Monday, March 13, 2023

LEAVE IGNORANCE BEHIND

PSALM 115:2-3 (MSG)
Do it so none of the nations can say,
    “Where now, oh where is their God?”
Our God is in heaven
    doing whatever he wants to do.

ACTS 17:30 (NLT)
God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him.

SUMMARY SENTENCE 
Ignorance of God is no excuse for arrogance.

PRAYER 
God, you've summoned all people to turn from ignorance and to you. But we, including me, tend to pontificate on what we expect a real God to do. We make ourselves out to be judges over you. Put us in our place, even if it is painful. I know that you are the only real God and are worthy of my full allegiance. 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, March 12, 2023

THE WORK OF GOD

The Third Sunday in Lent

DEUTERONOMY 30:9 (ABP)
GOD -- your God -- will then turn all your work into success.

PHILIPPIANS 2:13 (ABP)
For it is the work of God in your life that gives you both the desire and the power to carry out his agenda in his way.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Let God work in your life so that you're able to share in his work.

PRAYER
Lord, on this day of rest, I want to acknowledge your work. You've been shaping and developing me into someone who can partner with you. I, on the other hand, in spite of my busyness, get in the way of what you're doing. Help me to develop a work pattern that is in sync with what you're doing so that I can share in your success. 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, March 11, 2023

COMMANDMENTS

DEUTERONOMY 11:26-28 (NLT)
Look, today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse! You will be blessed if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today. But you will be cursed if you reject the commands of the Lord your God and turn away from him and worship gods you have not known before.

JOHN 15:10 (MSG)
If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love. That’s what I’ve done—kept my Father’s commands and made myself at home in his love.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
When we continue to do what God has asked of us we'll end up basking in his love.

PRAYER

God, there is no end to your great love. But there are limits to our experience of it. And at times I don't feel very loved. But it's not your fault. I'm not very careful about doing what you've asked of me. I don't really love my neighbor with the same energy that I put into loving myself. I'm my own worst enemy. So I would not only ask for your forgiveness but also your intervention. Nurture your love in me so that I can continue to obey you. I want to be at home in your love. 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, March 10, 2023

UNRELENTING

PSALM 121:4 (MSG)
Israel’s Guardian will never doze or sleep.

1 PETER 5:7 (ABP)
Pile all your worries and cares onto God's shoulders. He cares so much about you that he will carry them for you even through the most challenging parts of the journey.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Count on God to carry you through even the most difficult days.

PRAYER
Thank you, God, for your unrelenting attention. Even though I'm not very attentive to you and I create lots of problems for myself and others, you never grow tired of it all and drift off. Help me to stay alert to your presence so that I can trust you to get me through even more challenging days. 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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