PSALM 125:2 (MSG)
Mountains encircle Jerusalem,
and GOD encircles his people—
always has and always will.
2 THESSALONIANS 3:16 (CEV)
I pray that the Lord, who gives peace, will always bless you with peace. May the Lord be with all of you.
SUMMARY SENTENCE
God encircles his people with his protection -- his peace.
PRAYER
All-Powerful God, thank you for extending your reach to include me. Forgive me for tugging away from your protective embrace. Still the antsiness in me that prevents me from relaxing in your peace. I'm going to trust in your presence. Amen.
ISAIAH 55:3 (NCV)
Come to me and listen;
listen to me so you may live.
LUKE 6:47-48 (CEB)
I’ll show what it’s like when someone comes to me, hears my words, and puts them into practice. It’s like a person building a house by digging deep and laying the foundation on bedrock.
SUMMARY SENTENCE
Come close, listen, and act.
PRAYER
Thank you, Lord, for calling to us and giving us your life-changing message. I admit that I tend to pay attention to only the things that I want to hear. Everything else never gets into my ears -- and certainly doesn't get into the active part of my life. Open my ears and talk to me in such a way that I can become a solid person. I'm going to live for Jesus. Amen.
1 SAMUEL 7:3 (MSG)
If you are truly serious about coming back to GOD, clean house. Get rid of the foreign gods...
LUKE 16:13 (NCV)
No servant can serve two masters. The servant will hate one master and love the other, or will follow one master and refuse to follow the other. You cannot serve both God and worldly riches.
SUMMARY SENTENCE
Focus exclusively on serving God.
PRAYER
God, there is no one like you. You are worthy of all our attention. I confess, though, that I am distracted by the fake gods of wealth, security, and recognition. Help me to get rid of all attachments that are not directly related to you. I'm going to focus exclusively on serving you. Amen.
ISAIAH 56:1 (NLT)
This is what the LORD says:
“Be just and fair to all.
Do what is right and good,
for I am coming soon to rescue you
and to display my righteousness among you.
2 CORINTHIANS 6:2 (CEB)
Look, now is the right time! Look, now is the day of salvation!
SUMMARY SENTENCE
God has revealed his salvation through Christ Jesus.
PRAYER
Thank you, Lord, that I live in this time when you have revealed your salvation and called me your precious child. Forgive me when I forget my baptismal identity and instead live according to worldly values to satisfy my selfish desires. Give me a new heart fully devoted to you that shares your good news. Amen. (Daily Texts, Ground Up Grace edition)
*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)
