But the Lord’s plans stand firm forever;
his intentions can never be shaken. ~ Psalm 33:11 (CEB)
Paul said: "And now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for himself." ~ Acts 20:32 (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
God's plan to conquer the world with grace remains unchanged.
PRAYER:
Kind Lord, I know that you care about me and that you sent Christ into the world to do what I couldn't do. I'm grateful for your plan to change me and the rest of the world this way. But I have plans of my own and I end up holding myself and others to standards that I've created to further my own kingdom. Refresh your message of grace in my life so that I can let go of my own less than developed plans. I want to become a living model and messenger of your gracious plan. Amen.
Come, let’s sing out loud to the Lord!
Let’s raise a joyful shout to the rock of our salvation! ~ Psalm 95:1 (CEB)
They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity -- all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. ~ Acts 2: 46-47 (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
God is honored when we worship together.
PRAYER:
God, you are the only one worthy of any kind of worship. Sometimes things get in the way of joining together with others to worship -- things of my own doing or circumstances over which I have no control. So, I am praying that you would remove the obstacles. I want to become a consistent participant in your worshiping community. Amen.
I will praise you, Lord,
and I will honor you among the nations. ~ Psalm 18:49 (CEV)
As for us, we can’t stop speaking about what we have seen and heard. ~ Acts 4:20 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
Don't try to contain the good news inside you.
PRAYER:
Great news! Your extravagant love sent your Son to die for my salvation. Why then do I keep it to myself? Fill me with your spirit of love until it spills over in joyful witness. With your children from all nations and generations, I will sing eternal praises to you, my Lord. Amen. (Daily Texts, Mount Carmel Ministries edition)
The Sixth Sunday of Easter
I love the Lord because he hears my voice
and my prayer for mercy. ~ Psalm 116:1 (NLT)
When you pray, go into a room alone and close the door. Pray to your Father in private. He knows what is done in private, and he will reward you. ~ Matthew 6:6 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
The Lord knows what's going on with us.
PRAYER:
Dear Lord, thank you for listening to me -- even when the noise around me makes it difficult to talk with you. I confess that I like the noise. It is a distraction from all the pain in my life -- the pain that you want to heal. Help me to find the quiet spot where I can turn to you. I'm going to trust that you hear me without me adding a lot of fanfare. In Jesus' name I pray. 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)
