Friday, April 9, 2021

CONFIDENCE

ISAIAH 43:1 (CEB)
Don’t fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are mine.


ROMANS 8:31 (MSG)
With God on our side... how can we lose?

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Trust God to carry you through.

PRAYER
Thank you, God, for standing up for us -- even though we have been inconsistent in our faithfulness to you. We give in to fear; panic; try to solve problems in our own way, and end up messing things up even more. Help me to respond to your faithfulness with trust. I'm going to move forward with confidence, even when the situation is messy and confusing. Amen.

Thursday, April 8, 2021

NOTHING HIDDEN

GENESIS 3:9-10 (MSG)
GOD called to the Man: “Where are you?”

He said, “I heard you in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked. And I hid.”

HEBREWS 4:13 (NLT)
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Nothing can be hidden from God so strive to be upfront and truthful.

PRAYER
All-seeing God, nothing escapes your view. You know the naked truth about me. I admit that my first impulse is to cover things up with excuses -- some of which I believe to be true. Help me to become more self-aware and truthful in all my dealings. I'm glad that you are merciful. Amen.

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

AGGRESSIVE GRACE

ISAIAH 53:12 (MSG)
He took on his own shoulders the sin of the many,
he took up the cause of all the black sheep.


LUKE 6:28 (CEB)
Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who mistreat you.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
God doesn't just tolerate those who rebel against him, his way is to bless them.

PRAYER
Gracious God, thank you for the way that you love us even when we are deadset against you. I admit that I haven't yet fully embraced your approach to peacemaking and reconciliation. I'm prone to curse those who wrong me. Reformat my life so that it functions in a totally Christ-like and Spirit-driven way. I'm going to approach those who oppose me with aggressive grace. Amen.

Tuesday, April 6, 2021

GOD PROTECTS

JOB 5:11 (NLT)
He gives prosperity to the poor
and protects those who suffer.


2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-4 (MSG)
All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times...

SUMMARY SENTENCE
God comes alongside us through the hard times.

PRAYER
God, thank you for carrying me through the difficulties of this past year. I confess to being anxious over the situation. Forgive me for taking too much on myself. Help me to trust that you will always be there for me -- even during the hard times. I'm going to move forward without worry. Amen.

DAILYTEXTS.ORG

*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)

EEB = EasyEnglish Bible (©2015, MissionAssist)

ERV = Easy-To-Read Version (©2006, World Bible Translation Center)

GNT = Good News Translation (©1992, American Bible Society)

MSG = The Message (©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson)

NCB = New Catholic Bible (©2019 by Catholic Book Publishing Corp.)

NCV = New Century Version (©2005, Thomas Nelson Inc)

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)

NRSV = New Revised Standard Version (© 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.)

NTE = New Testament for Everyone (©2011 Nicolas Thomas Wright.)

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