Monday, September 12, 2022

THE STORY OF GOD

PSALM 78:3-4 (ABP)
No way are we going to fail to share the stories of what God has done -- the storied truths from our ancestors which have been passed down from generation to generation. We commit to passing it all along to the next generation.

MATTHEW 10:8 (MSG)

You have been treated generously, so live generously.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Keep the chain of God's generosity going.

PRAYER
God of our ancestors and our immediate neighbors, the grand narrative of scripture shows us that you have been working out your salvation plan from day one. It reaches its apex in the teaching, action, and sacrifice of Jesus. Our faith is in him but we're woefully casual about passing his story along through our own teaching, action, and sacrifice. Help us to become Story-centered people. Free me from all distractions and fears so that I might become a master storyteller. I'm not just going to retell the story of what God is doing I'm going to become a participant in it. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name, your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.

Sunday, September 11, 2022

PAYBACK

The 14th Sunday after Pentecost

1 SAMUEL 24:19 (MSG)
When David had finished saying all this, Saul said, “Can this be the voice of my son David?” and he wept in loud sobs. “You’re the one in the right, not me,” he continued. “You’ve heaped good on me; I’ve dumped evil on you. And now you’ve done it again—treated me generously. GOD put me in your hands and you didn’t kill me. Why? When a man meets his enemy, does he send him down the road with a blessing? May GOD give you a bonus of blessings for what you’ve done for me today!

ROMANS 12:17 (ABP)
Don't repay anyone for the nasty things they've done to you. Instead, take the high road and blast them with what everyone will recognize as extreme goodness.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
The followers of Jesus will focus on repaying evil with good.

PRAYER
Just God, I'm eager for revenge -- either now or later -- when others do me wrong. Yet, as we walk with you and allow your ways to become our ways, you reshape us with your radical mercy toward our enemies. This is so hard! Continue to train me so that this kind of mercy becomes my first response in all matters small and significant. My bold hope is that one day I'll perfectly reflect the compassion you've shown me. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name, your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.

Saturday, September 10, 2022

KEEP ON PRAYING

DANIEL 6:10 (CEV)
Daniel heard about the law, but when he returned home, he went upstairs and prayed in front of the window that faced Jerusalem. In the same way that he had always done, he knelt down in prayer three times a day, giving thanks to God.

ROMANS 12:12 (CEV)
Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Keep on praying -- even through the challenging times.

PRAYER
Merciful God, you are available and eager to hear from us -- even if it's just about some problem we're facing. I confess that during the times of greatest stress I forget to pray. I need lots of prompting. Remind me to slow down, take a deep breath, and turn to you. You've made me hopeful. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name, your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.

Friday, September 9, 2022

THE GREAT PHYSICIAN

JEREMIAH 17:14 (ABP)
If you, O GOD, heal me, I will be completely healed. If you save me, I will be thoroughly saved.

MARK 2:17 (MSG)
Jesus, overhearing, shot back, “Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I’m here inviting the sin-sick, not the spiritually-fit.”

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Jesus is the doctor offering to heal all who are sin-sick.

PRAYER
I am praising you, Great Physician, for the healing that is ours through Jesus. Sometimes you give us a taste of things to come through physical healing. All times you offer us spiritual healing as you transform our hearts and minds. Forgive me for being impatient with how long this transformation sometimes takes. Encourage me. Fill me with hope, anticipation, and an open disposition. I'm ready for whatever it takes to see this healing process through to the end. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name, your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. 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 -- 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)

EEB = EasyEnglish Bible (©2015, MissionAssist)

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

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)

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.)

Blog Archive