grow. pray. study. Daily Guide from The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Tuesday, 22 October 2013 ~ “Choosing the right master for your life”

grow. pray. study. Daily Guide from The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection

Tuesday, 22 October 2013 ~ “Choosing the right master for your life”

Daily Scripture:  Matthew 6:19  “Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal; 20  but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal; 21  for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22  “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light. 23  But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

24  “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t serve both God and Mammon.(Messianic WEB)

Reflection Questions:

Jesus taught that there can only be one "most important" focus, one main goal, in any life. He said if the pursuit of wealth becomes the center of your life, you begin serving wealth, which inevitably conflicts with loyalty to God. He taught the clear principle that "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also," and then pointedly added, "You cannot serve God and wealth."

Pastor Rick Warren wrote, "If I put my money in my house, that is where my heart is. If I put my money in eating out,…if I put my money in my clothes, if I put my money into a hobby, that's where my heart is. So the question becomes, where do you want your heart to be?" What's your answer—where do you want your heart to be?

Scholar Craig Keener wrote that "Mammon" (the word translated "wealth" in verse 24) was "an Aramaic word for possessions or money, and Jesus seems to be personifying it as an idol." Few of us would ever think of physically bowing down before our bank account or a prized possession. So what do you think making wealth an idol looks like today? What does it mean, tangibly, for you to choose to serve God rather than wealth?

Today's Prayer:

Lord Jesus, you are Lord of my life, and I want to "collect treasures" in heaven. As I make concrete, everyday choices of how to spend my time, energy and money, increase my capacity to live out your values. Amen.

Tuesday, 22 October 2013 ~ Insight from Joan Gunter

From now through October 26, Resurrection will focus on “The Power of Generosity,” inviting us all to prayerfully consider our own relationship to money. The Insights blog will share a series of interviews conducted by Brooke Amos, a Resurrection member who serves as a volunteer with the Generosity ministry. Today Brooke tells us about her interview with Joan Gunter, who directs The Spring cafe in the narthex at Resurrection’s Leawood campus.

I met Joan Gunter at the Spring Café—an appropriate site, since she directs the café’s work. I learned that Joan and her family have been at Resurrection for about six years. They were deeply involved in Financial Peace University when it began at Resurrection, and have been able to see the tremendous impact FPU has had on those involved as it has grown.

As she directs the Spring Café, Joan sees small, meaningful acts of generosity often. For example, she told me of a patron who bought lunches for two seminary students. The students were so grateful to have their lunch provided, and it brought Joan joy to see their happiness. In her own life, Joan described the joy she receives from being generous. “When we were able to become debt-free it gave us the freedom to be more generous. It’s a lot of fun to be able to be generous.”

Through Joan’s experience with the various principles taught in Financial Peace, she has really understood that wealth doesn’t refer to monetary value. “Wealth is your life.” When you give, you receive so much more in return. As Christians we are called to imitate Christ. Christ was so giving, so to fully live out our faith we need to be generous with our time, talents, and resources.

Joan’s joy over giving generously and expecting nothing in return just radiated from her. It was a huge blessing to hear how much she enjoys making anonymous gifts to people so they can truly feel the love of Christ without feeling indebted to another person. I was blessed, and my life enriched, just by hearing her share the gift of her experiences of generosity.(Interview report by Brooke Amos)

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