Connection
Let the kindness of the Lord our God be over us. Make the work of our hands last. Make the work of our hands last! ~ Psalm 90:17 (CEB)
I, Jesus, am the vine; you, people of mine, are the branches. If you remain connected to me and I to you, then you'll have a fruitful life. It's all about being connected because without me, you can’t really do anything. That's the simple truth. ~ John 15:5 (ABP)
KEY IDEA:
You can't do anything of significance if you are not connected to God.
PRAYER:
God, thank you for sending Christ Jesus into the world to enable a permanent connection with you. You reach out to us and you don't let up. I, on the other hand, can be pretty flakey. I still try to live a live of significance on my own. Help me to focus more on nurturing your connection with me and less on trying to do something important with my life. I'm going to attend to my connection with you and let everything flow from that. 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)
