The Lord is partial to humble people. ~ Proverbs 3:34 (ABP)
Don’t do anything for selfish purposes, but with humility think of others as better than yourselves. ~ Philippians 2:3 (CEB)
SUMMARY SENTENCE
Aspire to a position of humility.
PRAYER
God, you are great but you welcome the weak and broken. That's good because I'm not very strong or whole. Forgive me for all the times that I start thinking that I'm more than I am. Restore in me a healthy sense of humility so that I can better serve you and those around me. I'm no longer going to make everything about me. Amen.
The 9th Sunday after Pentecost
Read up on what happened before you were born;
dig into the past, understand your roots.
Ask your parents what it was like before you were born;
ask the old-ones, they’ll tell you a thing or two.
~ Deuteronomy 32:7 (MSG)
Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching that you heard from me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ~ 2 Timothy 1:13 (CEB)
SUMMARY SENTENCE
Stick with what you've been taught about our loving God's faithfulness to his people.
PRAYER
Almighty God, you have been faithful from generation to generation. Even when we flake out you keep your word. Thank you. Help me to be more consistent in the way in which I apply the truth that has been passed along to me. I can be kind of spotty. But I want to live according to the good news of Christ Jesus, which I have inherited. Amen.
I’m coming to gather all nations and cultures. They will come to see my glory. ~ Isaiah 66:18 (CEB)
It doesn't matter if someone is Jewish or pagan or whatever. We're all dealing with the same God who is over all people -- and who is outrageously generous to all who call on him for assistance. ~ Romans 10:12 (ABP)
SUMMARY SENTENCE
God's gifts are available to all people!
PRAYER
Thank you so much for creating so many different cultures and ways of doing things. You are a God of great variety. I confess that my vision is still pretty narrow -- that I see and gravitate toward the people who are most like me. Help me to open up so that I can appreciate the differences and work with you as you bring all people together to experience your generosity -- the grace that is poured out through Christ Jesus, our Savior. Amen.
Don't spread false rumors. ~ Exodus 23:1a (CEB)
Paul wrote: Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won’t be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple. ~ 2 Timothy 2:15 (MSG)
SUMMARY SENTENCE Be extreme about speaking truthfully.
PRAYER Jesus, you are the way, the truth, and the life. Forgive me for trying to spin out my own version of truth to accomplish my own objectives. Help me to concentrate on communicating what you would consider to be truth. I want to be known by you and others as a straight shooter. 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)
