Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church Wichita, Kansas, United States - Daily Devotional for Tuesday, 24 February 2015

Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church Wichita, Kansas, United States - Daily Devotional for Tuesday, 24 February 2015

Today please be in prayer for:

Stephen Griffith   Lincoln Saint Paul UMC Blue River District

Nancy Lambert Director of Clergy Excellence and Assistant to the Bishop Blue River District

James Daniel Safarik   Lincoln St Luke UMC Blue River District

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This Week's Lectionary
Lectionary Scriptures:
1st Sunday in Lent-Purple
This Sunday, February 22, 2015
First Sunday in Lent - Genesis 9:8-17
Psalm 25:1-10
1 Peter 3:18-22
Mark 1:9-15
Scripture Texts: Genesis 9:(v) 8 God spoke to Noach and his sons with him; he said, 9 “As for me — I am herewith establishing my covenant with you, with your descendants after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you — the birds, the livestock and every wild animal with you, all going out of the ark, every animal on earth. 11 I will establish my covenant with you that never again will all living beings be destroyed by the waters of a flood, and there will never again be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 God added, “Here is the sign of the covenant I am making between myself and you and every living creature with you, for all generations to come: 13 I am putting my rainbow in the cloud — it will be there as a sign of the covenant between myself and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth, and the rainbow is seen in the cloud; 15 I will remember my covenant which is between myself and you and every living creature of any kind; and the water will never again become a flood to destroy all living beings. 16 The rainbow will be in the cloud; so that when I look at it, I will remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of any kind on the earth.”
17 God said to Noach, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between myself and every living creature on the earth.”

Psalm 25:(0) By David:

(1) I lift my inner being to you, Adonai;

2 I trust you, my God.

Don’t let me be disgraced,

don’t let my enemies gloat over me.

3 No one waiting for you will be disgraced;

disgrace awaits those who break faith for no reason.

4 Make me know your ways, Adonai,

teach me your paths.

5 Guide me in your truth, and teach me;

for you are the God who saves me,

my hope is in you all day long.

6 Remember your compassion and grace, Adonai;

for these are ages old.

7 Don’t remember my youthful sins or transgressions;

but remember me according to your grace

for the sake of your goodness, Adonai.

8 Adonai is good, and he is fair;

this is why he teaches sinners the way [to live],

9 leads the humble to do what is right

and teaches the humble [to live] his way.

10 All Adonai’s paths are grace and truth

to those who keep his covenant and instructions.

1 Peter 3:18 For the Messiah himself died for sins, once and for all, a righteous person on behalf of unrighteous people, so that he might bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh but brought to life by the Spirit; 19 and in this form he went and made a proclamation to the imprisoned spirits, 20 to those who were disobedient long ago, in the days of Noach, when God waited patiently during the building of the ark, in which a few people — to be specific, eight — were delivered by means of water. 21 This also prefigures what delivers us now, the water of immersion, which is not the removal of dirt from the body, but one’s pledge to keep a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Yeshua the Messiah. 22 He has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God,[a] with angels, authorities and powers subject to him.[Footnotes:

1 Peter 3:22 Psalm 110:1]

Mark 1:9 Shortly thereafter, Yeshua came from Natzeret in the Galil and was immersed in the Yarden by Yochanan. 10 Immediately upon coming up out of the water, he saw heaven torn open and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove; 11 then a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, whom I love; I am well pleased with you.”

12 Immediately the Spirit drove him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by the Adversary. He was with the wild animals, and the angels took care of him.

14 After Yochanan had been arrested, Yeshua came into the Galil proclaiming the Good News from God:

15 “The time has come,

God’s Kingdom is near!

Turn to God from your sins

and believe the Good News!”

John Wesley's Notes-Commentary for Genesis 9:8-17

Verse 9

[9] And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;

We have here the general establishment of God's covenant with this new world, and the extent of that covenant.

Verse 11

[11] And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.

There shall not any more be a flood — God had drowned the world once, and still it is as provoking as ever; yet he will never drown it any more, for he deals not with us according to our sins. This promise of God keeps the sea and clouds in their decreed place, and sets them gates and bars, Hitherto they shall come, Job 38:10,11. If the sea should flow but for a few days, as it doth twice every day for a few hours, what desolations would it make? So would the clouds, if such showers as we have sometimes seen, were continued long. But God by flowing seas, and sweeping rains, shews what he could do in wrath; and yet by preserving the earth from being deluged between both, shews what he can do in mercy, and will do in truth.

