Daily Scripture: Acts 14:19 Then some unbelieving Jews came from Antioch and Iconium. They won over the crowds, stoned Sha’ul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. 20 But as the talmidim gathered around him, he got up and went back into the town. The next day, he left with Bar-Nabba for Derbe.
21 After proclaiming the Good News in that city and making many people into talmidim, they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, 22 strengthening the talmidim, encouraging them to remain true to the faith, and reminding them that it is through many hardships that we must enter the Kingdom of God.
Reflection Questions:Paul learned from Jesus, in many ways. He reflected one of them in his teaching to the Christians in those first churches he planted in Asia Minor. He (and they) knew first-hand about suffering. A crowd who thought they had killed Paul had dragged him out of Lystra! So with utter honesty, and perhaps a dash of defiance, he said, “If we are to enter God’s kingdom, we must pass through many troubles.”
- Scholar William Barclay wrote about Paul’s teaching, “He offered them no easy way. He acted on the principle that Jesus had come ‘not to make life easy but to make men [and women] great.’” In what ways does it seem to you that following Jesus today is a good bit easier than it was in Paul’s day? In what ways is it still true that entering God’s kingdom involves “many troubles”?
- Pastor Lloyd John Ogilvie wrote that after the stoning, “Paul strode back into the city and got Barnabas, and…they exhibited the raw courage to go right back into the jaws of the enemy in the cities of Antioch and Iconium.” In what ways has living out your faith called for courage? In what ways has God given you the necessary courage?
Lord Jesus, you sent Paul and Barnabas bravely traveling through hostile foreign territory. Sometimes you just ask me to be a good neighbor, or to be your presence in my workplace or school. Give me the courage to do whatever you ask of me. Amen.Insights from Phil Antilla
Phil Antilla serves as the program director for Young Adult and College Ministry: www.cor.org/ya
When was the last time you had a truly great meal? Maybe you went to a nice restaurant for a special occasion. Maybe you even cooked the meal yourself, tracking down all of the necessary ingredients at thegrocery store.
One of the things that always amazes me about food, and especially good food, is how much work and sacrifice are required for just one meal.
All of the food we eat comes from someone and something, which had to make a sacrifice.
Someone had to plant tiny little seeds in the ground and tediously water them and care for them. Someone had to do the backbreaking work of harvesting crops. Someone had to carefully clean the food, inspect it, and then package it. Someone had to drive it across the country, or even across continents. Someone had to carry and unload box after box of vegetables into a grocery store. And finally, after “conveniently” buying vegetables from a store, someone still has to clean, and chop, and cook and sauté, before we can ever have a great meal.
Sacrifice makes life possible.
Whether it is your time, your finances, your best interest, or even your own well being, we are all called to give up something in order to provide life for another. For the Apostle Paul, it was putting his own life at risk. For many parents, it is the sacrifice of long hours at work, or time spent coaching a youth sports team. Or maybe it’s just a few moments trying to prepare a meal for family or friends.
When you make sacrifices, big or small, remember that these are patterned after the way of Jesus. Our task is to recognize how our own sacrifices are making us more like Christ, as well as how the many sacrifices of others have made it possible for us to experience peace, and joy, and delight, and even a good meal.
So may you have the courage to approach every day and every mundane task with faith, knowing that your work and sacrifice are not in vain. In the Kingdom of God, even the smallest acts of service will abundantly provide life for others.
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
When was the last time you had a truly great meal? Maybe you went to a nice restaurant for a special occasion. Maybe you even cooked the meal yourself, tracking down all of the necessary ingredients at thegrocery store.
One of the things that always amazes me about food, and especially good food, is how much work and sacrifice are required for just one meal.
All of the food we eat comes from someone and something, which had to make a sacrifice.
Someone had to plant tiny little seeds in the ground and tediously water them and care for them. Someone had to do the backbreaking work of harvesting crops. Someone had to carefully clean the food, inspect it, and then package it. Someone had to drive it across the country, or even across continents. Someone had to carry and unload box after box of vegetables into a grocery store. And finally, after “conveniently” buying vegetables from a store, someone still has to clean, and chop, and cook and sauté, before we can ever have a great meal.
Sacrifice makes life possible.
Whether it is your time, your finances, your best interest, or even your own well being, we are all called to give up something in order to provide life for another. For the Apostle Paul, it was putting his own life at risk. For many parents, it is the sacrifice of long hours at work, or time spent coaching a youth sports team. Or maybe it’s just a few moments trying to prepare a meal for family or friends.
When you make sacrifices, big or small, remember that these are patterned after the way of Jesus. Our task is to recognize how our own sacrifices are making us more like Christ, as well as how the many sacrifices of others have made it possible for us to experience peace, and joy, and delight, and even a good meal.
So may you have the courage to approach every day and every mundane task with faith, knowing that your work and sacrifice are not in vain. In the Kingdom of God, even the smallest acts of service will abundantly provide life for others.
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224 United States
913.897.0120
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