Endless patience
Remember me, Lord, when you help your people;
include me when you save them. ~ Psalm 106:4 (GNT)
Paul writes: But since I was worse than anyone else, God had mercy on me and let me be an example of the endless patience of Christ Jesus. He did this so that others would put their faith in Christ and have eternal life. ~ 1 Timothy 1:16 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
The Lord patiently saves the least likely.
PRAYER:
Thank you, Lord, for including me in your salvation -- even though I'm one of the last people you'd expect to have faith. Your patience is incredible. I wish that some of your patience would rub off on me. I really want people to get their acts together -- now! I expect more from them than I expect from myself -- and certainly I want them to grow up fast. I think I'm probably the one who needs to grow up -- to grow some patience. I want to embrace the endless patience 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)
