His government and its peace
will never end. ~ Isaiah 9:7a (NLT)
Jesus Christ never changes! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. ~ Hebrews 13:8 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
Jesus is the stable one we need. He never changes. So align your life with him.
PRAYER:
Thank you, God, for sending your Son Jesus to us. I desperately need the kind of stability that he is bringing into the world. I get so stressed by all the changes in the world that I neglect to trust you. Help me to lean on Jesus. He is reliable and his agenda is moving forward. Amen.
Acting with righteousness and justice
is more valued by the Lord than sacrifice. ~ Proverbs 21:3 (CEB)
Don’t judge by appearances. Judge by what is right. ~ John 7:24 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
The Lord expects his people to major in justice and right living.
PRAYER:
Lord, thank you for defining justice as you do. I regret that I'm such a shallow person. Even though I recognize what you expect I'm quick to make decisions about people based on externals -- like whether they attend church enough or use the right Christian words or hang out with decent people. Move me deeper so that I become passionate about what moves you. I'm going to start by looking at what moved Jesus. Amen.
Joshua said, "But you still have some idols, like those the other nations worship." ~ Joshua 24:23 (CEV)
So act like people of the light. ~ Ephesians 5:8b (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
It's time to get rid of the old so you can embrace the new -- the way of the light -- which is the way of Christ.
PRAYER:
Lord, it's so easy to follow the old established patterns -- even if they are unhealthy and relationally destructve. I need help in breaking free so that I can project the light of Christ through my life. I know that you're full of life -- unlike the old idols which are life defeating. So I'm going to trust you to reoreint me in such a way that I am reflecting your lifegiving light. Amen
The 21st Sunday after Pentecost
But Moses replied, "...I wish the Lord would give his Spirit to all his people so everyone could be a prophet." ~ Numbers 11:29b (CEV)
Then Jesus breathed on his apprentices and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." ~ John 20:22b (ABP)
KEY IDEA:
Jesus gives the Holy Spirit so that we can deliver God's message with his power.
PRAYER:
Breathe on me, Jesus. I want to be your faithful messenger. 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)
