The poor and the needy
will celebrate and shout
because of the Lord,
the holy God of Israel. ~ Isaiah 29:19 (CEV)
Some Pharisees asked Jesus' disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and other sinners?” ~ Matthew 9:11 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
Jesus prefers the company of the raw and needy.
PRAYER:
Merciful God, thank you for welcoming needy people like me. Forgive me for pretending that I am whole and unbroken. Please give me a heart for needy people and the patience needed to go against the flow in serving them. By your grace I can become an outpost of your mercy. Amen.
During the day the Lord went ahead of his people in a thick cloud, and during the night he went ahead of them in a flaming fire. That way the Lord could lead them at all times, whether day or night. ~ Exodus 13:21 (CEV)
We must give our full attention to what we were told, so that we won’t drift away. ~ Hebrews 2:1 (CEV)
KEY THOUGHT:
Pay attention to the signs directing you where to go or you'll end up lost.
PRAYER:
Thank you, Lord, for providing direction for my life. Forgive me for allowing my attention to focus in other directions. Please put me back on the right road so that I can follow your directions. Amen.
Obeying your instructions
brings as much happiness
as being rich. ~ Psalm 119:14 (CEV)
Jesus said: He said, “Then you see how every student well-trained in God’s kingdom is like the owner of a general store who can put his hands on anything you need, old or new, exactly when you need it.” ~ Matthew 13:52 (MSG)
KEY IDEA:
The person who lives according to God's instructions has everything necessary for a good life.
PRAYER:
Thank you, God, for the Bible and the message contained in it. Forgive me for being so casual about your instructions. Help me to listen -- to really listen to your instructions so that I can live a life in harmony with Christ Jesus, who is the living Word. Amen.
Go cry to the gods you made!
There should be enough of them
to save you,
because Judah has as many gods
as it has towns. ~ Jeremiah 2:28 (CEV)
Then Jesus got up and ordered the wind and the waves to calm down. And everything was calm. ~ Matthew 8:26 (CEV)
KEY THOUGHT:
God is the only one powerful enough to calm things down.
PRAYER:
God, I appreciate the way that you use your power for our benefit. Please forgive me for the times that I turn to the fake gods to fix things. When I'm in the midst of the storm help me to realize that you are the only one who can make calm. I'm going to look to you and you alone. 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)
