Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Thursday, 12 June 2014 "Accept each other with love"

Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Thursday, 12 June 2014 "Accept each other with love"
Daily Scripture:  Ephesians 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love; 3 being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you also were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in us all. 7 But to each one of us was the grace given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Reflection Questions:
Scholar John Dickson wrote, "'humility' (humilitas in Latin; tapeinos in Greek) was not a virtue in Graeco Roman ethics….In its place was philotimia, "the love of honour." Aristotle had insisted that "honour" and "reputation" are among the pleasantest things one could contemplate and attain for oneself." In that setting, it was striking that Ephesians said "humility, gentleness, and patience" are among God's key qualities for building a healthy spiritual body.
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13 about love as the crucial environment in which we use God's gifts and do God's work. To the Ephesians also he said our diversity of gifts is most useful when we do our varied tasks in a spirit of unity, as one body. In what ways have you seen differences in gifts and passions strain the body's unity? What practical steps help to maintain unity among people with very different gifts?
Paul never saw the work God calls us to as a burden. He used words that evoke high adventure and grand privilege: "I encourage you to live as people worthy of the call you received from God" (verse 1). When have you experienced the work you do for God as noble, fulfilling and exhilarating? What helps you to extend that sense of high calling to even routine tasks?
Today's Prayer:
Heavenly Father, it is an honor to work for you. Keep that sense alive in my heart, and help me to extend the same honor to all of those who, like me, are working for you. Amen.
Insight from Shawn Simpson
Shawn Simpson serves as the Director of Technical Arts and Operations at The Church of the Resurrection’s West campus in Olathe, KS.
It’s time for a confession that may shock many people, especially those who know me well…
I’m very self-conscious.
Now, that doesn’t mean that I’m an introvert who spends all day thinking about things and trying to figure out what will or won’t work just because I don’t want anybody to think that I’m incompetent…Oh wait. Yeah, that’s exactly what I do…a lot. Nothing is ever so embarrassing as to be circling a problem only to have a complete novice step in and identify a solution right out of the gate. And yes, that has happened plenty of times.
Rev. Steven Blair mentioned the Myers-Briggs Type Indicators in yesterday’s GPS Insights blog.  I am an INTJ, which fits me very well. The “portrait” of the INTJ is filled with things that most people would ascribe to me without hesitation. For instance, this:
“INTJs live in the world of ideas and strategic planning. They value intelligence, knowledge, and competence, and typically have high standards in these regards, which they continuously strive to fulfill. To a somewhat lesser extent, they have similar expectations of others.”
Oh yeah! That’s me! I want to be smart and competent, and I want those around me to be that way too! Well, until it turns out that sometimes they’re actually smarter and more competent than I am. Then I revert back to that self-conscious guy who is fearful of embarrassing himself with the wrong solution.
And then there’s this little nugget that REALLY pertains to me:
“Others may see them as aloof and reserved…not overly demonstrative of their affections…likely to not give as much praise or positive support as others may need. That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t truly have affection or regard for others, he simply does not typically feel the need to express it.”
Today’s scripture proves that Paul was obviously NOT an INTJ. Had he been, Ephesians would have read more like, “We all know God loves us and that we love each other…now let’s get back to work!” Referring back to Steven’s post, I have to remind myself not to use that as an excuse to not show love. My call may not be to visit hospitals and console grieving families, but I can show love by hanging a ceiling fan or fixing a leaking faucet or changing a tire for somebody who needs that. God gave us all the gift of love and a multitude of ways to demonstrate it to one another. The little known secret inside an INTJ’s head is that, while we may be excited to accomplish a goal for its own sake, we are truly fulfilled by knowing what we do can be useful to others. To me, THAT is love.
-------