The 25th Sunday after Pentecost
I am the Lord your God, the one who brought you out of Egypt where you were slaves. ~ Exodus 20:2a (CEV)
Walking out of the jail, Paul and Silas went straight to Lydia’s house, saw their friends again, encouraged them in the faith, and only then went on their way. ~ Acts 16:40 (MSG)
KEY IDEA:
Sometimes the Lord leads his people out of danger.
PRAYER:
Almighty God, sometimes you lead us out of dangerous situations. That should give us confidence in your power and plan when you leave us to struggle in dangerous places. You must have some important reason for allowing us to ride the storms out. I get discouraged when I fail to see your plan while a danger goes on and on. Strengthen my faith so that at some point my faith can encourage the faith of others. Amen.
Thank the Lord because he is good.
His love continues forever. ~ Psalm 106:1b (NCV)
For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. ~ Titus 2:11 (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
God's love is so grand that it includes all people.
PRAYER:
Loving God, you pour out your grace on all people. But not all receive it. Sometimes even I resist your generosity. I still have moments when I want people to think of me as a powerful hero -- totally self-sufficient. Swamp me with your love so that I can get back to revealing YOUR good news for all people, everywhere. Amen.
The Lord our God was with our ancestors to help them, and I pray that he will be with us and never abandon us. ~ 1 Kings 8:57 (CEV)
Be like those who through faith and patience will receive what God has promised. ~ Hebrews 6:12b (NCV).
KEY IDEA:
Live faithfully because you are the child of a faithful God.
PRAYER:
Great God, I know that you are totally reliable. Help me to be reliable in all I do and think. I want my life to mirror your faithfulness. Amen.
But first let’s ask the Lord what to do. ~ 2 Chronicles 18:4 (CEV)
Keep on being faithful to what you were taught and to what you believed. After all, you know who taught you these things. ~ 2 Timothy 3:14 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
Consider the source.
PRAYER:
Lord, your directions for living a full life in harmony with you are so good. I wish that I were living 100% according to the directions. But there are so many other voices out there. Everyone and everything seems to want to direct my life -- my friends, my family, the advertising companies... Help me to become more selective about who I listen to. Fill my life with trusted voices who speak according to your directions. I intend to remain faithful. 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)
