Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Wednesday, 27 August 2014 "The peace of Christ must control your hearts"

Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Wednesday, 27 August 2014 "The peace of Christ must control your hearts"
Daily Scripture:  Colossians 3:15-17 Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.
Reflection Questions:
Paul went on to tell the Colossian Christians, "The peace of Christ must control your hearts." He wrote that to people who lived in a world at least as cruel and unsettling as ours, perhaps more so. Not only that—that Greco-Roman world often turned its hatred, violence and scorn particularly on its Christian citizens. Paul's counsel about peace, praise and gratitude was a survival manual for people who lived in a spiritual "combat zone."
Songwriter Allan Roberts wrote the often-recorded song "You Always Hurt the One You Love." What aspects of your history and temperament make "the peace of Christ" particularly important for you in your closest relationships? The Message renders verse 16, "Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house." How can you live that out?
Verse 17 took in a lot of ground: "WHATEVER you do, whether in speech or action, do it ALL in the name of the Lord Jesus." What does it mean to you to do whatever you do in Jesus' name? How can you work, shop, drive the freeway, react to today's news, cheer for the Royals or your kid's soccer team or discuss the family budget and future holiday plans "in the name of the Lord Jesus"?
Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help me to see reasons to say "thank you" no matter what comes my way today. Let your peace more and more control my heart and my words. Amen.
Insight from Angela LaVallie
Angela LaVallie is the Worship Logistics Program Director at Resurrection. She oversees preparing the Sanctuary for worship, supports Vibe worship and volunteers in the Student Center, provides oversight for Holy Communion at the Leawood campus, and assists with worship logistics at conferences.
One of the reflection questions in today’s GPS is “What aspects of your history and temperament make “the peace of Christ” particularly important for you in your closest relationships?”
It can be so easy for us to settle into old habits in close relationships. One relationship I have begun to see differently in the last year is the one I have with my mom. I love her more than almost anyone else. But I also say things  – not good things – to her that I would never say to anyone else. There are lots of psychological and sociological studies about the often-difficult relationships between mothers and daughters. I won’t go into the theories of those studies, but I feel confident in saying there are probably plenty of women reading this today who will agree that your relationships with your mothers or daughters are different than any other relationships you have.
On Labor Day weekend last year, my mom came to visit me. As I introduced her to friends and watched the ways they interacted with her, I had an epiphany-like moment. She is my mom, and I have always known her, but I didn’t really know her in any other capacity than as my mom. I have been more critical of her and judgmental toward her than I would ever even think about being with anyone else. I would interrupt her or argue with her or snap at her. Since that weekend last year, I have begun to see my mom as a beautiful woman of God and prayed for God’s guidance and patience whenever I talk to my mom, and I really try to think of her and how she will feel before I speak to her. She is visiting me again this coming weekend, and I am looking forward to the time we will spend together and the chance we’ll have to speak word of love to one another.
I challenge you to examine your close relationships and to ask God to show you where you might speak more words of love.
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