Missionary Renegade: Daily Guide grow. pray. study. from The Resurrection United Methodist Church of Leawood, Kansas, United States for Saturday, 6 June 2015

Saturday, June 6, 2015

Daily Guide grow. pray. study. from The Resurrection United Methodist Church of Leawood, Kansas, United States for Saturday, 6 June 2015 - "God: still calling, still knocking"

Daily Scripture: Hebrews 12:1 So then, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us, too, put aside every impediment — that is, the sin which easily hampers our forward movement — and keep running with endurance in the contest set before us, 2 looking away to the Initiator and Completer of that trusting,[a] Yeshua — who, in exchange for obtaining the joy set before him, endured execution on a stake as a criminal, scorning the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.[b] 3 Yes, think about him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you won’t grow tired or become despondent.[Footnotes:

Hebrews 12:2 Habakkuk 2:4

Hebrews 12:2 Psalm 110:1]

Reflection Questions:
Sometimes we think we are racing toward Jesus, that we have to find him. But John Wesley taught that God’s grace has been at work in our hearts before we ever begin to respond to God. As we focus on Jesus, we realize that he has been drawing us all along. Pitcher Jim Bouton wrote, reflectively, “You spend a good piece of your life gripping a baseball, and in the end it turns out that it was the other way around all the time.” Baseball grips its players—and Jesus' love grips each one of us, and changes us for the better.

Scholar Raymond Brown wrote, “The word used here (aphorōntes)…indicates the action of one who, aware of rival attractions, deliberately looks away from other things. This runner must keep his eyes ‘fixed on Jesus,’ not only at the start of the race, but constantly during the whole struggle.” Faced with a calendar that can easily overflow, how do you choose priorities and keep your life focused, rather than randomly overwhelmed (even with good things)? When have you sensed the gripping power of Jesus' self-giving love for you?

Today’s Prayer:
Lord God, you’ve called me, not to one quick dash, but to what one writer called “A Long Obedience in the Same Direction.” Hold my heart firmly in your loving grip, helping me focus more and more on you. Amen.
Family Activity:
We often use the word “love” to describe our passion for chocolate, our family, Mexican food—and baseball! God’s love is the greatest love and is one of the many fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23. This week, discover verses on love in Scripture and find Bible stories about God’s love. Share God’s love with one another and your community with your word and actions. Remember growing love doesn’t have to be practiced in big, fancy ways. Find small, yet meaningful ways to share God’s love with others. When we are open to God growing us through the Holy Spirit, everyday acts will help produce love! Pray daily, asking God to grow love in your heart and lives!Insights from Scott Chrostek

Clifton Guy was unable to write a blog post for today. The following post is adapted from one that Scott Chrostek, campus pastor for Resurrection Downtown, wrote in October of 2010.
Hebrews 12 tells us that “The loving God” depends on nothing more than our willingness to run with perseverance the race before us on the road that leads to the cross. We are called to live the kind of life that leads to and is shaped by the heart of God, or the cross. In the cross we see the perfect love of God and neighbor.
John Wesley believed that in order to ‘stay in love with God’ we needed to pursue the cross by doing. Loving God was about actively engaging God. Growing in love of God was about immersing ourselves in the means of grace, namely doing the work of Mercy and Piety. When we immerse ourselves in the instituted means of grace (works of piety) and pair that with the prudential means of grace (works of mercy) we begin to live a life that looks like the cross, that looks like the lesson Jesus teaches us and the young attorney. However, our success is determined by our decisions, because to stay in love with God is something we do.
In Colossians, Paul urges his church and all of us to continue living our lives, rooted and built up in Christ, just as you were taught. In order to fall in love with God, all we must do is adhere to that, which we have been taught, we shall simply ‘go and do likewise,’ we shall ‘Love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and our neighbors in the same way.’
What will you do today to stay in love with God. Will you pray? Will you read scripture? Will you do no harm? Do good? May God fill you with his grace and inspire you into action that you might grow deeper in love.