God said to Moses: “All right. Just as you say; this also I will do, for I know you well and you are special to me. I know you by name.” ~ Exodus 33:17 (MSG)
The angel greeted Mary and said, “You are truly blessed! The Lord is with you.” ~ Luke 1:28 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
When the Lord is with us we end up blessed.
PRAYER:
Teach me to be quiet today, Jesus. Forgive my attraction to the noisy flash of every passing fad and fancy instead of the favor your presence. Teach me to hear and to see your promised presence in every person you send my way, today and always. Amen. (Daily Texts, Mount Carmel Ministries edition)
Improve your conduct and your actions, and I will dwell with you in this place. ~ Jeremiah 7:3b (CEB)
They would sell pieces of property and possessions and distribute the proceeds to everyone who needed them. Every day, they met together in the temple and ate in their homes. They shared food with gladness and simplicity. They praised God and demonstrated God’s goodness to everyone. ~ Acts 2:45-47a (CEB)
KEY IDEA:
When we act as though God is present among us the impact is big.
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, thank you for coming to live among us and then sending the Holy Spirit to be here with us, too. It's a shame that we, including me, keep talking about what it will be like when you return, ignoring the reality of your presence now. Help me to live for you --
with generosity, joy, and simplicity. I'm going to live now with a greater awareness of your presence. Amen.
You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” ~ Genesis 4:7 (NLT)
Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living. ~ Romans 6:18 (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
Sin is dangerous but it no longer controls us. We are free to live right.
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross and rising from the dead to set us free from the grip of sin. I am glad to be a slave to righteousness. Help me to not look back to my old slavery. Even though I am free from it, sin often sneaks up on me and surprises me. I'm going to live as a slave -- to the righteousness that you produce through me. Amen.
The pillars of the earth belong to the Lord;
he set the world on top of them! ~ 1 Samuel 2:8b (CEB)
God made his Son the heir of everything and created the world through him. The Son is the light of God’s glory and the imprint of God’s being. He maintains everything with his powerful message. ~ Hebrews 1:2b-3a (CEB)
KEY IDEA:
The Lord established all of the creation and continues to be in charge of it all.
PRAYER:
Lord, you have made an incredible world. I should trust you to take care of what you created. You are trustworthy, but without good excuse, I try to handle all the problems that come my way on my own. Help me to trust Jesus and his message of hope and love that sheds light on everything. 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)
