The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection of Leawood, Kansas, United States Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Saturday, 28 March 2015 - "You can know that you have eternal life"

The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection of Leawood, Kansas, United States Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Saturday, 28 March 2015 - "You can know that you have eternal life"
Daily Scripture: 1 John 5:9 If we accept human witness, God’s witness is stronger, because it is the witness which God has given about his Son. 10 Those who keep trusting in the Son of God have this witness in them. Those who do not keep trusting God have made him out to be a liar, because they have not trusted in the witness which God has given about his Son. 11 And this is the witness: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Those who have the Son have the life; those who do not have the Son of God do not have the life. 13 I have written you these things so that you may know that you have eternal life — you who keep trusting in the person and power of the Son of God.

Reflection Questions:

Jesus' promise to the man on the cross - "you will be with me in paradise" - was not just for that man. Methodist founder John Wesley, at a meeting in London found (in his own words) that "I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for my salvation, and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death." John said you don’t have to wish or hope for salvation, or try hard to deserve it. It's God’s gift, and you, like the thief on the cross, like John Wesley, like millions through the ages, can know you have it.

●      In today's reading, John never used the future tense. These verses don't say that whoever has the Son "will have" eternal life, or that you can hope that you "will [someday] have" eternal life. In what ways are you already living out your eternal life? In what ways do you want to more fully tap into the quality, as well as the quantity, of the eternal life you already have as God’s gift through Christ?

Today's Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I accept your gift. I commit my life - my heart, my abilities and my energy - to you now and for all eternity. I look forward to being with you forever. Amen.

Family Activity:

Jesus often shows us the power of forgiveness. Blow up one balloon for each family member, and place the balloons in the center of the room. Invite each family member to choose one along with a marker. Ask each person to draw picture or write words representing something they have done wrong. Read 1 John 1:9 aloud. Explain that this means that no matter what we do, we can tell God we are sorry and God will forgive us. Begin a time of prayer, asking God to forgive what is written on your balloon. After you have prayed, have each person pop his or her balloon, representing God forgiving and forgetting your sin. Continue until each person has prayed and popped their balloon. Thank God for forgiving our sins.

Insight from Doyle Blanton Rev. Doyle Blanton is a Congregational Care Pastor at Resurrection, serving the 9 a.m. worship community, assisting with the 5 p.m. Sunday community and shepherding the Thursday night care night. He and his wife Christy moved to Kansas in June and have two children, Matt and Heather. When I read a text like this one from 1 John, chapter 5, I have a couple of reactions. I am certainly grateful for the assurance of my salvation, freely given through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. It is not of my doing–rather, I simply open myself to the gift offered. This is great cause of celebration, for this salvation offered is both a present reality and a future promise as well. Better yet, the salvation offered even creates a new past–for in God’s redemption God redeems past, present, and future! This most certainly is cause for rejoicing. The only thing in this text from 1 John that causes me a bit of adverse reaction is the sharp line drawn between those who have the Son and those who do not. I grew up in areligious affiliation that was quite sure who did and who did not! You know, the haves and the have not’s. I don’t want to be so sure of my salvation that I draw the lines too boldly–for God is the one who offers the salvation. It is always my hope that I can rejoice in salvation, yes, and generously extend that salvation to everyone. I will leave to God the decision as to who it is that “has not life.” That decision is above my pay grade!

Church of the Resurrection
gpsonline@cor.org
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224 United States
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