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Monday, December 28, 2020

ENCOURAGERS

ISAIAH 50:4 (CEV)
The LORD God gives me
the right words
to encourage the weary.

2 CORINTHIANS 1:4 (CEB)
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. We offer the same comfort that we ourselves received from God.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
The Lord calls us to offer encouraging, and at times comforting, words.

PRAYER
Gracious God, thank you for continuing to think of us and for sending special people into our lives at just the right time. Forgive me for taking the ministry of encouragement so lightly. Show me someone today who needs encouragement and then give me the right words to say. I'm going to pass along what you have given to me. Amen.

Sunday, December 27, 2020

PAY ATTENTION

The First Sunday in the Season of Christmas

PSALM 40:4 (CEB)
Those who put their trust in the LORD,
who pay no attention to the proud
or to those who follow lies,
are truly happy!


2 PETER 1:19 (CEV)
All of this makes us even more certain that what the prophets said is true. So you should pay close attention to their message, as you would to a lamp shining in some dark place. You must keep on paying attention until daylight comes and the morning star rises in your hearts.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
The year 2021 will be a year to learn how to pay closer attention to God's messages and his message to us.

PRAYER
Gracious God, you sent your Son in the world to change everything -- including me. Forgive me for being such a hit-and-miss follower. Teach me how I can pay closer attention to your word. I'm committing the next year to learning what you are up to. I'm going to gravitate toward your light during the dark times. Amen.

Saturday, December 26, 2020

GO SEE

JEREMIAH 33:6 (CEB)
I will make them whole and bless them with an abundance of peace and security.

LUKE 2:15 (CEB)
When the angels returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, "Let’s go right now to Bethlehem and see what’s happened. Let’s confirm what the Lord has revealed to us."

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Try on the good news to see how it fits.

PRAYER
Thank you, God, for the good news of a Savior born into the world. Forgive my mild reception. I've heard all of this so many times that I have allowed myself to get worn down by familiarity. Guide me back to the manger so that I can see the wonder of it all with fresh eyes. I'm going to look again. Amen.

Friday, December 25, 2020

LET THE JOY FLOW!

Christmas

PSALM 144:15 (CEB)
The people whose God is the LORD are truly happy!

LUKE 2:10-11 (ABP)
‘Don’t be afraid,’ the angel said to the shepherds. ‘Pay close attention because I’ve got good news for you -- wonderful news for all people. This very day in David's Town your savior has been born -- indeed, the Messiah, the Lord!

SUMMARY SENTENCE
It's Christmas -- let the joy flow!

PRAYER
Mighty God, thank you for intervening in our troubled world. It didn't happen exactly the way we thought it would. Forgive me for allowing my faulty expectations to get in the way of truly celebrating what you have done for us. I need help letting go of all the faulty ideas I have about what makes Christmas significant. I'm going to celebrate what you have done, and continue to do, through the birth of your Son into our world. Amen.

DAILYTEXTS.ORG

*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)

EEB = EasyEnglish Bible (©2015, MissionAssist)

ERV = Easy-To-Read Version (©2006, World Bible Translation Center)

EXB = The Expanded Bible (©2011, Thomas Nelson Publishing)

GNT = Good News Translation (©1992, American Bible Society)

MSG = The Message (©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson)

NCB = New Catholic Bible (©2019 by Catholic Book Publishing Corp.)

NCV = New Century Version (©2005, Thomas Nelson Inc)

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)

NRSVUE = New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (© 2021 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.)

REB = Revised English Bible (© 1989 Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press)

TCEB = The Casual English Bible (© Stephen M. Miller)

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