Taste and see how good the Lord is!
The one who takes refuge in him is truly happy! ~ Psalm 34:8 (CEB)
But now here is Bread that truly comes down out of heaven. Anyone eating this Bread will not die, ever. I am the Bread—living Bread!—who came down out of heaven. Anyone who eats this Bread will live—and forever! The Bread that I present to the world so that it can eat and live is myself, this flesh-and-blood self. ~ John 6:51 (MSG)
KEY IDEA:
The Lord Jesus is the spiritual nourishment that we need in order to truly live!
PRAYER:
Lord, thank you for coming in order to give us life -- life that is so good that it never ends.
I've tasted it and I'm grateful -- even though I still eat some junk food at times. I need to kick the spiritual junk food habit. I need your help -- please. I want you to live on the Jesus diet -- without anything else. Amen.
The Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. ~ Proverbs 2:6 (CEB)
Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region. He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. ~ Luke 3:14-15 (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
Jesus speaks with impressive wisdom and understanding.
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, when you explained God's message people were praising you. Thank you for sharing your wisdom. Sometimes I don't really listen closely. That is a shame. Help me to note, learn, and inwardly digest your words so that I might become a mature, convinced, and convincing follower. This is my goal. Amen.
I’ve made myself available
to those who haven’t bothered to ask.
I’m here, ready to be found
by those who haven’t bothered to look.
I kept saying ‘I’m here, I’m right here’
to a nation that ignored me. ~ Isaiah 65:1 (MSG)
After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’ So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. ~ Luke 14:22-23 (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
The world is full of people unresponsive to the generosity of God. Don't be one of them.
PRAYER:
Thank you, Lord, for being so responsive to our needs. Forgive me for the times when I am so unresponsive to your solutions. I guess we're all kind of stubborn -- living in our own worlds. Please peel away the blinders that keep me oblivious to your generosity. I want to live moment by moment as someone who is truly responsive to you. I pray in Jesus' name, Amen.
God is the one who uncovers what lies deeply hidden... ~ Daniel 2:22 (CEB)
The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you. ~ John 14:26 (MSG)
KEY IDEA:
God is the one who reveals what is hidden and what we need to understand.
PRAYER:
Thank you, God, for sending your Holy Spirit to encourage us and remind us of what Jesus has taught.
I lack a lot in the understanding department. So, please continue to reveal yourself and your message for us so that I can act according to the plan you have for Jesus' followers. I am eager to hear from you. 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)
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.)