Promote the Promise

I participated in some kind of bible survey quite some time ago. I don't remember anything about the survey. The payback for participating arrived in my mailbox last week. I received a copy of a new translation of the New Testament with a note that the complete translation will be available in 2011. This new translation is called the Common English Bible (CEB). It uses modern words and phrases to translate the original texts.

It is hard to use a new translation. We get used to certain wording of familiar phrases. "Blessed are the poor in spirit" is what I'm used to. (Mt 5:3) not "Happy are people who are downcast". It will take some time to get used to this translation. I may never fully accept it but I will enjoy parts of it for certain. One thing I really like is that all phrases in the New Testament that are from the Old Testament are in italics with the OT passage noted in the footnotes. I like that.

Anyway, the first thing I wrote down from this translation is from 2 Timothy 1:2. It says: "From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God's will, to promote the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus." Look at all that says: Paul is an apostle by God's will. His purpose is "to promote the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus." There is the promise of life in Christ Jesus and Paul is to promote that promise of life.

Today's purpose: "to promote the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus". How simple is that!! We don't have save people. We don't have to ask people to church. We don't have to bear our souls. We just have "to promote the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus." That is easy because when we are in Christ Jesus we know what that promise of life is like. We understand we are loved. We understand we are forgiven. We understand that we will fail.....then be accepted anyway. We understand that we don't have to be good, then we can meet Christ. We can meet Him NOW. We understand that Christ meets us where we are...today, and then again tomorrow. Let's promote the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, okay?

Dear Jesus, the promise of life that You offer is open to us no matter where we are, or what we've done. It is a free gift of grace that we can never earn. Help us, Jesus, to promote that promise of life to all those we meet this day. Amen.

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