God's gift of a clean slate
I will rescue a few people
from Israel and Judah.
I will forgive them so completely
that their sin and guilt
will disappear,
never to be found. ~ Jeremiah 50:20 (CEV)
And in addition to everything else, we are happy because God sent our Lord Jesus Christ to make peace with us. ~ Romans 5:11 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
Through Christ God gives us a clean slate -- a fresh start -- a restored relationship with him.
PRAYER:
Generous God, thank you for your forgiveness. I appreciate the fresh start that you have given to us. This is important news. Help me to share it. It makes me especially happy when I'm able to introduce God's peace to other people. 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)
