But let all who take refuge in you celebrate. ~ Psalm 5:11a (CEB)
You have never seen Jesus, and you don’t see him now. But still you love him and have faith in him, and no words can tell how glad and happy you are to be saved. ~ 1 Peter 1:8 (CEV)
KEY IDEA: God is the source of our true and unending joy.
PRAYER:
God,
THANKS: Thank you for the joy that you and your salvation brings to my life.
REGRETS: When times are difficult I often look in the wrong places to generate a sense of happiness -- in spite of what you have already given to me.
INTERCESSION: Help me to narrow my focus so that it is on you exclusively. Hit the refresh button on my faith so that it boots up strong.
PURPOSE: I'm going to find my joy in you.
Amen.
I can avoid doing the foolish things that bring shame on myself if I continually chew on your instructions. ~ Psalm 119:6 (ABP)
In the meantime the disciples spoke to Jesus, saying, “Rabbi, eat.”
Jesus said to them, “I have food to eat that you don’t know about.”
The disciples asked each other, “Has someone brought him food?”
Jesus said to them, “I am fed by doing the will of the one who sent me and by completing his work. ~ John 4:31-34 (CEB)
KEY IDEA:
The activity which bests nourishes our human souls is to chew on the will of God.
PRAYER:
Lord, thank you for providing food for our bodies and food for our entire souls. I confess that I eat too much of the wrong things. Help me stay on a Christ-centered diet. I want to spend my life doing the things which you have told us to do. Amen.
Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord meant when he said, 'I will display my holiness
through those who come near me.
I will display my glory
before all the people.'” ~ Leviticus 10:3 (NLT)
You know the message that God has sent to the people of Israel is the Good News that peace has come through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Lord of all people! ~ Acts 10:36 (NCV)
KEY IDEA:
Jesus is the Lord of all people!
PRAYER:
Lord, thank you for extending your hospitality to all people. You want to be known by all and honored by all. That makes sense. It does not make sense that I live as though I am the center of the universe. Help me to get over that so that I can appropriately honor you and focus on helping all people know you. I'm going to think and live as a missionary. Amen.
The 26th Sunday after Pentecost
The Lord said: I will defend this city and save it for my sake... ~ 2 Kings 19:34a (CEB)
God’s solid foundation is still standing with this sign: The Lord knows the people who belong to him... ~ 2 Timothy 2:19a (CEB)
KEY IDEA:
The Lord knows and defends his people.
PRAYER:
Lord,
THANKS: Thank you for being here for us -- for me.
REGRETS: Even though I know that you are here defending us, I easily cave into fear.
INTERCESSION: Help me to remain calm and trusting -- even when I and my values are under threat.
PURPOSE: I'm going to live boldly because I know that you are defending 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 — my own 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)
