Look up at the skies,
ponder the earth under your feet.
The skies will fade out like smoke,
the earth will wear out like work pants,
and the people will die off like flies.
But my salvation will last forever,
my setting-things-right will never be obsolete.
~ Isaiah 51:6 (MSG)
God doesn’t intend to punish us, but wants us to be saved by our Lord Jesus Christ. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:9 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
God's salvtion never grows obsolete.
PRAYER:
Lord, thank you for the salvation that is ours in Christ Jesus. Everything else seems to grow old and wear out but your grace goes on and on. That reality grabs me like nothing else. Help me to experience the transformation of salvation even now before I die. Your love changes everything. Amen.
The 19th Sunday after Pentecost
As my life was slipping away,
I remembered the Lord.
And my earnest prayer went out to you
in your holy Temple. ~ Jonah 2:7 (NLT)
When they got there, he told them, “Pray that you won’t be tested.” ~ Luke 22:40 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
Prayer is the best response to tests and temptations.
PRAYER:
Lord, thank you for saving us from trial and temptations. Help me to refrain from panic and discouragement when such times do come my way. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom,
the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.
The word is right here and now -- as near as the tongue in your mouth, as near as the heart in your chest. Just do it! ~ Deuteronomy 30:14 (MSG)
The crowds asked John (the Baptist), “What should we do?”
John told them, “If you have two coats, give one to someone who doesn’t have any. If you have food, share it with someone else.” ~ Luke 3:10-11 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
God expects us to do something in response to his message to us.
PRAYER:
Lord, thank you for your good word to us. I confess, though, that I know more in my head than I do with my hands or my mouth. Help me to figure out what I need to be doing. I'm going to trust you to make that really clear and commit myself to actually getting up from my seat to act. Amen.
I celebrate and shout because of my Lord God. His saving power and justice are the very clothes I wear. They are more beautiful than the jewelry worn by a bride or a groom. ~ Isaiah 61:10 (CEV)
God will bless you hungry people. You will have plenty to eat! God will bless you people who are crying. You will laugh! ~ Luke 6:21 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
As God's kingdom becomes a reality in our midst you will have more than you need.
PRAYER:
Generous God, thank you for all that you provide. I tend to focus on what I think I lack.
But upon reflection, I don't really lack anything I need. I just need to think about everything differently. You are in the business of blessing the needy. I need your help in remembering that -- especially when a crisis hits. I'm going to celebrate your provision. 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)
