JEREMIAH 2:21 (CEV)
You were a choice grapevine,
but now you produce nothing
but small, rotten grapes.
REVELATION 2:5 (CEV)
Think about where you have fallen from, and then turn back and do as you did at first.
SUMMARY SENTENCE
Turn back to serving God.
PRAYER
Lord of my life, thank you for the wake-up call given me through your word. I am sorry for my rebellious attitude and for any actions that affect your plans for my life. Bring me back to your loving arms of forgiveness. Cleanse my sinful heart. Help me to be faithful to your will in all that I do. Amen. (Daily Texts, Ground Up Grace edition)
PSALM 27:9 (MSG)
You’ve always been right there for me;
don’t turn your back on me now.
Don’t throw me out, don’t abandon me;
you’ve always kept the door open.
LUKE 23:42-43 (MSG)
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you enter your kingdom.”
He said, “Don’t worry, I will. Today you will join me in paradise.”
SUMMARY SENTENCE
God will not turn his back on those who turn to him.
PRAYER
Gracious God, even though we've turned from you, you remain faithful to us. Help me to turn my life completely over to you. Regardless of what comes my way I'm not going to worry but I'm going to put my hope in you and your grace -- that which was poured out on us through Christ Jesus. Amen.
GENESIS 1:28 (CEV)
God gave them his blessing and said:
Have a lot of children! Fill the earth with people and bring it under your control. Rule over the fish in the ocean, the birds in the sky, and every animal on the earth.
1 CORINTHIANS 3:22-23 (CEV)
Everything belongs to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.
SUMMARY SENTENCE
God includes us in his care and dominion over creation.
PRAYER
Thank you, God, for such a wonderful creation. I confess that I participate in the corruption of your created order. Help me to more fully grasp what it means to rule over it all with you. Give me wisdom so that I can understand how to fulfill my calling. Through my relationship with Christ I'm going to be faithful to my calling to steward your creation. Amen.
JOSHUA 1:9 (CEV)
This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.
2 TIMOTHY 1:7 (CEV)
God’s Spirit doesn’t make cowards out of us. The Spirit gives us power, love, and self-control.
SUMMARY SENTENCE
We can bravely face all the challenges of life because God is present with us, his Spirit gifting us with everything we need to overcome -- power, love, and self-control.
PRAYER
Gracious God, thank you for coming into the world to be with us. Even though I get all wishy washy when trouble comes my way, I know that I can count on you. Fill me with a brave and loving heart -- steady and calm in the face of calamity. Thank 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 — 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)
