No doubt about it! God is good—
good to good people, good to the good-hearted. ~ Psalm 73:1 (MSG)
And friends, once that’s taken care of and we’re no longer accusing or condemning ourselves, we’re bold and free before God! We’re able to stretch our hands out and receive what we asked for because we’re doing what he said, doing what pleases him. ~ 1 John 3:21-22 (MSG)
SUMMARY SENTENCE:
We should approach God expecting him to display his goodness.
PRAYER:
Generous Heavenly Father, no doubt about it -- you're good. I confess that even though I've seen and experienced your goodness, I am guarded and hesitant to expect too much from you. Perhaps that's because I'm so used to asking for things which are inconsistent with your goodness. Grant me the wisdom to ask appropriately and the faith to trust in your goodness. No doubt about it -- you're good. Amen.
Work hard at whatever you do. ~ Ecclesiastes 9:10 (CEV)
Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. ~ Romans 12:11 (MSG)
SUMMARY SENTENCE:
Continue to pour your entire God-energized self into serving the Lord.
PRAYER:
Lord God, thank you for calling me into your service. I confess that I get tired and burned out because I'm tapping into my personal resources rather than into the energy flowing from your Holy Spirit. Show me how to recharge through what you are offering and how to ignore the demands that want my energy rather than yours. I'm going to pour myself into serving while exercising holy indifference. Amen.
Now then, dedicate yourselves to seeking the Lord your God. ~ 1 Chronicles 22:19 (CEB)
Get serious about competing in the race of life. Run to win! ~ 1 Corinthians 9:24 (ABP)
SUMMARY SENTENCE:
Run to win!
PRAYER:
Gracious God, what an honor it is that you've allowed me to run in your race. Forgive me for my lackadaisical approach to the competition. Coach and train me to put all that I am into completing the race. I'm going to run to win -- for the honor of the pacesetter, Christ Jesus. Amen.
The man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God. ~ Genesis 3:8 (NRSV)
This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. ~ Romans 8:15 (MSG)
SUMMARY SENTENCE:
Even as failures, we don't need to be timid when it comes to relating to God our Father.
PRAYER:
Kind Father, thank you for the resurrection life instituted by Christ and into which we've all been called. I confess my failure to fully embrace him and that life on a day by day basis. I'm worried that you might reject me when you see how much I fail. Help me to realize the depths of your parental love and acceptance -- even when I fail to meet your standards. Might your Spirit touch us in such a deep way that we have confidence which transcends our capabilities. That's resurrection living. 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)
