Closer than you think
You have brought justice
and fairness to Jerusalem;
you are the foundation
on which we stand today.
You always save us and give
true wisdom and knowledge. ~ Isaiah 35:5-6 (CEV)
Go to the lost, confused people right here in the neighborhood. Tell them that the kingdom is here. ~ Matthew 10:7 (MSG)
KEY IDEA:
God's kingdom is closer than you think.
PRAYER:
King Jesus, thank you for coming to live among us and to save us from the grip of sin and death. I'm grateful but I'm also frustrated that there is still so much dysfunction, hate, and sorrow in the world where I live. Help me to accept the reality that your kingdom is close by and that I don't have to worry about all that other nonsense. I'm going to focus first on how close your kingdom is. I'm going to let that reality shape my life instead of all the fear and destruction that shows up in the news daily. 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)
