DEUTERONOMY 16:17 (CEV)
The bigger the harvest the Lord gives you, the bigger your gift should be.
2 CORINTHIANS 8:12 (NTE)
If the eagerness is there, you see, the deed is acceptable, according to what you have, not according to what you don’t have.
SUMMARY SENTENCE
Live as generously as possible.
PRAYER
Gracious God, your generosity is beyond comprehension. Yet, I know that my mindset is miserly. I worry that if I become too generous there won't be enough. Give me a new outlook on life -- a mindset shaped by your abundance. As I follow Christ I'm going to live generously. Amen.
PSALM 11:1 (CEV)
The LORD is my fortress!
Don’t say to me,
“Escape like a bird
to the mountains!”
JOHN 14:27 (NTE)
Jesus: "I’m leaving you peace. I’m giving you my own peace. I don’t give gifts in the way the world does. Don’t let your hearts be troubled; don’t be fearful."
SUMMARY SENTENCE
Don't be afraid because you are in the best of places when you are connected to Christ.
PRAYER
Thank you, Lord, for guarding me. I can count on you and the gifts you have given to me. I know that by your grace I'm going to be able to handle whatever comes m way. Yet, there are moments when I worry. Replace that worry with your peace so that I'm better positioned to speak words of peace into the lives of others. Amen.
GENESIS 26:3 (CEB)
Stay in this land as an immigrant, and I will be with you and bless you because I will give all of these lands to you and your descendants. I will keep my word, which I gave to your father Abraham.
1 PETER 1:17 (CEB)
You should conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your dwelling in a strange land.
SUMMARY SENTENCE
Even though life feels unsettled you can thrive if you lean on God and his ways.
PRAYER
God, thank you for being a promise keeper. I confess that I struggle with doubts when life feels so unsettled. Help me to let go of the anxiety and trust that you don't just keep your word but that you keep your people. I'm going to live for you during these strange times and in this godless place. Amen.
ZECHARIAH 2:8 (MSG)
GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies, the One of Glory who sent me on my mission, commenting on the godless nations who stripped you and left you homeless, said, "Anyone who hits you, hits me—bloodies my nose, blackens my eye..."
ROMANS 8:33 (CEV)
If God says his chosen ones are acceptable to him, can anyone bring charges against them?
SUMMARY SENTENCE
God stands in solidarity with his people.
PRAYER
Great God, thank you for being on my side. I confess that I worry a lot. I'm afraid that I won't be able to handle the challenges that I'm facing. Calm my fears with greater awareness of your power and of your solidarity with your people. I'm going to move forward with less worry and fear. 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)
