The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States for Sunday, 05 June 2016 – "Prayer Tip: Questions Are The Answer"

The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States for Sunday, 05 June 2016 – "Prayer Tip: Questions Are The Answer"
Daily Scripture: Matthew 7:7 “Keep asking, and it will be given to you; keep seeking, and you will find; keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who keeps asking receives; he who keeps seeking finds; and to him who keeps knocking, the door will be opened. 9 Is there anyone here who, if his son asks him for a loaf of bread, will give him a stone? 10 or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 So if you, even though you are bad, know how to give your children gifts that are good, how much more will your Father in heaven keep giving good things to those who keep asking him!

12 “Always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that sums up the teaching of the Torah and the Prophets.

Prayer Tip:
We know the greatest commandments are to love God with all we are and all we have and to love our neighbors as ourselves. We know we are saved by Jesus’ sacrifice and not our own behavior and works. But sometimes, we get stuck with a legalistic perspective. Rather than seek God’s guidance on how we can best love God and others, we seek people’s direction and approval, which will get us nowhere; it is impossible to please everyone all the time.
I’m not discounting legitimate authority or the counsel of the saints. We can learn a lot from the experiences and knowledge of other faithful Christians, but figuring out the motivations and perspectives behind the advice others are giving can help us discern how much of their instruction to accept and act on. The young man who asked Jesus who his neighbors were when he was trying to figure out whom to love as himself was probably well respected in his community, and those who asked for his input would likely have thought he gave pretty sound advice. But Jesus saw things differently than the young man. The young man’s perspective might not necessarily have been wrong, but it wasn’t a good as Jesus’ way.
In addition to looking at what causes others to give the advice they give, we also need to look at our own motivations and perspectives. Paul tells us in Romans 12:3 to look at ourselves with sober judgment. If we can’t honestly ask ourselves the tough questions about why we want to do something, we may be trying to justify our own desires rather than striving to truly love God and others.
Holy God
You know the needs of each of us. We want to love people as you do, and we want to serve them well. Open us up to your guidance so we might best represent you. Show us when to seek the counsel of others and when to act. We want to love you and please you. Help us to know you more so we can better discern your will.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.[Angela LaVallie Tinsley, Funeral and Prayer Ministry]
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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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