Good, just, patient, and faithful
Plow your fields,
scatter seeds of justice,
and harvest faithfulness. ~ Hosea 10:12a (CEV)
Encourage anyone who feels left out, help all who are weak, and be patient with everyone. Don’t be hateful to people, just because they are hateful to you. Rather, be good to each other and to everyone else. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:14b-15 (CEV)
Lord,
THANKS: Thank you for being so good to us.
REGRETS: We certainly don't deserve your kindness. We tend to be self-centered and we return hate to those who hate us.
INTERCESSION: Don't give up on us. Keep changing us so that your Spirit transforms us into good, just, patient, and faithful people.
PURPOSE: That's my God-defined goal -- to become a good, just, patient, and faithful follower of Christ Jesus.
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)