Verse 13

[13] I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.

I set my bow in the clouds — The rainbow, 'tis likely was seen in the clouds before, but was never a seal of the covenant 'till now. Now, concerning this seal of the covenant, observe, (1.) This seal is affixed with repeated assurances of the truth of that promise, which it was designed to be the ratification of; I do set my bow in the cloud, Genesis 9:13. It shall be seen in the cloud, Genesis 9:14. and it shall be a token of the covenant, Genesis 9:12,13. And I will remember my covenant, that the waters shall no more become a flood, Genesis 9:15. Nay, as if the eternal Mind needed a memorandum, I will look upon it that I may remember the everlasting covenant, Genesis 9:16. (2.) The rainbow appears when the clouds are most disposed to wet; when we have most reason to fear the rain prevailing, God shews this seal of the promise that it shall not prevail. (3.) The rainbow appears when one part of the sky is clear, which imitates mercy remembered in the midst of wrath, and the clouds are hemmed as it were with the rainbow, that it may not overspread the heavens, for the bow is coloured rain, or the edges of a cloud gilded. As God looks upon the bow that he may remember the covenant, so should we, that we also may be ever mindful of the covenant with faith and thankfulness.

Psalm 25:1-10

Verse 2
[2] O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.
Ashamed — Disappointed of my hope.
Verse 3

[3] Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.

Cause — Without any provocation of mine.

Verse 4

[4] Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.

Teach — Teach me my duty, and cause me to keep close to it, notwithstanding all temptations.

Verse 8

[8] Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.

Upright — Holy and true, in all his declarations and offers of mercy to sinners.

Therefore — He will not be wanting to such poor sinners as I am, but will guide them into the way of life and peace.

Verse 9

[9] The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.

The meek — Such as meekly submit themselves to God, and are desirous to be directed and governed by him.

Judgment — In the paths of judgment, in the right way.

Verse 10

[10] All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.

Paths — All the dealings of God with them, yea even those that are afflictive, are done in kindness and faithfulness to them.

1 Peter 3:18-22

Verse 18
[18] For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
For — This is undoubtedly best, whereby we are most conformed to Christ. Now Christ suffered once - To suffer no more.
For sins — Not his own, but ours.

The just for the unjust — The word signifies, not only them who have wronged their neighbours, but those who have transgressed any of the commands of God; as the preceding word, just, denotes a person who has fulfilled, not barely social duties, but all kind of righteousness.

That he might bring us to God — Now to his gracious favour, hereafter to his blissful presence, by the same steps of suffering and of glory.

Being put to death in the flesh — As man.

But raised to life by the Spirit — Both by his own divine power, and by the power of the Holy Ghost.

Verse 19

[19] By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;

By which Spirit he preached - Through the ministry of Noah.

To the spirits in prison — The unholy men before the flood, who were then reserved by the justice of God, as in a prison, till he executed the sentence upon them all; and are now also reserved to the judgment of the great day.

Verse 20

[20] Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

When the longsuffering of God waited — For an hundred and twenty years; all the time the ark was preparing: during which Noah warned them all to flee from the wrath to come.

Verse 21

[21] The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

The antitype whereof — The thing typified by the ark, even baptism, now saveth us - That is, through the water of baptism we are saved from the sin which overwhelms the world as a flood: not, indeed, the bare outward sign, but the inward grace; a divine consciousness that both our persons and our actions are accepted through him who died and rose again for us.

Verse 22

[22] Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

Angels and authorities and powers — That is, all orders both of angels and men.

Mark 1:9-15

Verse 9
[9] And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.
Matthew 3:13; Luke 3:21.
Verse 12

[12] And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.

And immediately the Spirit thrusteth him out into the wilderness — So in all the children of God, extraordinary manifestations of his favour are wont to be followed by extraordinary temptations. Matthew 4:1; Luke 4:1.

Verse 13

[13] And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.

And he was there forty days, tempted by Satan — Invisibly. After this followed the temptation by him in a visible shape, related by St. Matthew.

And he was with the wild beasts — Though they had no power to hurt him. St. Mark not only gives us a compendium of St. Matthew's Gospel, but likewise several valuable particulars, which the other evangelists have omitted.

