to read deeply, not just precisely. Chapters and verses help us find our place, but they are not the place. The living Word is Christ Himself, and Scripture leads us to Him.
Pray we are thankful for God speaking through history, through people, through ink and parchment, through scrolls and codices, through translations and traditions. Pray we learn to read God’s Word with humility and wonder. Pray God help us to not stumble over numbers or footnotes, but to hear God’s voice calling us into truth. Pray we become faithful stewards of the Scriptures, just as generations before us carried them faithfully to us. Pray we realize we have been entrusted with gifts, responsibilities, and truth. Pray we have courage where we are timid, wisdom where we are overwhelmed, and discernment where confusion rises. Pray we fan the flames of the gifts placed within us. Pray we order our lives around the Gospel and find strength. Pray that we keep our hearts aligned with the Holy Spirit, who brings freedom, healing, and life to our actions.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 