The 24th Sunday after Pentecost
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your being, and all your strength. ~ Deuteronomy 6:5 (CEB)
Paul writes: I ask the Father in his great glory to give you the power to be strong inwardly through his Spirit. I pray that Christ will live in your hearts by faith and that your life will be strong in love and be built on love. ~ Ephesians 3:16-17 (NCV)
KEY IDEA:
We can love completely when by faith we allow Christ to live in our hearts.
PRAYER:
Lord God, I'm grateful that there is more than enough love in you to go around for everyone. I pray that Christ will live in my heart so that I can grow in love. I really need a growth spurt because I'm not feeling full of love right now. But I'm trusting that you will make it happen through him. Amen.
If even one of you worships idols, you will be like the root of a plant that produces bitter, poisonous fruit. ~ Deuteronomy 29:18 (CEV)
Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. ~ Ephesians 4:31-32 (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
Get rid of the bitter and poisonous things in your life.
PRAYER:
Gracious Lord, thank you for your forgiveness. Too easily, I descend the downward spiral of slander about my offender. I argue for my own innocence and righteousness. Bitterness takes root, and I ruminate until pain is all I see. Uproot the bitterness in my heart. Plant your loving kindness and forgiveness within me, so I might reconcile with my offender. Amen. (Daily Texts, Mount Carmel Ministries edition)
Israel has been saved by the Lord of everlasting salvation.
You won’t be shamed,
and you won’t be disgraced forever and always. ~ Isaiah 45:17 (CEB)
Be patient like those farmers and don’t give up. The Lord will soon be here! ~ James 5:8 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
Don't give up on living out the Lord's agenda for he does not give up on you.
PRAYER:
Thank you God for your patience and resolve. You stick with us even when we are flakey. I am hoping that some of your patience and resolve will rub off on me as I hang out with Jesus. I need to be ready for his big reveal -- which is coming soon. Amen.
King Saul speaking to David (who had just spared Saul's life): When someone finds an enemy, do they send the enemy away in peace? May the Lord repay you with good for what you have done for me today. ~ 1 Samuel 24:19 (CEB)
Before you are dragged into court, make friends with the person who has accused you of doing wrong. ~ Matthew 5:25 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
Make friends with the people who make themselves into your enemies.
PRAYER:
Lord, your grace is outlandish -- really extreme. You want us to make friends with enemies. I confess that makes me nervous. Help me to trust you and your unconventional wisdom. I'm going to pursue your alternative Jesus-defined approach to peacemaking. 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)
