Isn’t Ephraim my much-loved child?
Don’t I utterly adore him?
Even when I scold him,
I still hold him dear.
I yearn for him and love him deeply,
declares the LORD.
~ Jeremiah 31:20 (CEB)
The younger son got up and started back to his father. But when he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt sorry for him. He ran to his son and hugged and kissed him. ~ Luke 15:20 (CEV)
SUMMARY SENTENCE God loves even his wayward children.
PRAYER Powerful, yet compassionate, God, thank you for loving me. I confess that I'm a failure when it comes to returning your love. Help me to grow in my understanding of your mercy and grace so that I can find transformation in your love. I'm going to start by saying "I love you." Amen.
Ascension Day
Those of you who love the Lord, hate evil! ~ Psalm 97:10 (CEB)
Love should always make us tell the truth. Then we will grow in every way and be more like Christ, the head. ~ Ephesians 4:15 (CEV)
SUMMARY SENTENCE
Truthfulness and love are inseparable.
PRAYER
Lord God, you are the reliable source for truth. And you speak it out of love. I'm not so good at either loving or telling the truth. It's not that I intentionally lie. It's just that in my subtle attempts to present myself in the best way possible I'm inclined to fudge or gloss over details. Help me to mature so that I am completely transparent in my love and truthfulness. I'm going to look like Christ. Amen.
The righteous know the rights of the poor. ~ Proverbs 29:7a (CEB)
God doesn’t miss anything. He knows perfectly well all the love you’ve shown him by helping needy Christians, and that you keep at it. ~ Hebrews 6:10 (MSG)
SUMMARY SENTENCE
God expects us to act with empathy toward those in need.
PRAYER
Jesus, your commandment is to love God and my neighbor. Too often I'm stingy with my energy, my money, myself. Still you stay with me. You lead me to love -- to work for the good. Shine light on my neighbors, Lord, especially the poor. Help me see what's needed. Thank you for the privilege of serving your saints. Amen. (Daily Texts, Mount Carmel Ministries edition)
Turn your life around! Reverse your evil ways! Why die, Israel? ~ Ezekiel 33:11 (MSG)
Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!” ~ Luke 19:8 (NLT)
SUMMARY SENTENCE
You can't make spiritual progress in your life if you don't first turn around.
PRAYER
Lord God, you amaze me. I want to be a part of what you're doing in the world. And I know that requires a turn around maneuver in my life. But no matter how hard I try I can't quite get the turn right. Please take control and help me complete the turn. I want to be headed in your direction. 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)
