But I have spoken to you again and again, and you haven’t listened to me. ~ Jeremiah 35:14b (CEB)
Jesus replied, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.” ~ Luke 11:28 (NLT)
KEY THOUGHT:
God expects us to listen and do.
PRAYER:
Lord, thank you for talking to us. I'm all ears -- but so often your words go in one ear and out the other. Help me to be a true doer of your true message. I'm going to really hear what you are saying. Amen.
From east to west,
the powerful Lord God
has been calling together
everyone on earth. ~ Psalm 50:1 (CEV)
What we mean is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world. And he has given us the work of sharing his message about peace. ~ 2 Corinthians 5:19 (CEV)
KEY THOUGHT:
Through Christ God reconciles the world to himself and offers to facilitate the reconciliation of all people to each other.
PRAYER:
Thank you, God, for the peace that Christ brings. I confess that I am weary and indifferent toward the peace process. Recharge my batteries so that I can participate in the ministry of reconciliation. I want to see all my neighbors getting along with each other -- and you. Through Christ that is the future. Amen.
Fear not, Earth! Be glad and celebrate!
God has done great things. ~ Joel 2:21 (MSG)
This Christian life is a great mystery, far exceeding our understanding, but some things are clear enough:
He appeared in a human body,
was proved right by the invisible Spirit,
was seen by angels.
He was proclaimed among all kinds of peoples,
believed in all over the world,
taken up into heavenly glory. ~ 1 Timothy 3.16 (MSG)
KEY THOUGHT:
God does great things.
PRAYER:
Our Father, we wonder at the way you see and do things. It all goes way beyond our capacity to understand. Forgive me for over simplifying your truth -- reducing your great mystery to platitudes and bumper sticker sayings. Help me to find my place in the mystery and to enjoy being there. I'm going to celebrate! Amen.
The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to him. ~ Psalm 22:27a (NLT)
He wants not only us but everyone saved, you know, everyone to get to know the truth we’ve learned... ~ 1 Timothy 2:4 (MSG)
KEY THOUGHT:
God is interested in the salvation of everyone.
PRAYER:
Gracious God, thank you for including me. I confess that my vision is way too narrow. I'm only interested in reaching people who are like me. Expand my vision and passion. I'm going to join with you in welcoming the whole world to join up with Christ. 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)
