Strength
Kings aren’t saved by the strength of their armies;
warriors aren’t rescued by how much power they have. ~ Psalm 33:16 (CEB)
But now, after knowing God (or rather, being known by God), how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless world system? ~ Galatians 4:9a (CEB)
Great God!
THANKS: Thank you for reminding me of where the real power lies.
REGRETS: I am too easily swept up in the moment and give into the kind of pragmatism that characterizes the world system.
INTERCESSION: Save me from trusting in the power system of the world -- where weapons, violence, manipulation, and coercion reign.
PURPOSE: No matter how bad things look I'm going to trust you and your power -- resurrection power.
Amen.
CHALLENGING WORDS
- pragmatism -- a situation where being practical is the most important consideration. That is, being practical to do what needs to be done becomes more important than whether that thing is consistent with what God values.
- coercion -- using force, violence, or threats to convince someone to do what you want them to do
*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)
