It’s God’s business to decide what to do with each of us in regard to what’s right and who’s loyal. ~ 1 Samuel 26:23 (MSG)
Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be fed until they are full. ~ Matthew 5:6 (CEB)
KEY IDEA:
People who long for the things God considers to be right will be fully satisfied.
PRAYER:
Lord God, you are truly righteous. Thank you for sending your right and just Son Christ Jesus to not only show us what righteousness and justice mean to you but also to implement it through his death and resurrection. Save me from advancing my own versions of righteousness that are all about keeping rules and laws. Help me to see that hungering and thirsting for righteousness means hungering and thirsting for Jesus -- immersing ourselves in his life and his mission. That's how I'm going to pursue righteousness and justice. Amen.
God is kind and full of mercy;
he is patient and keeps his promise;
he is always ready to forgive and not punish. ~ Joel 2:13 (GNT)
Be merciful just as your Father is merciful. ~ Luke 6:36 (GNT)
KEY IDEA:
When dealing with God and his agenda, "merciful" is the operative word.
PRAYER:
Kind and merciful God, thank you for sending your Son into the world to secure forgiveness and new life for us. I embrace your gift. But I'm inconsistent when it comes to extending mercy to others. It feels so good to be on the side of impersonal justice -- to make sure that people get what they deserve. Help me to more fully appreciate the depths of your mercy and what it means to be merciful. I'm going to become merciful as you are merciful. Amen.
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.
*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)
