Wichita, Kansas, United States - Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church Daily Devotional for Friday, 5 December 2014
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1st Sunday of Advent – Purple or Blue
This Week's Lectionary Scriptures:
Lectionary Scriptures:
Isaiah 64:1-9
Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Mark 13:24-37
Isaiah 64: Can We Be Saved?
1-7 Oh, that you would rip open the heavens and descend,
make the mountains shudder at your presence—
As when a forest catches fire,
as when fire makes a pot to boil—
To shock your enemies into facing you,
make the nations shake in their boots!
You did terrible things we never expected,
descended and made the mountains shudder at your presence.
Since before time began
no one has ever imagined,
No ear heard, no eye seen, a God like you
who works for those who wait for him.
You meet those who happily do what is right,
who keep a good memory of the way you work.
But how angry you’ve been with us!
We’ve sinned and kept at it so long!
Is there any hope for us? Can we be saved?
We’re all sin-infected, sin-contaminated.
Our best efforts are grease-stained rags.
We dry up like autumn leaves—
sin-dried, we’re blown off by the wind.
No one prays to you
or makes the effort to reach out to you
Because you’ve turned away from us,
left us to stew in our sins.
8-12 Still, God, you are our Father.
We’re the clay and you’re our potter:
All of us are what you made us.
Don’t be too angry with us, O God.
Don’t keep a permanent account of wrongdoing.
Keep in mind, please, we are your people—all of us.
Your holy cities are all ghost towns:
Zion’s a ghost town,
Jerusalem’s a field of weeds.
Our holy and beautiful Temple,
which our ancestors filled with your praises,
Was burned down by fire,
all our lovely parks and gardens in ruins.
In the face of all this,
are you going to sit there unmoved, God?
Aren’t you going to say something?
Haven’t you made us miserable long enough?
Psalm 100: A Thanksgiving Psalm
1-2 On your feet now—applaud God!
Bring a gift of laughter,
sing yourselves into his presence.
3 Know this: God is God, and God, God.
He made us; we didn’t make him.
We’re his people, his well-tended sheep.
4 Enter with the password: “Thank you!”
Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
Thank him. Worship him.
5 For God is sheer beauty,
all-generous in love,
loyal always and ever.
Ephesians 1:15-19 That’s why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn’t stop thanking God for you—every time I prayed, I’d think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!
20-23 All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ’s body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.
Matthew 25: The Sheep and the Goats
31-33 “When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.
34-36 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:
I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’
37-40 “Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’
41-43 “Then he will turn to the ‘goats,’ the ones on his left, and say, ‘Get out, worthless goats! You’re good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because—
I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
Sick and in prison, and you never visited.’
44 “Then those ‘goats’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn’t help?’
45 “He will answer them, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.’
46 “Then those ‘goats’ will be herded to their eternal doom, but the ‘sheep’ to their eternal reward.”
John Wesley's Notes-Commentary:
Isaiah 64:1-9
Verse 1
[1] Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,
Rent — A metaphor taken from men, that when they would resolutely help one in distress, break and fling open doors and whatever may hinder.
Flow down — That all impediments might be removed out of the way: possibly an allusion to God's coming down upon mount Sinai, in those terrible flames of fire.
Verse 2
[2] As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence!
Fire — Come with such zeal for thy people, that the solid mountains may be no more before thy breath, than metal that runs, or water that boils by the force of a vehement fire.
Known — That thine enemies may know thy power, and that thy name may be dreaded among them.
Verse 3
[3] When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence.
Terrible things — This may relate to what he did among the Egyptians, tho' it be not recorded, and afterward in the wilderness.
Looked not for — Such things as we could never expect.
Mountains — Kings, princes, and potentates, may metaphorically be understood by these mountains.
Verse 4
[4] For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.
Besides thee — This is to be applied to all the wonderful works, that God at all times wrought for his people: and thus they are a plea with God, that they might well expect such things from him now, that had done such wonderful things for their fathers.
Waiteth — This may be taken with reference both to the state of grace and glory, those incomprehensible things that are exhibited through Christ in the mysteries of the gospel.
Verse 5
[5] Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved.
Meetest — As the father the prodigal.
Worketh — That rejoices to work righteousness.
Continuance — To those that work righteousness.
Be saved — In so doing, in working righteousness.
Verse 6
[6] But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Unclean — Formerly there were some that feared thee; but now we are all as one polluted mass, nothing of good left in us by reason of an universal degeneracy.
And all — The very best of us all are no better than the uncleanest things.
Taken — Carried away to Babylon, as leaves hurried away by a boisterous wind.
Verse 7
[7] And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.
That calleth — That call upon thee as they ought.
Take hold — Either to stay thee from departing from us, or to fetch thee back when departed.
Verse 8
[8] But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
Our father — Notwithstanding all this thou art our father both by creation, and by adoption, therefore pity us thy children.
Verse 9
[9] Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people.
Thy people — Thou hast no people in covenant but us, and wilt thou not leave thyself a people in the world?
Psalm 100
An Exhortation to Thanksgiving
1 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. 2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. 3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. 5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
An exhortation to praise God and to rejoice in him, verse 1-5 A psalm of praise.
