The Daily Guide-The Daily Devtional grow. pray. study. at The Resurrection United Methodist Church in Leawood, Kansas, United States for Friday, 6 November 2015 - “Life to the fullest”
Daily Scripture: John 10:1 “Yes, indeed! I tell you, the person who doesn’t enter the sheep-pen through the door, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 But the one who goes in through the gate is the sheep’s own shepherd. 3 This is the one the gate-keeper admits, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep, each one by name, and leads them out. 4 After taking out all that are his own, he goes on ahead of them; and the sheep follow him because they recognize his voice. 5 They never follow a stranger but will run away from him, because strangers’ voices are unfamiliar to them.”
6 Yeshua used this indirect manner of speaking with them, but they didn’t understand what he was talking to them about. 7 So Yeshua said to them again, “Yes, indeed! I tell you that I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All those who have come before me have been thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. 9 I am the gate; if someone enters through me, he will be safe and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only in order to steal, kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, life in its fullest measure.
---------------------Reflection Questions:
At first, as Jesus spoke of serving as a shepherd, he said he was “the gate.” The figure of speech may sound strange. But on open hillsides, sheep sometimes spent the night in a three-sided enclosure. The shepherd would lie across the opening, thus literally serving as “the gate” to protect and guide his sheep. Jesus said his purpose for all of us was that we could live “life to the fullest.”
- Scholar William Barclay wrote, “The Greek phrase used for ‘having it more abundantly’ means to have a superabundance of a thing. To be a follower of Jesus, to know who he is and what he means, is to have a superabundance of life.” In what ways have you found life deeper and more meaningful as a follower of Jesus?
- Jesus said, “All who came before me were thieves and outlaws.” He didn’t mean God’s great Old Testament servants, but the many false messiahs who tried to convince people that violence and hatred were the way to bring God’s kingdom on earth. Do you ever find it surprising that Jesus' peaceful followers changed the world for the better more effectively than all the violent revolutionaries in his day or since?
Lord Jesus, thank you for your gift of superabundant life. Help me discern, and live into, the wonderful ways that your gift makes my life more than I could have ever imagined. Amen.
---------------------Insights from Darren Lippe
Darren Lippe helps facilitate Journey 101 “Loving God” classes, guides a 7th-grade Sunday school class, is a member of a small group & a men’s group, and serves on the Curriculum team.
Jesus makes a series of intriguing contentions in today’s passage: The sheep in our story will recognize their master’s voice, they will follow the instructions of this familiar speaker, & further, the sheep will instinctively scatter if they don’t recognize the person calling to them. How might these assertions relate to our faith walk today? Let’s take a look.
First, we have to acknowledge that we are definitely built to recognize voices in our everyday lives. Studies have shown that infants can identify the voices of their parents almost immediately after birth. (I do hope they didn’t waste too much taxpayer money on this research; in exchange for a slick T-Shirt, any KidsCOR nursery volunteer could have told them that.)
Secondly, even we adults have the ability to process a voice & immediately know who is speaking or the context of the message.
Some can be funny: “Where’s the beef?”
Some indicate time is about to be wasted: “Like sands through the hourglass, so are the Days of Our Lives.”
Some signal when we are under the weather: “Come on down! You are the next contestant on the Price is Right!”
And, some can just be irritating: “Good evening baseball fans. Welcome to the 2015 World Series. I’m Joe Buck.”
However, the implication of Jesus’ premise is significant. What if we are created with an innate sense to hear God? What if our life cannot be fully functional & our potential cannot be fully realized without these Godly interactions?
This realization, that we are designed to connect with God, then, demands that our daily routines should be altered.
First, our approach to worship, to prayer, & to Bible study must be radically different. Yes, we go to church to worship God, but we should also ensure we are consciously making the effort to hear God’s message for us. Our time in prayer is not just spent with us talking to God, but also setting aside time to hear God’s counsel. Our time in Bible study should be designed to help us feel at home with God & His Word, so that we can better tune in & receive God’s guidance for our lives.
Secondly, Jesus’ homily also changes our perception of God’s interactions with us. We should no longer consider the idea of hearing God as some freakish/miraculous event; rather, we should view it as an almost routine dialogue between God & His beloved children.
Finally, Jesus’ thesis has to enhance our view of ourselves: we are worthy of God’s dialogue! Since we are wonderfully made in His image, should it be surprising that He would want to interact with us, to share in our joys & sorrows, & to rejoice in our redemption?
So, perhaps today is a good day to start to consciously seek out God, to thoughtfully converse with Him, & then to pause & deliberately seek to hear His Word.
Whoops. I’ve got to go. “Time to make the donuts.”
---------------------
Download the GPS App
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Jesus makes a series of intriguing contentions in today’s passage: The sheep in our story will recognize their master’s voice, they will follow the instructions of this familiar speaker, & further, the sheep will instinctively scatter if they don’t recognize the person calling to them. How might these assertions relate to our faith walk today? Let’s take a look.
First, we have to acknowledge that we are definitely built to recognize voices in our everyday lives. Studies have shown that infants can identify the voices of their parents almost immediately after birth. (I do hope they didn’t waste too much taxpayer money on this research; in exchange for a slick T-Shirt, any KidsCOR nursery volunteer could have told them that.)
Secondly, even we adults have the ability to process a voice & immediately know who is speaking or the context of the message.
Some can be funny: “Where’s the beef?”
Some indicate time is about to be wasted: “Like sands through the hourglass, so are the Days of Our Lives.”
Some signal when we are under the weather: “Come on down! You are the next contestant on the Price is Right!”
And, some can just be irritating: “Good evening baseball fans. Welcome to the 2015 World Series. I’m Joe Buck.”
However, the implication of Jesus’ premise is significant. What if we are created with an innate sense to hear God? What if our life cannot be fully functional & our potential cannot be fully realized without these Godly interactions?
This realization, that we are designed to connect with God, then, demands that our daily routines should be altered.
First, our approach to worship, to prayer, & to Bible study must be radically different. Yes, we go to church to worship God, but we should also ensure we are consciously making the effort to hear God’s message for us. Our time in prayer is not just spent with us talking to God, but also setting aside time to hear God’s counsel. Our time in Bible study should be designed to help us feel at home with God & His Word, so that we can better tune in & receive God’s guidance for our lives.
Secondly, Jesus’ homily also changes our perception of God’s interactions with us. We should no longer consider the idea of hearing God as some freakish/miraculous event; rather, we should view it as an almost routine dialogue between God & His beloved children.
Finally, Jesus’ thesis has to enhance our view of ourselves: we are worthy of God’s dialogue! Since we are wonderfully made in His image, should it be surprising that He would want to interact with us, to share in our joys & sorrows, & to rejoice in our redemption?
So, perhaps today is a good day to start to consciously seek out God, to thoughtfully converse with Him, & then to pause & deliberately seek to hear His Word.
Whoops. I’ve got to go. “Time to make the donuts.”
---------------------Download the GPS App
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224 United States
913.897.0120
____________________________
____________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment