He will speak peace to the nations. ~ Zechariah 9:10 (CEB)
In every country God accepts anyone who worships him and does what is right. 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 10:35-36 (NCV)
KEY IDEA:
Jesus' message of peace is for the people of all nations.
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, you are over all creation. Your message is for people from everywhere and you want to bring peace to all these people. I've heard this so much over the years that the awesomeness of this message doesn't grab me as much as it should. Shake me from my indifference and send me out to tell people the good news. I'm going to be a messenger of your peace. Amen.
The 6th Sunday after Pentecost
My honor and salvation come from God. ~ Psalm 62:7 (NCV)
I have prayed for you that your faith won’t fail. ~ Luke 22:32 (CEB)
KEY IDEA:
God sustains his people.
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, it seems that my faith is always on the brink of failure. There are just so many challenges.
I get discouraged. Pray for me as you prayed for Peter so that my faith can remain strong. I know that the only way it will happen is if it all comes through you. I am depending on you alone. And I am grateful for your dependability.
Amen.
Moses said to the Lord: "And remember that this nation is your very own people." ~ Exodus 33:13 (NLT)
He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. Whenever he has gathered all of his sheep, he goes before them and they follow him, because they know his voice. ~ John 10:3-4 (CEB)
KEY IDEA:
God leads people.
PRAYER:
All competent God, thank you for being personally involved with people. You are a hands-on leader.
I confess that I'm not easy to lead. But that doesn't stop you from calling me to follow you. Give me, please, the extra help I need to stick close behind you. With your enabling power, I will do my best to follow. Amen.
God’s salvation is very close to those who honor him
so that his glory can live in our land.
Faithful love and truth have met;
righteousness and peace have kissed. ~ Psalm 85:9-10 (CEB)
But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness. ~ 2 Peter 3:13 (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
The lives we live now are formed by the anticipation we have for a new heaven and a new earth --
which will be full of God's righteousness.
PRAYER:
Thank you, Lord, for your promise. I confess that I'm a bit jaded about the future. It's hard to believe that things will change. Please give me eyes of faith so that I can see your presence and your progress. I'm looking forward to living here with you in your renewed-by-Christ creation. 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)
