Saturday, March 16, 2024

GOD'S ACCOMPLIHMENTS

PSALM 105:1 (MSG)
Thank GOD! Pray to him by name!
      Tell everyone you meet what he has done!


ROMANS 10:17 (MSG)
The point is: Before you trust, you have to listen. But unless Christ’s Word is preached, there’s nothing to listen to.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Faith starts with the word and deeds of God.

DAILY FODDER
What led you to begin trusting Christ? 

PRAYER
Thank you, God, for all that you have done for me and throgh me. I tend to glory in all that I have accomplished. Help me to refocus on the reality that ultimately they are your accomplishments. It's all about you and what you do. Amen. 

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.
Give us enough food for today.
Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you would protect us from all forms of evil. 
Amen.

Friday, March 15, 2024

CHILDREN OF GOD

DEUTERONOMY 14:1 (CEB)
You are the Lord’s children.

GALATIANS 3:26 (CEB)
You are all God’s children through faith in Christ Jesus.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Our identity as children of God changes everything about us.

DAILY FODDER
How would your life be different if God had not embraced you as one of his children? 

PRAYER
Father God, thank you for going to such extreme measures to welcome me into your family. I confess that I don't take my status and identity as one of your children seriosly enough. Pull me tighter to yourself and share an encouraging word with me so that my place in the family feels even more real. I'm going to set aside all other measures of status and focus on living into my Christ-created identity in your family. Amen. 

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.
Give us enough food for today.
Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you would protect us from all forms of evil. 
Amen.

Thursday, March 14, 2024

GOD'S RESPONSIVENESS

ISAIAH 30:19 (CEV)
People of Jerusalem, you don't need to cry anymore. The Lord is kind, and as soon as he hears your cries for help, he will come.

MATTHEW 15:28 (CEV)
Jesus answered, “Dear woman, you really do have a lot of faith, and you will be given what you want.” At that moment her daughter was healed.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
God responds to our cries for help.

DAILY FODDER
What does God's responsiveness tell us about him? How does his responsiveness affect your future? 

PRAYER
Gracious God, I'm grateful that I can count on you to respond when I need extra help. Calm my unwarranted anxiety over health issues, the political situation, and the problems of the world. Help me to relax and think more clearly as I grow in awareness of your merciful presence. I know that you hear my cries for help; so thanks to you I'm not going to let the pressures of today crush me. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.
Give us enough food for today.
Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you would protect us from all forms of evil. 
Amen.

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

GETTING IT RIGHT

GENESIS 18:19 (ABP)
The LORD said, "I've chosen Abraham and his progeny to keep my ways by doing right and living out justice."

1 TIMOTHY 1:8 (CEV)
We know the Law is good, if it is used in the right way.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
If God's instructions are misapplied they can become toxic rather than life-giving.

DAILY FODDER
What are you doing to imrove your ability to accurately apply God's word? How do you know if it is misappled?  

PRAYER
Glorious God, thank you for including me in Abraham's faith family and for sending your Son Jesus into the world to perfectly live out your law. I confess that I'm among those who have used your instructions to further my own self and agenda—without realizing it at the time. Reorient my life toward pursuing what is right and just in alignment with Jesus' interpretation of the law. He did it perfectly so I want to follow him. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.
Give us enough food for today.
Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you would protect us from all forms of evil. 
Amen.

DAILYTEXTS.ORG

*ABOUT THE
DAILY TEXTS

The Daily Texts have been published by the Moravian Church since 1731. In 2011 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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