ECCLESIASTES 7:14 (CEV)
When times are good,
you should be cheerful;
when times are bad,
think what it means.
God makes them both
to keep us from knowing
what will happen next.
ROMANS 8:28 (CEV)
We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him. They are the ones God has chosen for his purpose...
SUMMARY SENTENCE
Embrace each moment, considering how God is involved in shaping it toward his glorious goals.
PRAYER
Thank you, God, for each moment. I confess that I struggle to be thankful when things aren't going well. Bless me with the insight I need to recognize your hand at work. Clear the fog from my eyes and the wax from my ears. I want to live each moment aware of your guiding presence. Amen.
PSALM 146:7 (MSG)
GOD frees prisoners
JOHN 8:36 (MSG)
So if the Son sets you free, you are free through and through.
SUMMARY SENTENCE
God frees us from our prisons.
PRAYER
God, I'm grateful for the freedom that you have secured through Christ's victory over death. Forgive me for allowing the defeated forces of death to impinge on that freedom. Give me the strength to live as a totally free person. I'm free to serve you. Amen.
The 20th Sunday after Pentecost
1 SAMUEL 15:22 9 (ABP)
God is uninterested in your mastery of religious practices. He'd rather that you do what he asks you to do.
ROMANS 16:19 (CEB)
The news of your obedience has reached everybody, so I’m happy for you.
SUMMARY SENTENCE
We celebrate obedience to Christ.
PRAYER
Thank you, Gracious God, for the forgiveness that is ours when we fail to follow you. I confess that I can take that forgiveness for granted and become lax about following your instructions for my life. Forgive me. And help me to love you and my neighbor whole-heartedly. That's what you want of me -- obedient outwardly focused love. And with your help, that's what I'm going to do. Amen.
DEUTERONOMY 10:12 (CEB)
Now in light of all that, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you? Only this: to revere the LORD your God by walking in all his ways, by loving him, by serving the LORD your God with all your heart and being...
JAMES 1:22 (MSG)
Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear!
SUMMARY SENTENCE
The kind of faith that counts is the kind that acts on what God says to do.
PRAYER
Thank you, God, for all your messages -- all your instruction and direction. I confess that I pretend that I'm a better listener than I really am. I'm pretty sure you know that, yet you graciously continue to teach me. Help me to move beyond mere appearances. Realign my life so that it is completely in sync with your agenda. When I hear your instruction I'm going to just do it. 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)
