This is what the Lord, the Hebrews’ God, says: How long will you refuse to respect me? ~ Exodus 10:3 (CEB)
Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will run away from you. ~ James 4:7 (CEB)
KEY IDEA:
The key to success is to respect God and live under his instruction.
PRAYER:
God, I feel powerless over the "demons'' which have so much influence over the way I think and act. I feel like I need to chase them away before I can turn to you. But I now understand that things work the opposite way -- that as I submit to you the demons will flee. Help me to keep my focus on you. I am expecting that the resistance will be successful in Jesus' name. Amen.
I, the Lord, will care for that vineyard;
I will water it at the right time.
No one will hurt it,
because I will guard it day and night. ~ Isaiah 27:3 (NCV)
God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and “All who belong to the Lord must turn away from evil.” ~ 2 Timothy 2:19 (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
The Lord knows and cares for his people.
PRAYER:
Dear Lord God, I appreciate it that you have initiated our relationship. It is not something I've had to make happen. From the beginning, it has all been you and your grace. You know me and you care about me even though I get distracted by less important or even sinful matters. Help me to remain mindful of our relationship on a moment to moment basis. I am going to live boldly under your watchful eye. Amen.
Think about how beautiful it will be to look up onto the mountainside and to see messengers with good news running our way -- messengers shouting out "Peace! God is still on the throne. He has saved us!" ~ Isaiah 52:7 (ABP)
And whenever you do enter a house, first say, "Peace be on this house." ~ Luke 10:5 (ABP)
KEY IDEA:
Live out your assignment as messengers of God-originated peace.
PRAYER:
Lord, you have called us to serve as messengers of your peace. What a beautiful assignment! Yet, I allow anxiety and fear to root themselves in my life. I need a peace refresher from the Prince of Peace. Send the messenger my way. Fill me with a new awareness of your sovereignty. I'm going to put on my running shoes. Amen.
God felt certain that Jerusalem
would learn to respect
and obey him.
Then he would hold back
from punishing the city
and not wipe it out.
But everyone there was eager
to start sinning again. ~ Zephaniah 3:7 (CEV)
Then Jesus started preaching, “Turn back to God! The kingdom of heaven will soon be here.” ~ Matthew 4:17 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
Time is short so turn to God, living out his agenda.
PRAYER:
Dear God, thank you for caring enough to call us back to yourself. I confess my indifference to you and your ways. Give me a fresh glimpse of your love and your kingdom where that love reigns supreme. I am going to be motivated to live for you. 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 — my own 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)
