Unfit?
We are unfit to worship you;
each of our good deeds
is merely a filthy rag. ~ Isaiah 64:6 (CEV)
The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered that the Lord had said, “Before a rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will say three times that you don’t know me.” Then Peter went out and cried hard. ~ Luke 22:61-62 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
Apart from the grace of God we can't be consistently good enough to make ourselves fit to follow Christ.
PRAYER:
Lord, it is amazing that you would have anything to do with us. No matter how hard we try we always fall short in righteousness. I usually end up looking silly when I try to impress you (and others) with how good I am.
Douse me with your grace -- wash the filth away from my body, mind, heart, and soul. I want to be able to serve you and follow Christ Jesus. He is the one who turns self-focused losers into Jesus-honoring winners. 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)
