Friday, July 13, 2018

Waiting for righteousness and justice

The Lord is a God of justice; happy are all who wait for him. ~ Isaiah 30:18b (CEB)

Since we know that Christ is righteous, we also know that all who do what is right are God’s children. ~ 1 John 2:29 (NLT)

KEY IDEA:
Christ is righteous and just. As his children we will practice righteousness and justice, too.
PRAYER:
Lord, you are worth waiting for. Your kindness exceeds all my expectations. Yet, I get impatient and push for quick results -- short-cuts. Help me to live a righteous and just life now as I patiently anticipate the fullness of your righteousness and justice. I'm going to happily play the long game -- your long game. Amen.

Thursday, July 12, 2018

Good company

I am the one who made the earth and created people to live on it. ~ Isaiah 45:12a (NLT)

Yet God is actually not far from any one of us... ~ Acts 17:27b (GNT)

KEY IDEA:
God likes being with people.
PRAYER:
Holy God, you created people and you enjoy their company -- even though they don't respect you. I know how that works because I'm disrespectful of your agenda for the world and my life. Even though I am grateful for your salvation I don't allow your presence to fully change me. So, please, stay close and continue to transform me through your presence. Through my connection with Christ Jesus I'm going to grow into the person you want me to be -- and I am hopeful that I could become good company for you. Amen.

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Powerful Jesus

The Spirit of the Lord will be with him to give him understanding, wisdom, and insight. He will be powerful, and he will know and honor the Lord. ~ Isaiah 11:2 (CEV)

Everyone was trying to touch Jesus, because power was going out from him and healing them all. ~ Luke 6:19 (CEV)

KEY IDEA:
As God's chosen person his power flows through Jesus.
PRAYER:
Powerful God, thank you for Jesus. Your power rests in him because he is you. No one can match him. Yet, we, including me, are slow to tap into his power. Why do I dilly dally about and never get around to touching him. Is it because I'm afraid of his power? Or is it because I don't really want to be healed? Pull me closer so that I experience your power in a fresh and healing way. Amen.

Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Truth!

Isaiah said: Then I cried out, “I’m doomed! Everything I say is sinful, and so are the words of everyone around me...” ~ Isaiah 6:5a (CEV)

We are part of the same body. Stop lying and start telling each other the truth. ~ Ephesians 4:25a (CEV)

KEY IDEA:
Tell the truth.
PRAYER:
Lord, we live in a world where it is really difficult to seperate the truth from lies. Our leaders lie to us without shame. Our neighbors stretch the truth to convince us that they are more important than they are. At least, Lord, you tell the truth -- always. Save me from being influnced by those who are casual about truth. I admit that sometimes words just slip out of my mouth before I realize that they are not completely true or accurate. I want to become a fanatic about truth telling. Amen.

DAILYTEXTS.ORG

*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)

EEB = EasyEnglish Bible (©2015, MissionAssist)

ERV = Easy-To-Read Version (©2006, World Bible Translation Center)

GNT = Good News Translation (©1992, American Bible Society)

MSG = The Message (©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson)

NCB = New Catholic Bible (©2019 by Catholic Book Publishing Corp.)

NCV = New Century Version (©2005, Thomas Nelson Inc)

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)

NRSV = New Revised Standard Version (© 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.)

NTE = New Testament for Everyone (©2011 Nicolas Thomas Wright.)

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