Thursday, December 15, 2022

CHRIST'S BODY

PSALM 133:1, 3 (ABP)
The good life is the satisfying life where siblings and their families all get along with each other. Indeed, this is the eternal life into which GOD directs his blessings.

ROMANS 12:4-5 (CEV)
A body is made up of many parts, and each of them has its own use. That's how it is with us. There are many of us, but we each are part of the body of Christ, as well as part of one another.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
We are made to support the collective life of Christ's body

PRAYER
God, you have brought us together to be a part of the body of Christ -- to support his mission and the other members. We confess that we approach things backward, as though the church is supposed to be there to support us as we pursue our own agendas. Clarify our priorities and focus -- and start with me. I'm going to adjust my agenda so that it is defined by my place in the body of Christ. 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.

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

TRANSGLOBAL

ZACHARIAH 2:11 (ABP)
Indeed, on that great day of rescue, many of the previously God-ignoring nations will turn and hook up with GOD. They will also be my people and I'll live together with them, too.

REVELATION 2:9 (CEV)
After this, I saw a large crowd with more people than could be counted. They were from every race, tribe, nation, and language, and they stood before the throne and before the Lamb.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
God's plan is to establish a transglobal family to share in his presence.

PRAYER
Glorious God, you think big -- bigger than any of us can fathom. And you want to include people from all tribes, nations, and languages. Forgive us for our xenophobia and the ways in which we foster fear of those who are different. Energize us to get on board with what you are doing as you drive history toward that great and glorious day. In preparation, I'm going to look for ways to make connections with those who are from other places and cultures. 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.

Tuesday, December 13, 2022

RESPECT GOD

DEUTERONOMY 6:16 (ABP)
Don't try to back God into a corner so you can manipulate him into doing your bidding.

GALATIANS 6:7 (MSG)
Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Respect God by taking his directions seriously.

PRAYER
Honorable and just God, only fools try to play you. Of course, in our sin-induced stupor, we don't always recognize that we're trying to manipulate you. As a first step toward health, help me to recognize the ways in which this kind of foolishness manifests itself in me. Then, please, energize me to follow directions. I'm determined to live a life that respects you and all that you are doing for us through Christ Jesus. 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, December 12, 2022

BUT NOW...

PSALM 31:16 (ABP)
God, I'm looking for a big smile from you. Your love is insuppressible so save me from this ordeal.

EPHESIANS 5:8 (MSG)
You groped your way through that murk once, but no longer. You’re out in the open now. The bright light of Christ makes your way plain.

SUMMARY SENTENCE

Our lives were once defined by the fear that comes with living in darkness but now we know God's love and live in the light of Christ.

PRAYER

God, you have broken through the darkness barrier on our behalf. Thank you for smiling on us. Forgive us for failing to recognize the extent of the light you've given to us because we continue to bury our heads in the sand. Help me to grow in the knowledge and experience of your love so that your light shines through 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.

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)

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 (© 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.)

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