The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. from The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States "Living with hope" for Friday, 4 November 2016

The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. from The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States "Living with hope" for Friday, 4 November 2016

Romans 5:1 So, since we have come to be considered righteous by God because of our trust, let us continue to have shalom with God through our Lord, Yeshua the Messiah. 2 Also through him and on the ground of our trust, we have gained access to this grace in which we stand; so let us boast about the hope of experiencing God’s glory. 3 But not only that, let us also boast in our troubles; because we know that trouble produces endurance, 4 endurance produces character, and character produces hope; 5 and this hope does not let us down, because God’s love for us has already been poured out in our hearts through the Ruach HaKodesh who has been given to us.
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The apostle Paul sketched the spiritual growth process through which every Christ-follower can develop a character that meets challenges (like unfair conviction, or any of life’s dark twists and turns) with hope and trust, not despair. God, the apostle said, has the power to bend even bad things to good purposes in our lives. Paul said that as we meet trouble in God’s grace we grow in the kind of resolute, grounded hope needed to survive and thrive.
• The apostle didn’t write through naïve, rose-colored glasses. Human nature is not at all inclined to view tests as something to “take pride” in. That’s why he focused on God’s wisdom and love as the divine gifts that can turn hard times into times of growth. When has God given you wisdom to face a tough challenge, or surrounded you with love and support for the strength you needed? In what ways does God’s ability to “grow you” through life’s challenges help you view hard times differently?
• Later in Romans, Paul wrote, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in faith so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13). How close to “overflowing” is your inner supply of joy and hope today, whether you face good situations, hard ones or a mix? How can you open your heart and allow God to fill you to overflowing with all joy and peace?
Prayer: Lord God, come and fill me. Replace fear, doubt and despair with your joy, peace,
faith and hope. Let me walk every day in the light and love you pour into my heart. Amen.
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Insight 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.
As the boys have become fully ensconced in their teen-age years, we are compiling a list of skills that they will need in the real world. We definitely want to avoid a repeat of my college experience when my fellow freshman roommate complained after the 1st week of classes that someone had been stealing his clothes. When we found them right where he had left them in his laundry bag, he asked, “Why aren’t they back in my drawer?” Thus began a crash course on the washer & its cunning friend the dryer. (If my lovely wife had access to the keyboard she would speedily interject, “Talk about the blind leading the blind…”)
Using my Grandmother’s old Home-Ec books for guidance, we’ve looked at abilities like how to iron a shirt, to change a tire, or to polish a pair of dress shoes to help prepare the boys for life on their own. (Full disclosure: When I was growing up, these skills weren’t particularly of interest to me, nor my forte. I remember my Dad giving me a bag of old tools to put in the trunk of my first car. Cool. These are for me to use in case of car trouble? No. They are for the guy who pulls over to help you.)
However, we have also realized that any such list of life skills is woefully incomplete if, as Paul addresses today in his letter to the Romans, the development of Christian character isn’t the primary focus.
As adults we recognize that the importance of character becomes more & more critical as one goes through life. We know a person of integrity will be more likely to attract the trust & respect of others, that strong moral fiber will be able to change our perspective on struggles & provide resilience in the midst of failures, that it will provide a strong foundation for relationships, & that it will offer the best template for success in life.
But we also know character traits like respectfulness, compassion, fairness, & honesty aren’t easily attained but require diligent practice & training. (Like when our older son called to say he was s-t-a-r-ving after a high school debate tournament – would it be okay if he grabbed a hamburger on his drive home? Sure. Where are you now? Um. I’m in the drive-thru line at Sonic.”)
Surveys show that we are seemingly living in a culture that is increasingly anxious & struggling with hopelessness. Paul’s remedy for such apprehension is to pursue a life of Christian virtue to help develop endurance & ultimately to cultivate hope for a better tomorrow.
So, recognizing that it is never too late to start or that we all need to fortify our Christian character what might we do to assist the process? We should refresh our memory of Christian values to give us a goal/target, we should hang out with people who reflect these values to provide inspiration & modeled behavior, & we should strive to practice the habits of a Christ-led life each day.
Now, if you’ll excuse me I need to memorize my Confirmation Class Scripture (Psalm 119:105 – Memorization is a super tool to remind us of what we believe & why.) and then try to figure out how to properly fold a fitted-sheet.-------
“Nothing can separate us from God’s love” for Saturday, 5 November 2016
Romans 8:37 No, in all these things we are superconquerors, through the one who has loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor other heavenly rulers, neither what exists nor what is coming, 39 neither powers above nor powers below, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God which comes to us through the Messiah Yeshua, our Lord.
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Pastor Burton’s remarkable story reminds us that seeking justice matters to all of us as God’s people (cf. Amos 5:24). It also shows us the truth of Romans 8:38-39: nothing (!) can separate us from God’s love. When he wrote that, the apostle Paul knew all about “trouble, or distress, or harassment, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword” (verse 35). Those are the parts of life that often shake our faith in God’s love. But Paul said God allows us to face them, but never leaves us while we face them. Scholar N. T. Wright wrote, “Look around at the many things that threaten to separate you from the powerful love seen through the cross and
resurrection, and learn that they are all beaten foes. Learn to dance and sing for joy to celebrate God’s victory. The end of Romans 8 deserves to be written in letters of fire on the living tablets of our hearts.”1
• The compound Greek word translated “sweeping victory” was hupernikaō. “Huper” was a superlative, the origin of the English “hyper.” And the “nik” in the middle of the word came from the Greek word for “victory,” a word we know from shoes and athletic gear—“nikē”! Paul asked two compelling questions: “If God is for us, who is against us?” and “Who will separate us from Christ’s love?” Both were phrased in a way that assumed the answer was “Nobody and nothing!” In what ways does that confidence shape your daily life for the better? What can help you, even on the hardest of days, to open your heart to the sweeping victory God offers you?
Prayer: All powerful God, whatever comes my way, hold me close in the shelter of your love. Thank you that, through you, I can win a sweeping victory in “all these things.”
Amen.
1 N. T. Wright, Paul for Everyone, Romans Part 1: Chapters 1–8. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p. 159.
Family Activity: Sometimes people get angry with or hurt one another. It is important for us to ask forgiveness when we sin against someone, and forgive those who’ve hurt us. Place a handful of coins in a container and go as a family to a nearby fountain. Ask each person to take one or more coins. Explain that this is a time to tell God “I’m sorry” for my wrongs, and start the process of forgiving hurts from others. Ask each person to pray (aloud or silently), “Lord, I am sorry I…” and/or “Lord, help me to forgive….” Toss the coins into the water. Invite family members to dip their hands in the fountain for a quick washing. End by praying, “Thank
you, God, for the reality of forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Amen.” Make sure to also ask forgiveness of the ones who have been hurt by your words or actions.
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Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer
Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
• Jessie Fetters and family on the death of her brother Alvin Pemberton, 10/23
•Kaye Schultz and family on the death of her brother Gaylord Freshley, 10/20
• Jaime Kernaghan and family on the death of her father Bob Kernaghan, 10/17
•Stacy Vollmar and Kristin Vollmar on the death of their father Dean Vollmar, 10/1
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The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
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