I will tell about the kind deeds
the Lord has done.
They deserve praise!
The Lord has shown mercy
to the people of Israel;
he has been kind and good. ~ Isaiah 63:7 (CEV)
You have already found out how good the Lord really is. ~ 1 Peter 2:3 (CEV)
Good Lord, you have already given us a taste of how wonderful you are. You have been kind to us -- to me. I am especially grateful for the way that Christ Jesus came into the world, gave himself as a sacrifice to rebuild our relationship with you, and then conquered death -- establishing the new life to which we are all looking forward. It's all about you -- not me. Help me keep the focus on you. For you are kind and good! Amen.
The Lord always does right
and wants justice done.
~ Psalm 11:7 (CEV)
Live your life as children of light. Light produces fruit that consists of every sort of goodness, justice, and truth. ~ Ephesians 5:8-9 (CEB)
Just Lord,
THANKS: I'm grateful that at least someone is consistent in their passion for goodness, justice, and truth. You!
REGRETS: There is a shortage of goodness, justice, and truth in the world -- even in my own life. I get so caught up in my limited and insular life that righteousness slips through the cracks.
INTERCESSION: Please repair the cracks so that my life is full of your goodness, justice, and truth.
PURPOSE: I want to live as one of your children -- full of your life -- and full of passion for the things which stir you.
Amen.
The 21st Sunday after Pentecost
Then the Lord said to Moses:
In answer to your prayer, I do forgive them. ~ Numbers 14:20 (CEV)
Put up with each other, and forgive anyone who does you wrong, just as Christ has forgiven you. ~ Colossians 3:13 (CEV)
Gracious God, you have been quick to forgive. I'm not so quick in extending forgiveness. I keep looking for evidence that people deserve forgiveness. This means that I probably don't really understand your gracious nature. Teach me about grace and forgiveness so that I become eager to forgive -- as quickly as I have been forgiven. I'm going to think about all that Christ has done to make sure that your forgiveness is available to all. Amen.
Understanding your word
brings light
to the minds
of ordinary people. ~ Psalm 119:130 (CEV)
Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us. The Scriptures give us patience and encouragement so that we can have hope. ~ Romans 15:4 (NCV)
Lord,
THANKS: Thank you for your message to us -- your written word -- the Bible. I'm so grateful for the way that those words have already formed my life.
REGRETS: Yet, there is still much to be done and in spite of my love of the scriptures I don't read them consistently enough.
INTERCESSION: Renew my passion for your word so that I can continue to grow in your light and hope.
PURPOSE: I'm going to read and listen.
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)
