Monday, May 26, 2025

POWER

ZECHARIAH 4:6 (MSG)
"You can’t force these things. They only come about through my Spirit," says God-of-the-Angel-Armies.

LUKE 1:35 (MSG)
The angel answered,
   "The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
   the power of the Highest hover over you;
   Therefore, the child you bring to birth
   will be called Holy, Son of God."

THE ESSENCE
God doesn't execute his plans through human power but through the force of the Holy Spirit. 

DAILY FODDER
So many of us seek power and influence to better the world. But that's not God's method of operation. Even though he has access to all power, he prefers to tackle things through his Holy Spirit.  

PRAYER 
From day one, Lord, your Spirit has been shaping creation. Forgive us for believing that with just a little more power and authority we can reshape the world according to our understanding of good. Come Spirit, come, and reshape me according to your understanding of good. I'm grateful that you sent your Son into the world through Mary. I want to be a part of your ongoing Spirit-shaped plan. So I renounce tactics that rely on force or power. Amen. 

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.
Give us enough food for today.
Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil. 
Amen.



DAILYTEXTS.ORG

*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)

EEB = EasyEnglish Bible (©2015, MissionAssist)

ERV = Easy-To-Read Version (©2006, World Bible Translation Center)

GNT = Good News Translation (©1992, American Bible Society)

MSG = The Message (©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson)

NCB = New Catholic Bible (©2019 by Catholic Book Publishing Corp.)

NCV = New Century Version (©2005, Thomas Nelson Inc)

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)

NRSV = New Revised Standard Version (© 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.)

NTE = New Testament for Everyone (©2011 Nicolas Thomas Wright.)

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