The Lord treats all who recognize and honor him as really kind parents treat their children -- with great compassion and lavish love. ~ Psalm 103:13 (ABP)
Jesus said: "The Kingdom of Heaven isn't going to be an exclusively Jewish event. Take my word on this, the Hebrew ancestors Abraham and Isaac and Jacob will be dining alongside non-Jews who have come from the remotest places on earth. That's how broad God's love and compassion are." ~ Matthew 8:11 (ABP)
KEY THOUGHT:
While our natural inclination is to try and figure out who is beyond God's touch, he's busy welcoming as many people and as diverse of a crowd as will come to be with him.
PRAYER:
Thank you, God, for the invitation to the kingdom feast that you sent with Jesus. I want to RSVP. Forgive me for my lack of vision regarding all those other people you love and invite. Help me to learn how to love them, too, so that I become as welcoming as you. Amen.
Turn and come to my rescue.
Show your wonderful love
and save me, Lord. ~ Psalm 6:4 (CEV)
As bad as you are, you still know how to give good gifts to your children. But your heavenly Father is even more ready to give good things to people who ask. ~ Matthew 7:11 (CEV)
KEY THOUGHT:
God is generous with his kindness.
PRAYER:
God, thank you for loving us and being so generous. I am especially grateful that you love us so much that you sent your Son Jesus into our world to sacrifice himself so that we could be rescued from death. However, I still live as though your love is limited and that I need to prove myself worthy for more. Please, rewire my brain so that I can recognize the vastness of your abundance and leave behind my scarcity mindset. I'm going to live out your immeasurable love, kindness, and generosity in my life. Amen.
I am the Lord your God. I am holy, and you must be holy too! ~ Leviticus 19:2 (CEV)
He wanted us to be his own special people, and so he sent the true message to give us new birth. ~ James 1:18 (CEV)
KEY THOUGHT:
God has called us to be on his special team, assigned to carry out his special assignment.
PRAYER:
Dear God, thank you for including me on your team. And you keep me active even though at times I play for other teams on the side. I know that I need to be playing exclusively for you. Coach me through that transition so that my focus is just on playing for you. Amen.
You teach me the way of life. ~ Psalm 16:11 (CEB)
I forget about the things behind me and reach out for the things ahead of me. ~ Philippians 3:13b (CEB)
KEY THOUGHT:
Through Christ we press on to what he has in store for us.
PRAYER:
Thank you, Teacher-God, for the wise instruction. Forgive me for my hesitation and reluctance to move forward. Help me to extend my gaze forward into the territories which require me to exercise faith. I'm going to trust that you will continue to lead me. 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)
