God: "Your salvation requires you to turn back to me
and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves." ~ Isaiah 30:15 (MSG)
The Lord answered, “Martha, Martha! You are worried and upset about so many things, but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen what is best, and it will not be taken away from her.” ~ Luke 10:41-42 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
Our assignment is to relax and listen to Jesus rather than to work hard trying to prove our worth to God -- or to ourselves.
PRAYER:
Dear God -- Thank you for welcoming broken and inadquate people to be your friends. It is tempting to try and prove that we are worthy of such attention. I know this because I slip into doing this without even thinking about it. I want recognition. Please help me to reset my priorities so that I focus on being with you and listening to you. I want to live a quiet unhurried life totally filled with trust in you. Amen.
My God... You do such wonderful things!
You planned them long ago,
and now you have accomplished them. ~ Isaiah 25:1b (NLT)
We must hold tightly to the hope that we say is ours. After all, we can trust the one who made the agreement with us. ~ Hebrews 10:23 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
God is trustworthy.
PRAYER:
My God, I'm thankful that you are so trustworthy. You never forget a promise. I sometimes get anxious about the way things are going. But that's not your fault. It is because I'm not as trusting as I should be. Continue to build my trust so that as I mature I will be better able to lean on you. I'm going to be a witness of your faithfulness. Amen.
My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you. ~ Proverbs 3:11 (NLT)
Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you. ~ 2 Corinthians 13:11b (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
God wants us to grow up and become mature followers of Jesus.
PRAYER:
Lord, thank you for looking out for me -- even when I need correction. I know that your discipline isn't punitive but restorative. You want to help us mature in our relationship with you. But I confess that I treat your discipline as though you are vindictive and punishing. I squeel like a 6-year-old girl when you get firm with me. Help me to lighten up so that I can receive the encouragement and direction that you graciously provide. I want to become a mature, convinced, and convincing follower of Christ Jesus. Amen.
THE 6th SUNDAY IN EASTERTIDE
Lord, please make me healthy
and strong again. ~ Isaiah 38:16 (CEB)
One of the lepers, when he realized that he was healed, turned around and came back, shouting his gratitude, glorifying God. ~ Luke 17:15 (MSG)
KEY IDEA:
The Lord is a healer.
PRAYER:
Lord, thank you for healing me. I enjoy so much good health -- yet there are parts of me -- and things I do -- that are unhealthy. Please continue to heal my life and give me a new enthusiasm for your doctoring. I'm going to live healthier today than yesterday. Amen.
*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)
MSG = The Message (©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson)
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)
