Good enough for the Apostle Paul

One of the things I enjoy doing each day is looking up the Bible Verse of the Day, like the one that you see on Page 7 in today’s edition. It’s a nice little quick trip into scripture and I’m glad that we still do it, even though the trend in the world seems to be steering away from organized religion… even at a time when you’d think we’d need it the most.

It’s a simple thing, but every single time we’ve left out the Bible verse, either inadvertently or for rare spacing issues, we’ve gotten at least a couple of disappointed phone calls, so I always do my best to get it in there.

Funny thing, though… not too long ago, a nice lady who knew I was the editor of the paper got my attention and said she appreciated my stories and my responses in Text the Times. Then she added…

“I notice you’re using NIV for the Bible verse now.”

It was true. I used to love the King James Version, but I find that the New International Version and the English Standard Version (or ESV) are more easily understandable and accessible to those who are not well-versed in the verses… which I think is a good approach for people who might be reading the paper who might not be religious.

I explained that to her. She did not seem to agree. In fact, she said something I had heard before but only as a joke.

“If the King James Version was good enough for the Apostle Paul, it’s good enough for you and me,” she said.

She smiled but I’m pretty sure she was being serious. I just smiled back and nodded, along with something like, “I suppose so.”

Because you can’t argue with that kind of thinking…