Strength
The First Sunday in Christmastide
Even young people get tired,
then stumble and fall.
But those who trust the Lord
will find new strength.
They will be strong like eagles
soaring upward on wings;
they will walk and run
without getting tired. ~ Isaiah 40:30-31 (CEV)
God’s Spirit doesn’t make cowards out of us. The Spirit gives us power, love, and self-control. ~ 2 Timothy 1:7 (CEV)
KEY THOUGHT:
The Spirit gives us the strength to do what needs to be done.
PRAYER:
God, thank you for renewing our strength. I get tired a lot. And even though it makes me prone to falling I push through and try to dig up enough strength on my own to do what needs to be done. Help me to rest and to trust in the strength that you provide. If you haven't given me the strength to do something it doesn't need doing -- at least by me. 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)
