I will instruct you and teach you
about the direction you should go.
I’ll advise you and keep my eye on you. ~ Psalm 32:8 (CEB)
Don’t be stupid. Instead, find out what the Lord wants you to do. ~ Ephesians 5:17 (CEV)
SUMMARY SENTENCE
Smart people listen to what the Lord is saying.
PRAYER
Lord God, thank you for your instruction. I admit, though, that I often think I'm smarter than I am -- and I am inclined to create my own solutions to the problems I encounter. Keep reminding me of your instructions -- especially as they've been given to us through scripture. I'm going to pay attention to your direction. Amen.
Noah did everything the Lord told him to do. ~ Genesis 6:22 (CEV)
Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see. ~ Hebrews 11:1 (CEV)
SUMMARY SENTENCE Faith is what enables us to take calculated risks.
PRAYER Lord, thank you for the adventure which is my life. I am in a bit of a rut, though. I'm so comfortable with my routine now that even if you told me to go build an ark it would fall on deaf ears. Don't give up on me. I want to hear and obey. Amen.
On your feet now—applaud God!
Bring a gift of laughter,
sing yourselves into his presence. ~ Psalm 100:2 (MSG)
I pray that you will be grateful to God for letting you have part in what he has promised his people in the kingdom of light. ~ Colossians 1:12 (CEV)
SUMMARY SENTENCE Celebrate God's accessibility.
PRAYER Thank you, God, for coming down here to rescue us from sin and death. Thank you for enlisting us in your salvation army and entrusting us with important parts to play. Forgive me for being distracted by matters of less significance. Help me to focus so that my life spills over in continuous and joyous celebration of your generosity. Amen.
Haven’t you brought this on yourself
by abandoning the Lord your God,
who has directed your paths? ~ Jeremiah 2:17 (CEB)
Then Jesus turned to the Jews who had claimed to believe in him. “If you stick with this, living out what I tell you, you are my disciples for sure." ~ John 8:31 (MSG)
SUMMARY SENTENCE Believing in Jesus is a matter of living according to what he says.
PRAYER Lord Jesus, you are the living word of God. Thank you for the direction you bring into my life. Forgive me for my cheap approach to believing that is overly casual about living it out. Have mercy on me and reset my life so that it is according to your word. I'm going to believe in you. 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)
NRSV = New Revised Standard Version (© 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.) NTE = New Testament for Everyone (©2011 Nicolas Thomas Wright.)