[ampaterry]

There is a Native American saying that is translated as: "When you were born, you cried, and the world rejoiced. Live your life such that when you die, the world cries, and you rejoice."

What a wonderful saying! I believe that those folks who restrict their reading to only the Bible miss an awful lot that is in the Bible! You often need to see something from another source to remind you of just exactly what the Bible means!

And which version? I use most versions of the Bible! That is why I quote verses from different versions. The KJV is the best; it is the closest version to the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that is easy to find, yet understandable. Each version, however, has something special to emphasize, I believe. Today we will go from a Native American saying to two different bible versions of two sections of scripture;

Philippians 1:21-24 (RSV);
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If it is to be life in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.”

2 Timothy 4:6-8 (TLB);
“I say this because I won’t be around to help you very much longer. My time has almost run out. Very soon now I will be on my way to heaven. I have fought long and hard for my Lord, and through it all I have kept true to him. And now the time has come for me to stop fighting and rest. In heaven a crown is waiting for me, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that great day of his return. And not just to me but to all those whose lives show that they are eagerly looking forward to his coming back again.”

And all of that fits together so perfectly. That’s enough to make you believe there was one source for all true wisdom, isn’t it?

May God bless each one of you -