Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Thursday, 17 July 2014 "Finding 'the path of righteousness'"

Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Thursday, 17 July 2014 "Finding 'the path of righteousness'"
Daily Scripture:  Proverbs 16:2 Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good;
    God probes for what is good.
3 Put God in charge of your work,
    then what you’ve planned will take place.
23 They make a lot of sense, these wise folks;
    whenever they speak, their reputation increases.
24 Gracious speech is like clover honey—
    good taste to the soul, quick energy for the body.
25 There’s a way that looks harmless enough;
    look again—it leads straight to hell.
31 Gray hair is a mark of distinction,

    the award for a God-loyal life.
Reflection Questions:
We can't always find God's path for our life by just doing "what feels right to me." The Hebrew sages who composed and compiled the Proverbs knew that all too often we look at a course of action, a life pathway, and think, "Looks good!" But they emphasized that through all of life we need God's wisdom to discern the path of true righteousness, which often helps us reach the "gray hair is a crown of glory" half of life.
"All the ways of people are pure in their eyes, but the Lord tests the motives" (verse 2). Have you ever discovered, in your own life, that it is possible to do something good, but to do it from tainted inner motives? For what reasons would God care more about our inner motives than our outward behaviors? In what ways can God help you to see and understand your motives more clearly?
Do you have any gray hair yet? If not you, surely your parents or grandparents have some. What's the attitude about gray hair in your family, and in the social circles in which you move? Do you and the people you know tend to see it as "a crown of glory," or are you more inclined to try to hide it? What connection did Proverbs make between "the path of righteousness" and gray hair?
Today's Prayer:
Lord God, cleanse my heart, and make it ever true. At whatever point, now or in the future, I reach the "gray hair" stage of life, let it be from a life lived walking the path of righteousness. Amen.
CROSSROADS-Navigating the Second Half of Your Life
Pastor Clayton Smith (left) and Dave Wilson wrote the interviews featured in this week’s Insights blog. The full stories will be published in an upcoming book: Journey to Significance, to be published by Beacon Hill in early 2015.
I first met Mark and Kim at a Crown Financial Bible Study I was leading. I learned that they were preparing for Mark’s retirement as a federal bank examiner. Kim was a full-time homemaker and mother of their two children. They were interested in setting up a faith-based budget for their retirement years.
Their view of retirement was summed up on two words: flexibility and excitement. While Kim’s role did not change that much, she was eager to learn about opportunities to partner with Mark in service to our church. I invited Mark and Kim to become class coordinators for the new Financial Peace University course. They are a great team! They have now coordinated over fifteen courses, and taught over 1,000 participants. They are changing lives!
Their purpose statement for life is found in their priorities. They believe in putting God first, family second, others third and self last. Mark reports that he thinks about this set of priorities every day. When he was working in his career, his job was a priority, but it was last on the list. Kim reported that this priority list reduced Mark’s anxiety and brought greater joy to his life. And now, they both find joy every day, especially in serving others!
Their adult Sunday School Class is full of people like Mark and Kim who are serving God with their heads, hearts and hands to transform our community. Their example of leadership multiplies the impact of what they are doing. They would humbly say, “There are so many better examples of leadership in our church.” However I have to say, “Thank God for all of our Resurrection leaders who, like Mark and Kim, are taking the changes and challenges of their retirement years and transforming them into opportunities to serve with joy!”
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