Kindness
Worry is a heavy burden,
but a kind word
always brings cheer.
~ Proverbs 12:25 (CEV)
Be kind, compassionate, and forgiving to each other, in the same way God forgave you in Christ. ~ Ephesians 4:32 (CEB)
SUMMARY SENTENCE
Your kindness not only changes things in the lives of others but it is also a sign that the change God is making in you is taking hold.
PRAYER
Loving God, you have been kind to me. Your mercy and forgiveness change everything. I confess, though, that I am slow to accept this sort of change -- especially when it comes to paying forward the kindness I've received. It's so much easier to respond to stupid people with snarky comments or to ignore as invisible those who are hurting. Stir your kindness within me so that it flows out as a smooth and healing ointment. In the name of Jesus, let it be so!
*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)
