The Daily Guide-The Daily Devoetional at The Reusurrection United Methodist Church in Leawood, Kansas, United States for Sunday, 8 November 2015 – "Prayer Tip" "Money: It Can Buy Me a Boat"
Daily Scripture:
Matthew 6:24 No one can be slave to two masters; for he will either hate the first and love the second, or scorn the second and be loyal to the first. You can’t be a slave to both God and money.
25 “Therefore, I tell you, don’t worry about your life — what you will eat or drink; or about your body — what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Prayer Tip:I like treasure hunts. In our family, you are as likely as not to be required to follow clues to find your birthday present. Maps, clues and riddles can lead you on a long journey to the treasure at the other end, and often it is not what you expected!
Matthew 6:21 tells us For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
This week in the beginning of a sermon series about Stewardship, it seems like a good time to reflect on our own personal treasure through prayer and find some clues to help us identify where we hold that treasure. One way to do this is through an adapted version of the prayer practice called Examen. In this Examen we are going to be focusing on where and what our treasure is. You might need some supplies for this treasure hunt – a journal or some paper to write on, possibly a candle to light your way and a quiet place to conduct your journey in prayer.
First, sit quietly for a few minutes and recall that you are in the presence of God. In every part of your life, God is reaching out to you, longing to show you where the real treasure is.
Spend a moment looking over your day with gratitude for this day’s gifts. Be concrete and let special moments or pleasures spring to mind. Take stock of what you received and what you gave. Give thanks to God for favors received. Recall your strengths for the journey, your hope, your sense of humor, your reliance on faith, your sense of humor, your heart and mind and health, your family and your friends. As you move through the details of your day, give thanks to God for His presence in the big and the small things of your life.
Ask God to send you His Holy Spirit to help you look at your actions and attitudes and motives with honesty and patience. “When the Spirit of truth comes he will guide you into all truth.” (John 16:13) Ask that you will learn and grow as you reflect, thus deepening your knowledge of self and your relationship with God.
Now review your day. This is where you will probably want to use your paper and pen to either write down your observations, or even map them out visually – a treasure map! You won’t identify all the treasure yet, but you can map the road you took through the day. Explore the setting and context for your thoughts and actions. Allow God to speak, challenge, encourage and teach you.
The final step is our heart-to-heart talk with Jesus. Here you speak with Jesus about your day. Answer these questions and ask God to show you clearly where to find your treasure. Put a treasure map X next to the real treasure that God shows you. Mark the false trails that you thought led to treasure but only led to empty holes in the ground or dangerous swamps. Pay attention to your heart as you do this. Do you feel led to seek forgiveness, ask for direction, share a concern, or express gratitude? Stop at any point and let Jesus know what you are thinking and feeling.
What part of my day took most of my time and my energy?
When did I feel closest to God?
When did I feel farthest from God?
When did I feel the most alive?
When did I feel like the life was being sucked out of me?
When did I feel the most like myself?
When did I feel fake?
Finally, look at your “treasure map.” What sort of treasure did you find? Is the treasure of your heart what you thought it would be? End your time in prayer and thank God for your treasure, and for showing you the possibilities and opportunities to enjoy the treasure of a life focused on God’s will.[Jennifer Creager, Prayer Ministry]Insights from Clif Guy
Clifton Guy serves as the Director of Information Technology at The Church of the Resurrection.
Back in January of this year, Pastor Adam preached a series he called “Half Truths” about things well-meaning people say that they think are true and Christian, but aren’t biblical at all. One of those half-truths is “God helps those who help themselves.” 50-80% of Christians believe this saying has a biblical origin. Many think it’s one of the Ten Commandments. Pastor Adam explained that this phrase appears nowhere in the Bible. Rather, the Bible’s message is one of God’s grace to all people. God’s desire is to help everyone, especially the poor, powerless, or disadvantaged.
Today’s GPS also makes the point that God helps those who CAN’T help themselves. In John 10 we read that Jesus is our Good Shepherd who loves us sacrificially and seeks superabundant life for us, regardless of our incapacity, ignorance, willful disobedience, laziness, or other sin. In Ezekiel 34 we read that God saw the Israelites as leaderless, scattered, endangered sheep without a shepherd. Ezekiel proclaimed the good news that God would personally shepherd the people and bring them back home, to a place of security and abundance.
So what does this tell us about the meaning of life? Life can seem cruel, arbitrary, and purposeless. It’s easy to believe life is a competition for one’s own share of the world’s finite resources. We slip into thinking that prosperity is strictly the result of personal effort, rather than the unmerited gift of our gracious God. Real life, superabundant life, begins with trusting that God is able to supply all our needs. Jesus is our Good Shepherd. Our security lies in him and not in ourselves.---------------------
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The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Back in January of this year, Pastor Adam preached a series he called “Half Truths” about things well-meaning people say that they think are true and Christian, but aren’t biblical at all. One of those half-truths is “God helps those who help themselves.” 50-80% of Christians believe this saying has a biblical origin. Many think it’s one of the Ten Commandments. Pastor Adam explained that this phrase appears nowhere in the Bible. Rather, the Bible’s message is one of God’s grace to all people. God’s desire is to help everyone, especially the poor, powerless, or disadvantaged.
Today’s GPS also makes the point that God helps those who CAN’T help themselves. In John 10 we read that Jesus is our Good Shepherd who loves us sacrificially and seeks superabundant life for us, regardless of our incapacity, ignorance, willful disobedience, laziness, or other sin. In Ezekiel 34 we read that God saw the Israelites as leaderless, scattered, endangered sheep without a shepherd. Ezekiel proclaimed the good news that God would personally shepherd the people and bring them back home, to a place of security and abundance.
So what does this tell us about the meaning of life? Life can seem cruel, arbitrary, and purposeless. It’s easy to believe life is a competition for one’s own share of the world’s finite resources. We slip into thinking that prosperity is strictly the result of personal effort, rather than the unmerited gift of our gracious God. Real life, superabundant life, begins with trusting that God is able to supply all our needs. Jesus is our Good Shepherd. Our security lies in him and not in ourselves.---------------------
Download the GPS App
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224 United States
913.897.0120
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