Cool Bible Version Trick...NAS & The MSG

This morning, as I was reading and meditating on the Scriptures, I tried something I hadn't done before - reading one line from the New American Standard version and then repeating that same line in The Message version...I did this with Psalm 23 - wow, what an eye-opening, enlightening experience. This is a great way to get a literal and more conversation view of the same Scripture! Often the more literal versions of the Bible (say KJV, RSV or the NASB) seem a bit out of touch with the way we talk today. I guess maybe the feel a bit more stuffy than the relaxed way that current American English sounds. This is why I like versions like The Message and the New Living Translation. However, to make sure we still have our bearings in more literal word-for-word translations from the original Biblical language, I like reading both together. I'm going to be doing this more often! Maybe God will unlock His word in my life in a new way!