Global reconciliation through Christ
Everyone he has brought from the east and the west, the north and the south... you should praise the Lord for his love and for the wonderful things he does for all of us. ~ Psalm 107:3,8 (CEV)
For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. ~ Colossians 1:19-20 (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
God has made a global peace for the world through the sacrifice of Christ Jesus.
PRAYER:
We thank you, Lord, for your sacrifice on our behalf. We confess, though, that we don't pay so much attention to reconciliation. I mean, I appreciate how you have made peace with us through the cross. However,
I conveniently overlook how that peace is supposed to happen throughout all of the creation. Give me eyes to see your peace at work and a heart for people from other cultures and places. I'm going to honor my Savior Jesus by living out the peace he has made with everything in heaven and on earth. 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)
