Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Saturday, 7 June 2014 "Working for the good of all"

Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Saturday, 7 June 2014 "Working for the good of all"
Daily Scripture: Galatians 6:4 But let each man test his own work, and then he will take pride in himself and not in his neighbor. 5 For each man will bear his own burden. 6 But let him who is taught in the word share all good things with him who teaches. 7 Don’t be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 Let us not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season, if we don’t give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let’s do what is good toward all men, and especially toward those who are of the household of the faith.
Reflection Question:
Our culture's tendency to treat work as a competition, with title, paycheck and office location as the scoreboard, often makes work a tiresome burden. If we buy into that view, Paul's counsel to his converts to "be happy with doing a good job and not compare themselves with others" sounds hopelessly naïve. But Paul knew (we'll study this next week) that each of us is uniquely gifted, and called to be who we are made to be (not a clone of anyone else). If we grasp and accept that truth, the pointlessness of comparison begins to appear, and God frees us to "work for the good of all," rather than trying to elbow our way ahead of one another.
Paul expressed his concern forcefully: "Those who plant only for their own benefit will harvest devastation from their selfishness" (verse 8). The word "only" is significant—he was not saying it was wrong to benefit from your own work. As you review whatever kinds of work (paid or unpaid) you currently do, is there any of it you would have to say honestly is only for your own benefit? Are there some types of work you do that you could accurately describe as "working for the good of all"? How can you continue to grow in your ability to make working for the good of all your primary motivator?
Family Activity:
God invites and encourages people of all ages to work! Parents, if you are able, take your child to work with you. Show him or her the tasks you do and introduce them to the people with whom you work. If possible, let your child participate in a piece of your work. At home, choose a task or skill each member of your family would like to learn. Work to create a plan to develop these skills through reading, taking classes, learning from a friend or neighbor, etc. Talk together about how you can use work, inside or outside your home, to bless others and share the love of God. Pray and ask God to help you in all of your work.
Today's Prayer:
God of all creation, Jesus modeled for me a life that consistently focused on working for the good of all. Guide me as I seek to become more and more like Jesus in my own working life. Amen.
Insight from Kelly Sisney
Kelly Sisney serves as Director of Operations and Community Life for Resurrection’s Downtown campus.
I’ve just always wanted extra credit. I know you can’t get to heaven by good works but deep down I’ve always hoped the good Lord was perhaps keeping track.
I grew up in a conditional household. Love was based on how well you performed. The irony was, you couldn’t brag about it or you were quickly punished for being a bragger. I was perpetually trying to figure out how to show the good I was doing and get lucky enough to have one of my parents see me. Of course, they also would never tell you that what you did was great because it would make me egotistical…I couldn’t win!
I made the mistake early on in life of assuming that this was how I was loved and measured by God. Certainly I couldn’t imagine being loved more by Jesus than by my parents. Wouldn’t His parameters have been tighter? Wouldn’t He see my true heart?
I’m now 50 and I’m finally realizing that no love is greater than God’s. I’m just coming to the understanding He could love me despite my flaws, my laziness, my sometimes lack of faith. In coming to this realization I’ve had to look at how I work. In my job, I feel like God is my boss (with Adam Hamilton following right after)! It’s humbling to realize that what I do as an employee of Church of the Resurrection is just one small piece in the scheme of all the amazing things my fellow employees and those who are volunteers do. Slowly, I’m getting it through my head that there is only one Messiah–and I’m not it! The work I do is what is needed, but it is only effective when combined with the other staff, the volunteers and even other churches. I don’t need to receive the Employee of the Year award to be a good worker. I really just need to be a worker for good.
I am thankful the Lord doesn’t compare me to His other children as I wouldn’t have a chance. In being thankful for that, I need to remember not to compare myself to others or them to me. We are given the tools and skills needed for our place here on earth. The Lord can do amazing things with us, as long as we get out of the way long enough to realize we don’t have a clue how to really use those attributes without God.
My goal is to be a better worker than the worker I was yesterday. To be more gracious, more diligent, more faithful than I was the day before. I just need to look at myself and how I’m working with God. This may sound much simpler than it is, but I do realize that with faith I can do amazing things as long as I don’t compare them to your amazing things.
I will admit though, a gold star here or there would sure help me during the tough times!
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