AGGRESSIVE GRACE
ISAIAH 53:12 (MSG)
He took on his own shoulders the sin of the many,
he took up the cause of all the black sheep.
LUKE 6:28 (CEB)
Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who mistreat you.
SUMMARY SENTENCE
God doesn't just tolerate those who rebel against him, his way is to bless them.
PRAYER
Gracious God, thank you for the way that you love us even when we are deadset against you. I admit that I haven't yet fully embraced your approach to peacemaking and reconciliation. I'm prone to curse those who wrong me. Reformat my life so that it functions in a totally Christ-like and Spirit-driven way. I'm going to approach those who oppose me with aggressive grace. 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)
