Wednesday, October 26, 2022

GOD'S RESPONSE

PSALM 82:8 (ABP)
God we need you to intervene! Haul the world into your courtroom and hold them accountable for what they've done. You are sovereign over the world so it's all within your jurisdiction.

JOHN 3:17 (MSG)

God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Even though the world is accountable to God his first response to our nonsense is lovingkindness.

PRAYER
Lord of the earth, I do not always see people as you do. Thank you for the truth that you died to save everyone just as you did for me! Your love and regard for the lowliest of souls moves me to treat others as you would. Keep me faithful today to your saving vision for a dying, hurting world. Amen. (Daily Texts, Ground Up Grace edition)

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.

Tuesday, October 25, 2022

FREE FLOWING FORGIVENESS

JONAH 4:4 (ABP)
GOD replied to the offended Jonah, "Does your seething anger flow from goodness?" 

GALATIANS 6:1 (MSG)
Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Let forgiveness flow freely.

PRAYER
Gracious God, thank you for forever establishing forgiveness through the sacrificial actions of Christ Jesus. We acknowledge that even though we call him "our Savior" we haven't yet fully embraced his approach to forgiveness. We're eager to see people suffer for their sins. We get all excited when we see the cops nail the speeder who had overtaken us. Give me a heart of gentle grace so that I can deal with people in the same way you have dealt with 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.

Monday, October 24, 2022

THE FORGIVING GOD

NEHEMIAH 9:33 (CEB)
You have been just in all that has happened to us;
you have acted faithfully, and we have done wrong
.

1 JOHN 1:9 (MSG)
If we admit our sins—simply come clean about them—he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Things go better for us when we avoid denying our wrongdoing because God is faithful in spite of our sin.

PRAYER
Gracious God, you have always been more than fair. Yet, even knowing this, we are quick to cover-up and deny our sin. Help me to be more open, matter-of-fact, and honest. I'm going to live according to your forgiveness and gracious manner. 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, October 23, 2022

PAY ATTENTION

The 20th Sunday after Pentecost

PSALM 50:16-17 (MSG)
Next, God calls up the wicked:
   “What are you up to, quoting my laws,
   talking like we are good friends?
   You never answer the door when I call;
   you treat my words like garbage.


JAMES 1:25 (MSG)
But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God—the free life!—even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Don't let your focus drift from doing what God has said to do.

PRAYER
Thank you, God, for so clearly spelling out your expectations of us. Forgive us for playing with your words so that they no longer mean what you said. Help me to pay closer attention to you and your message. I'm going to stay focused on living the way that you want me to live. 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.)

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