God is getting close
The one who is about to give me justice is getting very close. Who, then, could dare to bring more charges against me? My accusers have suddenly become invisible. So let's take our stand together. Won't you join me? ~ Isaiah 50:8 (ABP)
When Jesus came to that spot, he looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down at once. I must stay in your home today.” ~ Luke 19:5 (CEB)
KEY IDEA:
Through Jesus, God is moving in even closer to us.
PRAYER:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for calling my name and inviting yourself to stay with me. I know that I should be inviting you myself but I'm ill-prepared to extend such an invitation. Yet I welcome the closeness that you initiate. Help me to be hospitable to your divine presence -- to know the words to say -- the food to serve -- and the guests to invite. It may be a little awkward at first but I think that this is going to be good. 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)
