Helping those with less
Whenever you are able,
do good to people who need help. ~ Proverbs 3:27 (NCV)
John (the Baptist) answered, “If you have two shirts, share with the person who does not have one. If you have food, share that also.” ~ Luke 3:11 (NCV)
Lord, this is hard for me. I don't mind sharing with people -- sometimes. But there seems to be no end to the need. And most of these people are in trouble because of bad choices, anyway. If they'd only do the right things then they could afford to buy their own shirts. Forgive me my callousness and bad attitude. I know that I'm not that different from them and that you are generous to us even when we don't deserve it. I need to become more like you. Please give me a heart for the needy, starting with the next needy person I see. Amen.
*ABOUT THE
DAILY TEXTS
The Daily Texts have been published by the Moravian Church since 1731. In 2015 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)
