Reclaimed and Restored
God... you will restore me to life again
and lift me up from the depths of the earth. You will restore me to even greater honor
and comfort me once again. ~ Psalm 71:20b-21 (NLT)
In the same way, my Father who is in heaven doesn’t want to lose one of these little ones. ~ Matthew 18:14 (CEB)
KEY IDEA:
God's desire is that all people -- great and small -- might be reclaimed and restored to life.
PRAYER:
Generous Lord, you never want any of your sheep to be on the other side of the fence. You seek to bring each one home with comfort and honor. From our wayward trails, you reclaim and return us to the safety of your loving arms. Thank you, Good Shepherd. 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)
