The Lord said, "I have formed a relationship with him so that he will instruct his children and his household after him. And they will keep to the Lord’s path, being moral and just so that the Lord can do for Abraham everything he said he would." ~ Genesis 18:19a (CEB)
But now that you have been set free from sin and become slaves to God, you have the consequence of a holy life, and the outcome is eternal life. ~ Romans 6:22 (CEB)
SUMMARY SENTENCE:
We've been set-free to live godly lives for him.
PRAYER:
Gracious God, thank you for breaking the back of sin and setting us free from its grip. I don't take full advantage of that freedom. Forgive me and help me to live a holy life. I'm going to move forward confident that sin doesn't control me. Amen.
The Second Sunday in Eastertide
He guarded his people as the apple of his eye. ~ Deuteronomy 32:10b (NRSV)
Don’t be afraid, little flock, because your Father delights in giving you the kingdom. ~ Luke 12:32 (CEB)
SUMMARY SENTENCE:
God loves us, so we protects us.
PRAYER:
Thank you, God, for the way that you love me. Forgive me for worrying over the circumstances and questioning your care. Help me to begin to wrap my brain around the extent of your love. I'm going to trust you through this difficult time. Amen
Storks, doves, swallows,
and thrushes
all know when it’s time
to fly away for the winter
and when to come back.
But you, my people,
don’t know what I demand.
~ Jeremiah 8:7 (CEV)
He gave himself to rescue us from everything that is evil and to make our hearts pure. He wanted us to be his own people and to be eager to do right.~ Titus 2:14 (CEV)
SUMMARY SENTENCE:
Be eager to do what God thinks is the right thing.
PRAYER:
Thank you, God, for the rescue actions carried out by your Son Christ Jesus. Forgive me for allowing darkness back into my life after receiving freedom from it. Continue to purge me and reshape my heart so that I'm eager to do what you think is right. No more excuses. Amen.
Be my mighty rock,
the place
where I can always run
for protection.
Save me by your command!
You are my mighty rock
and my fortress.
~ Psalm 71:3 (CEV)
God’s looking after me, keeping me safe in the kingdom of heaven. All praise to him, praise forever! Oh, yes! ~ 2 Timothy 4:18 (MSG)
SUMMARY SENTENCE:
God himself is our safe space.
PRAYER:
You, God, are the solid high ground above the fray that wears me down. Forgive me for not looking up enough and for thus allowing all the craziness around me to drag me down. Draw me up so that I can see how you are looking after me. I feel safe in your presence. 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)
