God is near
Some of you set sail in big ships;
you put to sea to do business in faraway ports.
Out at sea you saw God in action,
saw his breathtaking ways with the ocean... So thank God for his marvelous love,
for his miracle mercy to the children he loves. ~ Psalm 107:23-24, 31 (MSG)
God made the nations so they would seek him, perhaps even reach out to him and find him. In fact, God isn’t far away from any of us. ~ Acts 17:27 (CEB)
KEY IDEA:
God's activities are not confined to any single place or nation.
PRAYER:
God, your vision is so big and wide but mine is so small and narrow. Help me to look beyond my island -- my people -- my family -- my little world. Inspire me with the wonder of your love expressed throughout your big world.
I want to help everyone out there discover the love of Jesus and the nearness of God. 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)
