When people fall down, don’t they get up again?
When they discover they’re on the wrong road, don’t they turn back? ~ Jeremiah 8:4b (NLT)
Jesus said: I won’t send away anyone who comes to me. ~ John 6:37b (CEB)
KEY THOUGHT:
When people figure out that they need to turn to Jesus, he won't reject them.
PRAYER:
Gracious God, you focus on welcoming people -- thankfully, even people like me. But I still have some drifting tendencies in me. Steady my course. Keep me close. I'm going to compete the journey alongside you. Amen.
Fifth Sunday in Lent – Passion Sunday
When I am overwhelmed,
you alone know the way I should turn. ~ Psalm 142:3 (NLT)
May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be blessed! He is the compassionate Father and God of all comfort. He’s the one who comforts us in all our trouble so that we can comfort other people who are in every kind of trouble. ~ 2 Corinthians 1:3-4a (CEB)
KEY THOUGHT:
God is here for us.
PRAYER:
Compassionate Father, thank you for being here for us even when trouble comes our way. I don't know how I'd survive without you. Yet, strangely I try to find comfort in other ways -- bad habits, experiences, fantasies... Help me to focus on the reality of your presence so that I can fully experience your comfort and get through this. I know that you are steering us through the troubled landscape. Amen.
The Lord treasures the people
who honor him,
the people who wait for his faithful love. ~ Psalm 147:11 (CEB)
Jesus said: Whoever does God’s will is my brother, sister, and mother. ~ Mark 3:35 (CEB)
KEY THOUGHT:
Jesus' "family" consists of all those who are actively living out his agenda.
PRAYER:
Thank you, God, for including me in your kingdom. Forgive me for being casual about your agenda. I easily let it slide when it's inconvenient or feels uncomfortible. Might your kingdom come and your will be done -- starting with the transformation of me. I want to honor you with my obedience. Amen.
“The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful,
a puzzle that no one can figure out.
But I, God, search the heart
and examine the mind.
I get to the heart of the human.
I get to the root of things.
I treat them as they really are,
not as they pretend to be.”
~ Jeremiah 17:9-10 (MSG)
Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything. ~ 1 John 3:19-20 (NLT)
KEY THOUGHT:
God alone can separate what is real from what is fake -- even at the deepest levels.
PRAYER:
God, I feel better knowing that you understand what no one else can. It's a bit scary, though, because there are dark parts of me that even I don't grok. Help me to trust in your understanding and your fairness. I'm going to lean on you -- and hope that my faith in you will cause a realignment of my actions to be consistent with yours -- not out of fear but gratitude. 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)
