Missionary Renegade: The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States for Tuesday, 14 June 2016

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States for Tuesday, 14 June 2016 - “What do you want me to do for you?”

The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States for Tuesday, 14 June 2016 - “What do you want me to do for you?”
Daily Scripture: Matthew 20:29 As they were leaving Yericho, a large crowd followed Yeshua. 30 Two blind men sitting by the side of the road heard that he was passing by and shouted, “Son of David! Have pity on us!” 31 The crowd scolded them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord! Son of David! Have pity on us!” 32 Yeshua stopped, called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 They said to him, “Lord, open our eyes.” 34 Filled with tenderness, Yeshua touched their eyes; and instantly they received their sight and followed him.
Reflection Questions:
Coming out of the city of Jericho, Jesus heard two blind men calling, “Show us mercy, Lord, Son of David.” Yet he responded by asking them what they wanted him to do for them. You might think their blindness made that obvious, but Jesus did not treat them that way. It appears that he knew that answering his question would clarify, for the men and for everyone else, the most deeply-held yearning of their hearts.

If you imagine Jesus asking you, “What do you want me to do for you?” it’s likely that one or more answers comes to your mind right away. Take some time to let the question “soak.” Does your immediate answer express your heart’s deepest yearning, or is there something more enduring or of greater eternal impact that you would ask for?
Through the prophet Nathan, God promised David and his descendants, “I will be a father to him, and he will be a son to me” (2 Samuel 7:14). But neither David nor any of his human descendants could fully live out those promises. So Israel came to call the Messiah the true “son of David,” who would fulfill all God’s promises. In Jesus, God redeemed our human history and pointed it toward its eternal destiny. What does it mean, each day, for you to ask the “Son of David” to be the king of your life?

Today’s Prayer:
Lord Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. Guide my life in your paths today and every day. Amen.
-------Insights from Allie Love

Allie Love is currently serving as a summer intern for The Church of the Resurrection’s Local Impact ministry. She recently graduated from Kansas State University and will start a 5th grade teaching job in the Fall. She loves assisting the Missions department and all they do to serve students, teachers, and their families.
“What can I do for you?” is a question I frequently ask as an intern. I ask this question often because I am seeking to serve my department, but also because I am still learning the ropes of my new position. I need clarification as I am learning how best to fulfill my new role.
I think it is interesting that Jesus asked this same question of the blind men on the road from Jericho in Matthew 20:29-34. As they cried out for mercy, he asks, “What can I do for you?” as if he doesn’t already know what they need. Clearly, the question was not for Jesus’ benefit, but for the benefit of the blind men. (That’s the thing about Jesus–everything he does is for our benefit.) If Jesus were to ask this question of me, what would I ask that he do? It takes me all of two seconds to think of all the things I’d ask for! I’d love for my family to be closer, I’d love for God to bless my relationships with others, I’d love for him to make my first year of teaching smooth. But when Jesus asks this question of the blind men, they don’t ask for a million little things to be better in their lives. They respond with “We want our sight, Lord.” They ask to see Jesus!
Is it possible that my response should be the same as theirs–to receive sight? No, I am not blind, but I want Jesus to do the same thing for me metaphorically. I want him to give me sight to see what really matters. I want to ask him for things that have eternal significance that enable me to see and follow Jesus more clearly, just as the blind men were able to do.
In my opinion, that’s what following Jesus is about. When I ask the Son of David to be the King of my life, I lose concern for myself, and desire to see Jesus more clearly. Thank Jesus for the mercy he gives me daily when I lose sight of him.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. Guide my life in your paths today and every day. Amen.