Turn to God
God felt certain that Jerusalem
would learn to respect
and obey him.
Then he would hold back
from punishing the city
and not wipe it out.
But everyone there was eager
to start sinning again. ~ Zephaniah 3:7 (CEV)
Then Jesus started preaching, “Turn back to God! The kingdom of heaven will soon be here.” ~ Matthew 4:17 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
Time is short so turn to God, living out his agenda.
PRAYER:
Dear God, thank you for caring enough to call us back to yourself. I confess my indifference to you and your ways. Give me a fresh glimpse of your love and your kingdom where that love reigns supreme. I am going to be motivated to live for you. 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)
