God's presence
Lord, you are the All-Powerful God, yet your awesomeness is most evident in your temple -- for it is your home among us. ~ Psalm 84:1 (ABP)
Whenever as few as two or three of you gather together to carry out my business you can be certain that I am right there in your midst. ~ Matthew 18:20 (ABP)
KEY IDEA:
One of the most amazing things about God is that he likes to hang-out with people.
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, thank you for coming to hang-out with us -- and what happens because of your presence. Our world -- our lives are changed. Forgive me for trying to avoid you. I'm afraid that your presence will change me too much. I enjoy making my own way in life. That's not right. And I am committed to growing in my walk with you and the changes that come with spending time with you. Please do whatever tweaking is necessary to get my life aligned with yours. 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)