Verse 14

[14] Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

Matthew 4:12.

Verse 15

[15] And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

The time is fulfilled — The time of my kingdom, foretold by Daniel, expected by you, is fully come.

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Upper Room Daily Reflections, a ministry of Global Board of Discipleship
PO Box 340004
Nashville, Tennessee 37203-0004 United States
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Sermon Story "God's Covenant" by Gary Lee Parker for Sunday, 22 February 2015 with Scripture Text: Genesis 9:(v) 8 God spoke to Noach and his sons with him; he said, 9 “As for me — I am herewith establishing my covenant with you, with your descendants after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you — the birds, the livestock and every wild animal with you, all going out of the ark, every animal on earth. 11 I will establish my covenant with you that never again will all living beings be destroyed by the waters of a flood, and there will never again be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 God added, “Here is the sign of the covenant I am making between myself and you and every living creature with you, for all generations to come: 13 I am putting my rainbow in the cloud — it will be there as a sign of the covenant between myself and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth, and the rainbow is seen in the cloud; 15 I will remember my covenant which is between myself and you and every living creature of any kind; and the water will never again become a flood to destroy all living beings. 16 The rainbow will be in the cloud; so that when I look at it, I will remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of any kind on the earth.”

17 God said to Noach, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between myself and every living creature on the earth.”

We come to this first Sunday of Lent 2015 after we went through Ash Wednesday's Service to rreceive the sign of the cross with ashes to remind us of our mortal bodies. Now, we begin this journey to Easter 2015 wondering what god has instore for us besides giving up something up or even taking on a new practice to draw us closer to God. We realize that God has placed covenants with us humans to take care of us despite our desire to continue to sin against His way and His Holiness. We see in the Scriptures where baptism is mentioned as Jesus begins His ministry and baptism to the early church meant to take on the sufferings of Jesus to live as He taught us, but we go further to the destruction of all the living creatures except for two of each kind and one human family. This man and his sons have seen the flood waters destroy everything as they rode in a boat that contained every living creature that God had made for forty days and nights. Now, we see that the flood waters have receeded and Noah gave a burnt offerings to God for His salvation for him and his fmaily. God spoke to Noah and said that he will make a covenant with him and his sons that He will never destroy the earth by flood and He will give a rainbow as a covenant promise to do this. We look from history what God has done and He has kept His covenant that He would not destroy the earth and all inhabitants on it with a flood despite their continuous sin against Him and His earthly creation. Through this covenant, god chose a people to live and teach the love of God and to live our lives in God's ways, but sin still reigned. So, God did not destroy the people and all creation, but sent His Son to redeem His creation from ourselves. We explore this covenant today to see how God really loves us to redeem us as we really our sinfulness and repent and place all of our trust and love in Him to ead us through this world by His Holy Spirit to spend all eternity with Him. May we begin this lenten season in anticipation of what He is about to do for each us and for us in a communal manner to bring to light His Salvation and love for all of His creation on earth as it is in Heaven. May we sing this hymn as we move into the week of being Christ's to all other people including ourselves and families: "Forty days and forty nights, Thou wast fasting in the wild" by George Hunt Smyttan (1856)

1. Forty days and forty nights
Thou wast fasting in the wild;

Forty days and forty nights

Tempted, and yet undefiled.

2. Shall not we Thy sorrow share,

And from earthly joys abstain,

Fasting with unceasing prayer,

Glad with Thee to suffer pain?

3. And if Satan vexing sore,

Flesh or spirit should assail,

Thou, his Vanquisher before,

Grant we may not faint or fail.

4. So shall we have peace divine;

Holier gladness ours shall be;

Round us, too, shall angels shine,

Such as minister'd to Thee.

5. Keep, O keep us, Saviour dear,

Ever constant by Thy side;

That with Thee we may appear
At th' eternal Eastertide.

