The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. from The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States for Friday, 29 July 2016 - "The sum of all God’s commandments"
Daily Scripture: Romans 13:8 Don’t owe anyone anything — except to love one another; for whoever loves his fellow human being has fulfilled Torah. 9 For the commandments, “Don’t commit adultery,” “Don’t murder,” “Don’t steal,” “Don’t covet,”[Romans 13:9 Exodus 20:13–14(17), Deuteronomy 5:17–18(21)] and any others are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[Romans 13:9 Leviticus 19:18] 10 Love does not do harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fullness of Torah.
14:10 You then, why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For all of us will stand before God’s judgment seat; 11 since it is written in the Tanakh,
“As I live, says Adonai, every knee will bend before me,
and every tongue will publicly acknowledge God.”[Romans 14:11 Isaiah 45:23]
12 So then, every one of us will have to give an account of himself to God.
13 Therefore, let’s stop passing judgment on each other! Instead, make this one judgment — not to put a stumbling block or a snare in a brother’s way.
Reflection Questions:Paul sent this letter to Roman house churches. In Romans 14-15, we see that these churches differed. Some were mainly Jewish; others mostly Gentile. Their customs and standards of “righteousness” varied. It was easy for them to tear each other down. Paul said God’s kingdom calls us to a standard of relating that goes beyond particular rules or laws. “Love doesn’t do anything wrong to a neighbor” was a big challenge to people at odds with one another. It was (and is) vital, because “Whoever loves another person has fulfilled the Law.”
- Paul spoke to disagreements over relatively minor issues (that seemed major to those who felt strongly about them). How do you think some of them might have initially reacted to the statement that “Whoever loves another person has fulfilled the Law”? Do you know anyone who is genuinely loving, but in some parts of life acts in ways that you think miss the mark? Do you believe Paul was right, or was he too soft on “law breakers”?
- What attitudes and actions bring peace and build up other people in your neighborhood (or in your church, for that matter)? Are some of those attitudes and actions practically second nature for you? Identify one or two which do not come so naturally to you, but in which you would truly like to grow. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you grow in those aspects of life and relationships.
Lord Jesus, lift my gaze above particular laws or rules. Amaze me with the splendor of your love, and teach me all of the ways in which living out that love truly fulfills your law. Amen.-------
Insights from Darren Lippe
Darren Lippe helps facilitate Journey 101 “Loving God” classes, guides a 7th-grade Sunday school class, is a member of a small group & a men’s group, and serves on the Curriculum team.For our summer vacation last week, our family toured around the East Coast visiting Mystic Seaport, Newport, Maine, Fort Ticonderoga, & then spending several days in New York City.
It was interesting to note the differentiation between the peaceful, lush countryside of the Hudson River Valley & the frenetic hustle & bustle of New York City. Driving around New York City, you quickly realize that the traffic signals are merely suggestions.
The other observation that sticks out is how taxicabs maneuver around the city. I was reminded of the old preacher story of the woman filing an accident report after a taxi had clipped her door. When asked if she got the cab’s license plate number, she replied, “No. But I’d recognize his laugh anywhere.”
The blaring of the cab’s horns is a bit irritating, but when you understand the driver’s contractual commitments you begin to have some empathy for their actions/attitude. (Old cabbie joke: What is the only thing worse than raining cats & dogs? Hailing cabs.)
The typical driver leases a cab from taxi-company for $130/day for an 8-hour shift. The driver is responsible for all fuel costs & his/her own insurance. The driver starts his/her day with debt due, works all day to get to break-even, & then hopes to make some profit by the end of the day. So, when there is gridlock the driver understandably honks his horn to get traffic to clear, because that delay is going to directly impact that day’s bottom line. (Legend has it that the gridlock was so bad one day that a man saw a taxi-driver on the subway – how he got his car down the stairs, no one knows.)
One can easily sympathize with the cab driver’s frenetic pace as they try to clear themselves of that day’s obligations/responsibilities. What if we approached our own obligation to love one another, as suggested in today’s passage, with the same gusto? (Whew. I was worried that the point of this GPS was still stuck in traffic – Editor.)
Perhaps we could take inspiration from the personal challenge of the evangelist, D.L. Moody, who wanted to make sure he told someone the Good News of Jesus Christ every single day. (D.L. Moody has been considered as the “Billy Graham of the 1800’s.) But, what if we tweaked the challenge to show the love of Christ each day?
Imagine how different our day could be: our emails would have a distinctive tone if we strove to demonstrate agape love to our recipients, our time spent running errands wouldn’t be as frustrating as we genuinely sought out ways to bless those we encountered, & maybe even picking up debris left behind by teenagers wouldn’t be quite so irritating.
(I can’t help but notice you are conveniently starting this challenge only upon your return from your family vacation – Editor. Well, after 10 days of listening to 2 teen-age boys’ voicing a constant concern about the next meal (even after we just ate), of listening to my lovely wife/navigator telling me our GPS is “recalculating” just as we encounter a flurry of exits in speeding bumper-to-bumper traffic, & of discovering some teenager’s used socks/sneakers had been packed in a hot airtight suitcase with my clean clothes, I needed to make sure the challenge was at least somewhat feasible – DL.)
So, now as I run some errands to buy 2 large pizzas, browse for some old-fashioned foldout maps, & buy a gallon of Febreze, I’ll be sure to smile & say a kind word to the sales clerks.
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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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