Ephesians 1:15-23
Verse 15
[15] Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,
Since I heard of your faith and love — That is, of their perseverance and increase therein.
Verse 16
[16] Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
I cease not — In all my solemn addresses to God.
To give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers — So he did of all the churches, Colossians 1:9.
Verse 17
[17] That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
That the Father of that infinite glory which shines in the face of Christ, from whom also we receive the glorious inheritance, Ephesians 1:18, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation - The same who is the Spirit of promise is also, in the progress of the faithful, the Spirit of wisdom and revelation; making them wise unto salvation, and revealing to them the deep things of God. He is here speaking of that wisdom and revelation which are common to all real Christians.
Verse 18
[18] The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
The eyes of your understanding — It is with these alone that we discern the things of God. Being first opened, and then enlightened - - By his Spirit.
That ye may know what is the hope of his calling — That ye may experimentally and delightfully know what are the blessings which God has called you to hope for by his word and his Spirit.
And what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints — What an immense treasure of blessedness he hath provided as an inheritance for holy souls.
Verse 19
[19] And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
And what the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe — Both in quickening our dead souls, and preserving them in spiritual life.
According to the power which he exerted in Christ, raising him from the dead — By the very same almighty power whereby he raised Christ; for no less would suffice.
Verse 20
[20] Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
And he hath seated him at his own right hand — That is, he hath exalted him in his human nature, as a recompence for his sufferings, to a quiet, everlasting possession of all possible blessedness, majesty, and glory.
Verse 21
[21] Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion — That is, God hath invested him with uncontrollable authority over all demons in hell, all angels in heaven, and all the princes and potentates on earth.
And every name that is named — We know the king is above all, though we cannot name all the officers of his court. So we know that Christ is above all, though we are not able to name all his subjects.
Not only in this world, but also in that which is to come — The world to come is so styled, not because it does not yet exist, but because it is not yet visible. Principalities and powers are named now; but those also who are not even named in this world, but shall be revealed in the world to come, are all subject to Christ.
Verse 22
[22] And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
And he hath given him to be head over all things to the church — An head both of guidance and government, and likewise of life and influence, to the whole and every member of it. All these stand in the nearest union with him, and have as continual and effectual a communication of activity, growth, and strength from him, as the natural body from its head.
Verse 23
[23] Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
The fulness of him that filleth all in all — It is hard to say in what sense this can be spoken of the church; but the sense is easy and natural, if we refer it to Christ, who is the fulness of the Father.
Matthew 25:31-46
Verse 31
[31] When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him — With what majesty and grandeur does our Lord here speak of himself Giving us one of the noblest instances of the true sublime. Indeed not many descriptions in the sacred writings themselves seem to equal this. Methinks we can hardly read it without imagining ourselves before the awful tribunal it describes.
Verse 34
[34] Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
Inherit the kingdom — Purchased by my blood, for all who have believed in me with the faith which wrought by love.
Prepared for you — On purpose for you. May it not be probably inferred from hence, that man was not created merely to fill up the places of the fallen angels?
Verse 35
[35] For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
I was hungry, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink — All these works of outward mercy suppose faith and love, and must needs he accompanied with works of spiritual mercy. But works of this kind the Judge could not mention in the same manner. He could not say, I was in error, and ye recalled me to the truth; I was in sin, and ye brought me to repentance.
In prison — Prisoners need to be visited above all others, as they are commonly solitary and forsaken by the rest of the world.
Verse 37
[37] Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
Then shall the righteous answer — It cannot be, that either the righteous or the wicked should answer in these very words. What we learn herefrom is, that neither of them have the same estimation of their own works as the Judge hath.
Verse 40
[40] And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Inasmuch as ye did it to one of the least of these my brethren, ye did it to me — What encouragement is here to assist the household of faith? But let us likewise remember to do good to all men.
Verse 41
[41] Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
Depart into the everlasting fire, which was prepared for the devil and his angels — Not originally for you: you are intruders into everlasting fire.
Verse 44
[44] Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
Then will they answer — So the endeavour to justify themselves, will remain with the wicked even to that day!
Verse 46
[46] And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life everlasting — Either therefore the punishment is strictly eternal, or the reward is not: the very same expression being applied to the former as to the latter. The Judge will speak first to the righteous, in the audience of the wicked. The wicked shall then go away into everlasting fire, in the view of the righteous. Thus the damned shall see nothing of the everlasting life; but the just will see the punishment of the ungodly. It is not only particularly observable here, 1. That the punishment lasts as long as the reward; but, 2. That this punishment is so far from ceasing at the end of the world, that it does not begin till then.
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Today’s Devotion:
Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional “Cast Out Fear” for Friday, 5 December 2014 - Scripture: Psalm 40: A David Psalm1-3 I waited and waited and waited for God.
At last he looked; finally he listened.
He lifted me out of the ditch,
pulled me from deep mud.
He stood me up on a solid rock
to make sure I wouldn’t slip.
He taught me how to sing the latest God-song,
a praise-song to our God.
More and more people are seeing this:
they enter the mystery,
abandoning themselves to God.