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Gary Lee Parker
4147 Idaho Street
San Diego, California 92104-1844, United States
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Today's Devotional:
The Upper Room Daily Devotional Nashville, Tennessee, United States “Where We Don’t Want to Go" for Tuesday, 24 February 2015 - Scripture: Matthew 26:36 Then Yeshua went with his talmidim to a place called Gat-Sh’manim and said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took with him Kefa and Zavdai’s two sons. Grief and anguish came over him, 38 and he said to them, “My heart is so filled with sadness that I could die! Remain here and stay awake with me.” 39 Going on a little farther, he fell on his face, praying, “My Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me! Yet — not what I want, but what you want!” 40 He returned to the talmidim and found them sleeping. He said to Kefa, “Were you so weak that you couldn’t stay awake with me for even an hour? 41 Stay awake, and pray that you will not be put to the test — the spirit indeed is eager, but human nature is weak.”
42 A second time he went off and prayed. “My Father, if this cup cannot pass away unless I drink it, let what you want be done.” 43 Again he returned and found them sleeping, their eyes were so heavy.
44 Leaving them again, he went off and prayed a third time, saying the same words. 45 Then he came to the talmidim and said, “For now, go on sleeping, take your rest. . . . Look! The time has come for the Son of Man to be betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Get up! Let’s go! Here comes my betrayer!”
When you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.[John 21:18 (NIV)]
Recently my mom endured several hospital stays and a stint in a nursing facility for rehab. Though weak, she still managed sparks of wry humor. One afternoon as I fastened her hospital gown, she pasted on a smile and said, “I sure can relate to that verse about someone else dressing you and taking you where you don’t want to go.”
Later, I pondered Jesus’ words to Peter in John 21:18. Like Mom, we all occasionally face circumstances over which we have no control. What do we do? Jesus’ next words offer the solution: “Follow me” (John 21: 19). Jesus left an example for us to follow. (See 1 Pet. 2:21.) How did he handle the prospect of unavoidable pain and suffering? What did he do when he knew what was necessary but still hoped for a way out?
To answer these questions God led me to Matthew 26:36-46. Jesus’ time in the Garden of Gethsemane reveals four steps he took that we can follow. First, we can pray, and then pray some more. Then, we can accept what cannot be changed. Next we can submit control to God. Finally, we can step out in faith, assured that God will go with us.
Read more from the author, here."My Mother the Overcomer"

My mother is an overcomer. With God’s help, Mom overcame the acutepancreatitis she was suffering with when I wrote the meditation for the Upper Room. She also defeated cancer, and septicemia.
Overcoming challenges isn’t new to my mom. When Mom was 12, her father died of silicosis. Her mother, who was only 28 at the time, turned to alcohol and men for comfort.
Mom’s grandparents were deceased and her aunts offered little assistance, often joining their sister at the local bars. So, my mom quit school after finishing the eighth grade in order to stay home and take care of her three younger siblings. She did the best she could, often needing to visit her mother’s favorite bar to ask for money to buy groceries.
In 1951 Mom married my dad. Two years later, I was born. Her life with Daddy brought many blessings, but alcohol again played its part. Daddy gradually moved from an occasional beer to multiple shots of whiskey daily. In the process, this fun-loving, sociable man withdrew more and more as the years went by.
My mom didn't just survive all these disadvantages life threw at her, she thrived. She studied and got her GED while in her fifties. She went from sewing in a factory to managing the branch office for an oil company. She took the Dale Carnegie courses. She led youth, chaired her church council, and taught Sunday school.
And while accomplishing whatever she set her mind to, she never missed a high school play, band or chorus concert, church service, or graduation. She sewed clothing for her four children, cooked, cleaned, washed clothes in an old wringer washer, and taxied us to events as many as four hours away. She was and is the quintessential Proverbs 31 woman.
At 82, Mom still serves on the board at the local senior citizens center, quilts for charity every Monday evening, and attends Bible study. She transports her friends who never got their drivers’ licenses and plays to win at Scrabble. Mom visits the sick and shut-in and participates in the annual Relay for Life.
Never once have I heard Mom complain about her difficult life. The things she tells me are said as though she is merely sharing challenges everyone faces. She is not embittered or defeated. Mom has never let her past steal from her future. I am so thankful God blessed me with this amazing woman. I love you, Mom![Pam Williams, http://www.2encourage.blogspot.com/]The Author: Pamela Williams (Pennsylvania, USA)
Thought for the Day: In tough times, I will remember to pray and step out in faith.
Prayer: Dear Lord, in the circumstances we are powerless to change, help us to relinquish control to you. Amen.
Prayer focus: Families caring for an older adult____________________________
Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church
9440 E Boston, Suite 160
Wichita KS 67207
316-686-0600
800-745-2350
info@greatplainsumc.org

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