Rebelling against or turning our backs on God is the last thing on our minds right now. ~ Joshua 22:29a (MSG)
They said to each other,
“Weren’t our hearts on fire when he spoke to us along the road and when he explained the scriptures for us?”
They got up right then and returned to Jerusalem. ~ Luke 24:32-33a (CEB)
KEY IDEA:
God is looking for people with responsive hearts -- those who will act on his instructions.
PRAYER:
Lord, I'm grateful for your directions and your presence in my life. I'm not nearly as responsive as I should be. I'm a little slow to put things into action. Please continue with your patient lesson in my life. I'm going to grow in my responsiveness. Amen!
Lord, I wait for your saving help.
I do what you’ve commanded. ~ Psalm 119:166 (CEB)
The Holy Spirit revealed to Simeon that he wouldn’t die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Led by the Spirit, he went into the temple area. Meanwhile, Simeon took (the baby) Jesus in his arms and praised God. ~ Luke 2:26-27a, 28a (CEB)
KEY IDEA:
The Lord Jesus is our promised salvation.
PRAYER:
Lord, as we again prepare to celebrate your presence in human flesh we thank you for your faithfulness. As promised you have come to save us. I need saving because I have my own agenda for my life and I don't always do what you command. But Christmas is changing that. As I savor the wonder of your incarnation things are changing in me. Glory to God in the highest. Amen.
But the God who rules from heaven can explain mysteries. ~ Daniel 2:28a (CEV)
Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.” ~ Luke 17:20b-21 (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
God rules in mysterious ways.
PRAYER:
God Almighty -- You rule over the mysteries of all that exists. Sometimes I think I've figured out more about your kingdom than you've revealed. There is no way that way of thinking will work out well. Help me to focus more on living out the aspects of your kingdom which you have already revealed. I want to be a solid citizen of the Kingdom of God. Amen.
Caleb said to Joshua: "My brothers who went with me frightened the people from entering the Promised Land. For my part, I wholeheartedly followed the Lord my God." ~ Joshua 14:8 (NLT)
By holding fast, you will gain your lives. ~ Luke 21:19 (CEB)
KEY IDEA:
If we continue to follow the Lord we will gain the reward.
PRAYER:
Lord, thank you for your unwavering faithfulness to your word. You really do save those who stick with you through both the good and the frightening times. You know that sometimes I get swallowed by fear. That's not very faithful. Help me to hold fast -- to remain unphased while under fire. I'm going to push through and follow 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 — 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)
