The Lord will judge the peoples. ~ Psalm 7:8 (CEV)
God's sharp word can cut so deeply into us that it finds and reveals the desires and thoughts of our hearts. ~ Hebrews 4:12 (ABP)
KEY IDEA:
God is fair in his judgments because he knows exactly what is going on deep inside us.
PRAYER:
Lord, you are just and fair. I trust that you are merciful, too. Your insight cuts both ways. You understand what's wrong with me and you understand why. Help me to trust you so that my desires and thoughts are more fully transformed. Then I'll be able to leave all judging up to you -- and you alone. Amen.
But cheer up! Because I, the Lord All-Powerful, will be here to help you with the work... ~ Haggai 2:4 (CEV)
It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. ~ 1 Corinthians 3:7 (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
God is the one who makes it happen.
PRAYER:
Lord All-Powerful, thank you for your hands-on approach to bringing in your Kingdom. Forgive me for thinking that I can make a big contribution to your endeavor. My ego is too big. Help me to see that it is your hand at work so I can more easily pull back and let you do your thing. Yes, I know that I have an assignment. But I'm going to trust that you are the one making it all happen. Amen.
Take a good look at my servant.
I’m backing him to the hilt.
He’s the one I chose,
and I couldn’t be more pleased with him. ~ Isaiah 42:1 (MSG)
Jesus: "Good Father, the people of this world don’t know you. But I know you, and my followers know that you sent me." ~ John 17:25
KEY IDEA:
Jesus is the servant sent by God the Father -- who continues to fully support him.
PRAYER:
Good Father, thank you for sending Jesus -- who has been chosen by you to save us from ourselves. I don't know how it is that people don't give him a serious look. Although, I know that even though I am serious about Jesus I can look away at times -- times when I'm being self-serving. So, start with me. Draw my attention back to Jesus so that I can help others take a good look at him, too. Amen.
I kept saying ‘I’m here, I’m right here’
to a nation that ignored me.
I reached out day after day
to a people who turned their backs on me,
People who make wrong turns,
who insist on doing things their own way. ~ Isaiah 65:2 (MSG)
God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful. ~ Romans 5:8 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
God reaches out to the people who have turned their backs on him.
PRAYER:
Lord, it sure is good news that you reach out to sinners. I'm one of them. Even though I trust you, I still end up doing things my own way. Don't give up on me. Continue to nudge me to grow in my faith so that I nudge the independent streak out of my life. I love you, Lord, because you first loved me. 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)
