He guides me in proper paths
for the sake of his good name. ~ Psalm 23:3b (CEB)
Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd. I know my own sheep and they know me..." ~ John 10:14 (CEB)
KEY THOUGHT:
God himself is our guide.
PRAYER:
Thank- you, Good Shepherd, for guiding me through life. You stick with me even when I am unaware, indifferent, or prone to wander. Help me to grow better at noticing your guidance and care so that I can follow more closely. Amen.
He responded, ‘The Lord, in whose presence I have lived, will send his angel with you and will make your mission successful. ~ Genesis 24:40 (NLT)
When we returned to the ship at the end of the week, the entire congregation, including women and children, left the city and came down to the shore with us. There we knelt, prayed, and said our farewells. ~ Acts 21:5,6a (NLT)
KEY THOUGHT:
God makes the way.
PRAYER:
God, thank you for including me in your mission. Forgive me for allowing discouraging events to distract me from my assignment. Recharge my faith. I'm expecting that what you are doing will be fruitful. Amen.
The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany
Might God's blessing rest on the person who comes along with the intent of serving according to God's agenda. ~ Psalm 118:26a (ABP)
Jesus Christ came and proclaimed peace to you. ~ Ephesians 2:17a (NRSV)
KEY THOUGHT:
Jesus is the blessed one who came to bring peace.
PRAYER:
Thank you, God, for continuing to speak and to bless. I too easily give in to other voices and agendas. So, peace has become a low priority for me -- a distant dream squeezed out of daily life by the tyranny of the pressing. Help me to hear and to reprioritize my life according to your plan. I'm going to be about your peace ever day and every moment. Amen.
Sing a song to the Lord; belt out a hardy "praise the Lord!" For he is responsible for the rescue of needy people -- saving their lives from the death-hold of evil tyrannts. ~ Jeremiah 20:13 (ABP)
The Lord topples the powerful from their positions of influence and replaces them with a bunch of no-name nobodies. ~ Luke 1:52 (ABP)
KEY THOUGHT:
Be encouraged because God has a habit of replacing powerful tyrannts with the humble who have been faithfully flying below the radar.
PRAYER:
Lord God, thank you for the assurance of your justice. I allow myself to wallow in discouragement when I see how the powerful people of the world abuse those who are poor and vulnerable. Meet me in those moments and help me to sort the righteous indignation from the faithless discouragement. I am going to trust you for justice for the poor and live accordingly. 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)
