The Lord guards you.
The Lord is the shade that protects you from the sun.
The sun cannot hurt you during the day,
and the moon cannot hurt you at night. ~ Psalm 121:5-6 (NCV)
He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. ~ 1 Corinthians 1:8 (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
The Lord continues to watch over you.
PRAYER:
Thank you, God, for lovingly guarding me. I certainly need that kind of attention. I am way too prone to believe that I can look out for myself. Awaken me to your on-guard presence so that I can declare how great you are. Amen.
Change your ways, and live! ~ Ezekiel 18:32b (CEB)
Put on justice and genuine holiness, as though they were a fresh new set of clothes. This attire is the appropriate uniform issued to you when through Christ you became a new person created according to the specs of Gods' image. ~ Ephesians 4:24 (ABP)
KEY IDEA:
Living the new life means living in a new and different way.
PRAYER:
Thank you, God, for including me in your new creation. I am delighted to be a "new person." I confess, though, that I am still attached to some of my old clothes. Even though they don't fit well anymore I still try to wear them. Help me to become comfortable in my new better fitting clothes. I'm eager to look like the person that Christ has created me to be. Amen.
God puts the poor back on their feet. ~ 1 Samuel 2:8a (ABP)
When the Shepherd finds his lost sheep, you can be sure that he'll carry it across his shoulders as he goes on his way singing a happy song. ~ Luke 15:5 (ABP)
KEY IDEA:
God gives the lost second chances.
PRAYER:
Lord God, giver of second chances, I'm so grateful for the way that you love lost and broken people such as me. I am not nearly so gracious. Restore the grace in me so that I become more concerned about the needs of others than my own safety and reputation. I'm going to help others celebrate your love and kindness, too. Amen.
The First Sunday in Advent
This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Repent and turn away from your idols... ~ Ezekiel 14:6 (part/NLT)
“Well said, teacher,” the man replied (to Jesus). “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” ~ Mark 12:32-33 (NCV)
KEY IDEA:
First and foremost fully love the one God.
PRAYER:
God, you loved us even before we knew of your existence. But my love for you is at best whimpy and second-rate. I don't love you with all my heart, mind, and strength.
Help me to be 100% in. I am going to forget everything else so I can focus on loving you -- and your people. 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)
