If you oppress poor people, you insult the God who made them; but kindness shown to the poor is an act of worship. ~ Proverbs 14:31 (GNT)
Show a gentle attitude toward everyone. The Lord is coming soon. ~ Philippians 4:5 (GNT)
KEY IDEA:
One of the best ways to worship God is to act with gentleness and kindness toward those who are less fortunate.
PRAYER:
Lord, it is so easy to assume that those who are poor are that way because of their mistakes. That affects the way that I relate to them. I'm not as kind or gentle and caring as I should be. Afterall, in my mind, they have somehow earned the trouble they're in. Of course, that attitude does not reflect the kindness that you have extended to me. Help me to tap into your divine gentleness so that I might become an extremely kind and gentle person. I'm going to honor Jesus in this way. His kindness flows through my body. Amen.
PENTECOST SUNDAY
Listen! The Lord’s arm is not too weak to save you,
nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call.
It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. ~ Isaiah 59:1-2a (NLT)
Jesus says: ...I will send the Spirit to you. The Spirit will come and show the people of this world the truth about sin and God’s justice and the judgment. ~ John 16:7b-8 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
God will make things right.
PRAYER:
Thank you, God, for sending your Holy Spirit to infiltrate your church. We desperately need him. I am way too comfortable with the way things are. I get caught up in the business as usual attitude. Help me to break free and recognize what the Spirit is saying. I want to be a part of Jesus' justice movement. Amen.
God heals the brokenhearted
and bandages their wounds. ~ Psalm 147:3 (CEB)
(Jesus) welcomed them and taught them about the Kingdom of God, and he healed those who were sick. ~ Luke 9:11b (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
God is a healer.
PRAYER:
Thank you, God, for being the healer that we can count on. I'm in need of some more healing right now. It's not just my body but my whole soul that hurts with disappointment. Please restore my health and sense of well-being so that I can tell people more about how you heal. Amen.
These people have committed a terrible sin. They have made a god out of gold and worshiped it. Please forgive their sin... ~ Exodus 32:31b,32 (part/GNT)
...the gods we humans make are not really gods at all. ~ Acts 19:26b (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
The real God is a forgiving God.
PRAYER:
Merciful God, thank you for understanding and forgiving us when we replace you with substitutes in our lives. We should be focusing on you. Instead, we focus on things which bring short-term pleasure or thrills -- things which make us feel like we're in control when we should be sitting and patiently waiting for you to act. Help me to fully trust you -- even if I have to wait. Your mercy makes it all worth the wait. 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)
