Can humans make their own gods?
If so, they are not gods at all! ~ Jeremiah 16:20a (CEB)
Don’t let anyone fool you by using senseless arguments. These arguments may sound wise, but they are only human teachings. They come from the powers of this world and not from Christ. ~ Colossians 2:8 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
Don't be fooled by counterfeit influences.
PRAYER:
Thank you, God, for being the real thing -- as demonstrated by Jesus. I like to think that I'm smart enough and strong enough that I could avoid the fake God's of life. But I'm probably overconfident. Grant me some humility so that I can be better positioned to discern the genuine from the fake. Amen.
The Lord our God hasn’t explained the present or the future, but he has commanded us to obey the laws he gave to us and our descendants. ~ Deuteronomy 29:29 (CEV)
Then they (the Samaritans) said to the woman, “Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world.” ~ John 4:42 (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
Understanding comes through experience with the Lord.
PRAYER:
Dear God, thank you for making yourself known -- especially through Jesus. I, too, believe that he is the Savior of the world. Help me to make him known to others. Amen.
You are the one we trust
to bring about justice;
above all else we want
your name to be honored. ~ Isaiah 26:8 (CEV)
Be humble in the presence of God’s mighty power, and he will honor you when the time comes. ~ 1 Peter 5:6 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
God eventually honors us when we focus on honoring him by humbly embracing his agenda.
PRAYER:
Lord, I want to honor you. But I want it to be more than words and songs. Those are good but I need a new and humble approach to life. I'm afraid of asking you for humility -- but I'm going to trust you to teach me in the right way. So I am going to ask anyway. I want to make sure that you and your name are properly recognized. Amen.
The 22nd Sunday after Pentecost
So I decided it was more important to enjoy life. The best that people can do here on earth is to eat, drink, and enjoy life, because these joys will help them do the hard work God gives them here on earth. ~ Ecclesiastes 8:15 (NCV)
Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks. ~ 1 Timothy 4:4 (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
God made life to be enjoyed.
PRAYER:
Thank you, Lord, for life -- and especially for the new life that has been established through Christ. I confess, though, that I don't really enjoy life in the way you intend. I'm quick to reduce it all to keeping rules and trying to get more stuff. It's not that the rules are bad or that the stuff should be rejected. It's just that I'm so easily tricked into allowing those things to become life. Help me to keep my priorities straight so that I can receive all the good things you have given to me with thanksgiving. 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)
