Love
You must not follow the crowd in doing wrong... ~ Exodus 23:2a (NLT)
Keep loving each other like family. ~ Hebrews 13:1 (CEB)
KEY IDEA:
Even if it is not a popular thing to do, stay committed to each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.
PRAYER:
God, I confess it is easy to let a crowd influence my judgment, whether it be booing at a sporting event or blindly following a political or religious leader. Empower me to make love the litmus test of my actions. Help me to avoid blindly following the crowd. Instead, guide me to act with love for my brothers and sisters. Amen. (Daily Texts, Mount Carmel Ministries edition)
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)
