Who can tell? Perhaps even yet God will change his mind and hold back his fierce anger from destroying us. ~ Jonah 3:9 (NLT)
No, the Lord is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. ~ 2 Peter 3:9 (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
God wants everyone to be saved.
PRAYER:
Lord, I am again grateful for your salvation. And I admire your patience with us. I'm not so patient and wish you would put a quick end to all the really bad people. Help me to accept that this is not your way. I'm going to celebrate your patience with us. Amen.
Showing respect to the Lord
will make you wise,
and being humble will bring honor to you. ~ Proverbs 15:33 (CEV)
Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes. ~ 1 Corinthians 8:2-3 (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
Choose to travel in a humble lane and you'll arrive at your destination with honors.
PRAYER:
Gracious God, thank you for entering into the human story by sending Jesus to lead us into salvation. Sometimes I resist being led and I act like I know more than I do. Forgive me and help me to live humbly with him. I'm going to arrive at my destination with him. Amen.
But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”
God answered, "I will be with you." ~ Exodus 3:11-12 (NLT)
Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
Own up to your weaknesses because God does his best work through them.
PRAYER:
Dear God, thank you for listening to me even though I so self-unaware. I'm relatively fragile and not eager to take on the kinds of challenges which would stretch me your direction. Reassure me that your grace exceeds what I need. I'm going to make myself available to you. Amen.
Look, I am sending my messenger who will clear the path before me... Malachi 3:1 (CEB)
The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide... Luke 2:10 (MSG)
KEY IDEA:
The message of Jesus is great news.
PRAYER:
God, thank you for sending your Son into the world to rescue us. I confess that I do at times take this good news for granted. Refresh my heart and mind so that I am constantly aware of this great gift that we have received. I'm going to talk with someone about Jesus today. 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)
