Lord, Lord
You will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked,
between those serving God and those not serving him. ~ Malachi 3:18 (CEB)
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven. Only those who do what my Father in heaven wants will enter. ~ Matthew 7:21 (NIRV)
Lord, Lord,
THANKS: Thank you for being a straight shooter. You tell it the way it is without waffling. And you don't put up with wickedness and phoniness.
REGRETS: I'm not as straight of a shooter as you. I put up with phoniness and unrighteousness -- even in myself. I'm indifferent to the needs of many of the poor. I want that to change so that I become a part of your kingdom.
INTERCESSION: Help me to be honest with myself and you. Honesty is not always easy. It is going to require a lot of help.
PURPOSE: I'm going to be included among the obedient and honest citizens of your kingdom. With Jesus, I'm going to be concerned for the people who live on the margins.
Amen.
TRANSLATIONS
ABP = Authorized Boydston Paraphrase — my own freestyle biblical adaptation — somewhere between paraphrase, commentary, and sermon
CEB = Common English Bible (©2011, the Common English Bible)
CEV = Contemporary English Version (©1995, American Bible Society)
MSG = The Message (©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson)
NIRV = New International Reader's Version (©1996, 1998, Biblica)
NIV = New International Version (©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, Biblica)
NLT = New Living Translation (©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, Tyndale House Foundation)