4-5 Blessed are you who give yourselves over to God,
turn your backs on the world’s “sure thing,”
ignore what the world worships;
The world’s a huge stockpile
of God-wonders and God-thoughts.
Nothing and no one
comes close to you!
I start talking about you, telling what I know,
and quickly run out of words.
Neither numbers nor words
account for you.
6 Doing something for you, bringing something to you—
that’s not what you’re after.
Being religious, acting pious—
that’s not what you’re asking for.
You’ve opened my ears
so I can listen.
7-8 So I answered, “I’m coming.
I read in your letter what you wrote about me,
And I’m coming to the party
you’re throwing for me.”
That’s when God’s Word entered my life,
became part of my very being.
9-10 I’ve preached you to the whole congregation,
I’ve kept back nothing, God—you know that.
I didn’t keep the news of your ways
a secret, didn’t keep it to myself.
I told it all, how dependable you are, how thorough.
I didn’t hold back pieces of love and truth
For myself alone. I told it all,
let the congregation know the whole story.
11-12 Now God, don’t hold out on me,
don’t hold back your passion.
Your love and truth
are all that keeps me together.
When troubles ganged up on me,
a mob of sins past counting,
I was so swamped by guilt
I couldn’t see my way clear.
More guilt in my heart than hair on my head,
so heavy the guilt that my heart gave out.
13-15 Soften up, God, and intervene;
hurry and get me some help,
So those who are trying to kidnap my soul
will be embarrassed and lose face,
So anyone who gets a kick out of making me miserable
will be heckled and disgraced,
So those who pray for my ruin
will be booed and jeered without mercy.
16-17 But all who are hunting for you—
oh, let them sing and be happy.
Let those who know what you’re all about
tell the world you’re great and not quitting.
And me? I’m a mess. I’m nothing and have nothing:
make something of me.
You can do it; you’ve got what it takes—
but God, don’t put it off.
Moses said to Joshua, “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”[Deuteronomy 31:8 (NRSV)]
On the news I saw that the storm damage was horrific. Reporters interviewed residents who were not yet allowed to return home to see what damage their homes might have suffered. Victims wondered: Is my house still standing? How much damage? How do I face the future?
Fear of the future can include so many different forms: job insecurity, fear for a loved one’s safety, financial challenges, and medical crises — to name a few. My personal fear of the future is this: in the next day or two, I will find out the results of a mammogram. My mother died of breast cancer, so I’m at increased risk. I’m usually able to give my cancer fears to God, but since the mammogram, the worried thoughts have multiplied and wreaked havoc with my imagination. Like a flood, the thoughts have been overwhelming me, and I have felt as if I were drowning.
But in the midst of this anxiety, Bible promises reassure me that the God who has always stood by me in the past is with me today and is already in my future. I realize ugly and difficult stuff may lie ahead, so I strive to have faith. I know that I can trust God no matter what I face.
Read more from the author, here.
"Trust Instead of Worry"
In Matthew 6:27, Jesus asks, “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” He answers the question, “Of course not.” My mammogram was negative. BUT what did happen I had never, ever worried about -- A stroke! My parents and grandparents had never had a stroke, so I never gave it much thought.One minute I was fine and the next minute I knew if I wasn’t on the floor, I would fall. The floor was tilted. The walls were at angles. The next thing I remember was riding in the ambulance. Next came the tests and a doctor telling me, “You have had a rare kind of stroke.” Instead of one side of my body being affected, I couldn’t walk. I literally forgot how to walk. He explained that with physical therapy I could learn how to walk again. It would take time and work but I could learn. They transferred me to a rehabilitation facility and I worked three hours a day to learn how to walk. My brother-in-law referred to it as boot camp. After three weeks of inpatient therapy and two months of outpatient therapy, I can walk again – without a walker or a cane.
Part of the therapy included steps. See those three steps in the picture. They were my Mount Everest. I had to talk myself through each step. I had to listen to the instructions of the therapist. More than that, I had to hear God say, “I am holding you by the hand. Trust me. You can do this.” About 40 or 50 times later, I could climb those steps without stopping. Wow. I felt like I had climbed a mountain. I could actually feel new pathways develop in my brain.
Now the only time I have some difficulty walking is at night or on uneven surfaces, especially when I’m overly tired. I continue to hear God say, “Just trust me.”
When the why questions came to mind, he reminded me to trust. When the how long (until I can walk normally) questions popped up, again he said, “I am with you and will give you all the help you need – sufficient for today. Don’t worry about tomorrow.” As a result of the stroke, I have increased my trust.
Worry is a strange thing – we can worry about things that never will happen and not worry about things that do happen. An actual study found that 85% of what we worry about never happens. So – why worry when we can pray and give it all to God with trust. We can totally trust our creator. He made us and he can fix us, including replacing worry with trust.[Deb Vellines]
The Author: Deb Vellines (Illinois, USA)
Thought for the Day: With God beside me, I can be fearless.
Prayer: Loving Father, help us to remember that you are with us in all circumstances. Cast out our fear of the future. Amen.
Prayer focus: Breast-cancer patients
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Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church
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Wichita KS 67207
316-686-0600
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