NO COMPETITORS
ISAIAH 26:13 (ABP)
O GOD, other masters have ruled over us but you are still our only God -- the only one to whom we pledge our allegiance.
ACTS 5:29 (NLT)
But Peter and the apostles replied, "We must obey God rather than any human authority."
SUMMARY SENTENCE
We pledge our allegiance to God alone.
PRAYER
O God, you are the only one worthy of our undivided attention. I confess, though, that I'm prone to splitting my allegiance between you and the powers of the world. Draw me back so that I can sort through the messiness of living in this chaotic world and firmly place my trust in you as my one and only master. There are no competitors allowed in my life. 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)
