The Daily Guide-The Daily Devotion grow. pray. study. from The Resurrection United Methodist Church in Leawood, Kansas, United States for Saturday 12 September 2015 - "Jesus set us free from the fear of death"

The Daily Guide-The Daily Devotion grow. pray. study. from The Resurrection United Methodist Church in Leawood, Kansas, United States for Saturday 12 September 2015 - "Jesus set us free from the fear of death"

Daily Scripture: Hebrews 2:10-15Reflection Questions: 

The New Testament writers had many profound, beautiful ways of talking about why Jesus is central for Christians. Hebrews identified one value, though, that we might miss because it is so simple and basic. Jesus, as the Apostles’ Creed said, “descended” into the realm of death (however we understand the details of that). But he triumphed over that awful experience, and so set all of us free from captivity to the fear of death.

• The human fear, and especially our culture’s fear, of death is so deep-seated that, if we haven’t faced it and processed it internally, we may be unable to “be there” emotionally for friends, family members or even ourselves when illness or other circumstances threaten life. Many of the people you know are indeed “held in slavery their entire lives by their fear of death.” Are you at peace with the fact that you will one day die? How can you share hope and peace with others you know? Bone deep, do you not just think Jesus showed us how to triumph over death, but are you “counting on it”?

Today’s Prayer:

Lord Jesus, “fear not” are your words the Bible repeats over and over. You came into our dark, troubled world. You showed us that what we consider the worst thing is never the last thing. Help me live free from debilitating fear. Amen.

Family Activity:

This week we marked Labor Day. God invites and encourages people of all ages to work! Parents, if you can, take your child to work with you. Show him or her the tasks you do; introduce them to the people with whom you work. If possible, let your child help with a piece of your work. At home, choose a task or skill each member of your family would like to learn. Create plans to develop these skills through reading, taking classes, learning from a friend or neighbor, etc. Talk together about how work, inside or outside your home, can bless others and share the love of God. Seek to honor God in all you say and do. Pray and ask God to help you in your work.

Insights from Lori Trupp

Lori Trupp is the Director of Children’s Ministries at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection.
Is it fear or is it danger? It took me a long time to grasp the fact that fear was different from danger. Danger is legitimate, probable, real. Fear is the belief that something is dangerous, a response to a perceived risk.
According to research conducted by Chapman University, the following are American’s top 5 fears:

1. Public Speaking
2. Heights
3. Bugs, Snakes, other Animals
4. Drowning
5. Blood/Needles

I for sure have 3 out of the 5. How about you? And where does death, by drowning or otherwise, fall on your personal fear list? How many of our fears are dangers? What are we in control of and what are we not? For example, what is the danger in public speaking? Nothing really, right? You might forget what to say, people might laugh. That’s not a danger, that’s a fear. How about drowning. Well. If you don’t know how to swim and you jump into a lake that might be dangerous. But what if you were with an experienced swimmer and had a life jacket on. The danger goes way down, right? So, then it’s not really a danger, just a fear. You get the idea.
Someone once told me that everything I want is on the other side of fear. How often do we allow our fear of something hold us back? I have a fear, a huge fear actually, of swimming because, yes, I am afraid I will drown. Putting my face in the water causes me to panic. I can’t breathe. I can’t see. It’s scary. I am an avid runner and recently a friend of mine encouraged me to sign up for a triathlon. This involves swimming, biking, and running all in the same race. Yep, I said swimming, and it’s the first part of the race. Am I afraid? Yes! But I’m grateful to have been working with a very patient swim coach to get ready for my triathlon. And I know I won’t be in danger. There are lifeguards and race volunteers all along the course keeping a vigilant watch on each and every competitor.
I made a decision not to let my fear of swimming/drowning interfere with experiencing the triumph of setting and achieving a new and challenging goal. If you struggle with a fear, whether it’s the fear of dying, speaking up when you see an injustice, or trying to do something you’ve always wanted to do, I challenge you to find a way to step out of your comfort zone and get past it. If there is danger involved, is there a way you can remove the danger? What can you control when it comes to your fears?
When it comes to death, we really aren’t in control anyway, are we? We can certainly do things to prolong our lives by doing what we can to maintain a healthy lifestyle, physically, mentally, and spiritually. But in the end, we don’t really know. Time is finite, every day is a gift. Let’s commit to releasing our fears and making the most of the time we have

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The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224 United States
913.897.0120
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