Celebrate
This is the day the Lord acted; we will rejoice and celebrate in it! ~ Psalm 118:24 (CEB)
But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began. ~ Luke 15:22-24 (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
We celebrate God's kindness.
PRAYER:
Lord, thank you for acting on our behalf and then throwing a party to celebrate. You are generous. I'm a bit stingy -- slow to get excited about your grace. I hold back. Free me to join the party. I don't want to be like the older brother in the prodigal son story. 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)
