Divine gentleness
If you oppress poor people, you insult the God who made them; but kindness shown to the poor is an act of worship. ~ Proverbs 14:31 (GNT)
Show a gentle attitude toward everyone. The Lord is coming soon. ~ Philippians 4:5 (GNT)
KEY IDEA:
One of the best ways to worship God is to act with gentleness and kindness toward those who are less fortunate.
PRAYER:
Lord, it is so easy to assume that those who are poor are that way because of their mistakes. That affects the way that I relate to them. I'm not as kind or gentle and caring as I should be. Afterall, in my mind, they have somehow earned the trouble they're in. Of course, that attitude does not reflect the kindness that you have extended to me. Help me to tap into your divine gentleness so that I might become an extremely kind and gentle person. I'm going to honor Jesus in this way. His kindness flows through my body. Amen.
*ABOUT THE
DAILY TEXTS
The Daily Texts have been published by the Moravian Church since 1731. In 2011 I started posting these Bible verses for my spiritual formation students at Pacific Islands University. In the process of responding to the verses, I found the rhythm of looking for a common thread and writing a prayer based on that key idea to be helpful for my own soul. The prayers are more or less modeled on the TRIP method, which is what I ask my students to do in their journaling. ~ Brad Boydston
TRANSLATIONS
ABP = Authorized Boydston Paraphrase -- a 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)
