God lets you live in peace... ~ Psalm 147:14 (CEV)
The peace that Christ gives is to guide you in the decisions you make; for it is to this peace that God has called you together in the one body. ~ Colossians 3:15 (GNT)
KEY IDEA:
We are called to live out the peace that Christ gives.
PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, I know the form of this world is constantly changing and passing away. Teach me to remain steadfast in your promise of life, so that your peace in my heart may direct my steps to make peace in this world. I ask no greater good than the privilege of serving you in Jesus' name. Amen. (Daily Texts, Mount Carmel Ministries edition)
Victory comes from you, O Lord.
May you bless your people. ~ Psalm 3:8 (NLT)
We can only keep on going, after all, by the power of God, who first saved us and then called us to this holy work. We had nothing to do with it. It was all his idea, a gift prepared for us in Jesus long before we knew anything about it. ~ 2 Timothy 1:9 (MSG)
KEY IDEA:
Life in Christ is a gift from him.
PRAYER:
Lord, thank you for being so generous to us. Forgive me for acting like so much rests on my shoulders -- that I have to make it all happen. Help me to understand more about what it means to live in your power and according to your calling. I am going to enjoy living out the calling of a Christ-follower. Amen.
They will live in safety, and no one will frighten them. ~ Ezekiel 34:28 (NLT)
So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. ~ Hebrews 4:9 (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
We can relax in the safety of God's protection.
PRAYER:
Lord, you generously offer safety and protection to all who will turn and trust you. I'm grateful --
even though I live my life on the edge more than I should. I seem to enjoy the sense of fear -- the thrill and adventure of pushing the boundaries. I know that this is not sustainable nor desireable from your perspective. I want to please you; so I am asking that you would calm me down. I need to approach life differently so that I am a relaxed person. I want to be someone who is thrilled by your protection and who finds adventure by trusting in you. Amen.
Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, "This sacred place is awesome. It’s none other than God’s house and the entrance to heaven." ~ Genesis 29:17 (CEB)
So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. ~ John 1:14 (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
Jesus is the living house of God that is the entrance to heaven.
PRAYER:
Dear Jesus, you are uniquely positioned to act as our entrance to all that is heavenly. Help me to stay close to you -- the loving and faithful doorway. I am depending on you. I intend to reflect your glory through my life so that others might find the entranceway, too. 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)
