The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection GPS Guide for Thursday, 31 December 2020

 The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection GPS Guide for Thursday, 31 December 2020

The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection <info@mc.cor.org>

Thursday, 31 December 2020

The United Methodist Church of the nResurrection GPS Guide for Thursday, 31 December 2020

“There is one Lord”

Daily Scripture:

1 Corinthians 8:2-6

2 If anyone thinks they know something, they don’t yet know as much as they should know. 3 But if someone loves God, then they are known by God.

4 So concerning the actual food involved in these sacrifices to false gods, we know that a false god isn’t anything in this world, and that there is no God except for the one God. 5 Granted, there are so-called “gods,” in heaven and on the earth, as there are many gods and many lords. 6 However, for us believers,

There is one God the Father.

All things come from him, and we belong to him.

And there is one Lord Jesus Christ.

All things exist through him, and we live through him.

1 Corinthians 12:2-6

2 You know that when you were Gentiles you were often misled by false gods that can’t even speak. 3 So I want to make it clear to you that no one says, “Jesus is cursed!” when speaking by God’s Spirit, and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. 4 There are different spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; 5 and there are different ministries and the same Lord; 6 and there are different activities but the same God who produces all of them in everyone.

Reflection Questions:

In Corinth, as in most Greco-Roman cities, most people believed in a pantheon of many varied gods. Paul recognized that reality in 8:5: “there are so-called 'gods,' in heaven and on the earth, as there are many gods and many lords.” But Jews and Christians were “monotheists” whose faith said there is only one God. Paul and other Christians said even more. If Jesus was Lord, then Jesus was God—and there was still only one God!

Paul’s profound words about the Lordship of God and Jesus came to answer a rather mundane first century question. “Should Christians eat food that had been slaughtered as a sacrifice to idols?” his readers asked. How does knowing Jesus as Lord help you find your way in dealing with day-to-day issues that arise in the 21st century?

The culture of Corinth (and the Roman empire) urged people to muscle their way to the “top” of the pyramid and tear down all competitors. But Paul said the church is NOT like a pyramid. Under Christ’s headship (cf. Ephesians 4:15-16), every person in the church has a unique, valuable part to play in God’s work. What role(s) has Christ’s Spirit equipped you to play in the church’s mission? (Not sure? A 3-week spiritual gifts class starts soon. Click here for more information or to register.)

Prayer:

Lord of my life, teach me your ways. Give me wisdom to know how to live to honor you and help me shape my service to maximize the gifts you’ve given me. Amen.

Want more reflection on today's GPS?

Read the GPS Insight by Matt Ozment

Matt Ozment

Matt is the Special Events Production Manager in the Tech Arts ministry at Church of the Resurrection. He joined the staff in December 2014 and helps support each event and conference at Resurrection Leawood. In his free time he enjoys writing and spending time with his wife and 3 kids.

He is currently attending seminary at Asbury Theological Seminary Online, working toward a Masters in Divinity Degree.

I just finished watching Pixar’s new movie Soul. It’s an inspiring movie that seeks to answer the question, “What is your purpose?” (Don’t worry--there are no spoilers in this post.)

Through seminary I have learned that God’s ultimate purpose for my life, and for all of our lives, is to be his beloved. This means living into the fullness of the love God has for us. And a big part of this is in loving and caring for others, leading others to come to know Christ. We tend to think of our purpose as a magnanimous and specific calling upon our individual lives, but at its root it is a common and simple calling to love God and love others.

My brother’s first baby was born this last week. He shared with me how in love with her he is, how it’s something new and exciting. At the same time it’s a love so passionate that it’s scary. Scary because on one level the mind wanders and he wants to do anything he can to protect her; and on another level it’s an untapped and undiscovered realm of emotion. In talking with him about the excitement and love that he has for his new child I was reminded about how I felt when my first child was born. I shared this with him: “The deep love that you have for this child is unlike any love that you’ve ever experienced for anyone else. This, to me, is a taste of the love that God has for every single one of us, his beloved children. It’s a scary love because it is so deep that we can’t understand it until we have leaned into and lived it.”

Right now this new child’s purpose is to feel the immense love and care from her parents. As she grows up that reception of love has the chance to know and feel an ever stronger love from God. And in that, her purpose will expand, just like it does for each of us as we grow up, into sharing that love with others, inviting other people into this deep, passionate, unimaginable love.

So as we prepare to enter a new year, what better time to reassess our purpose than now: to live into God’s great love and great purpose for your life. I encourage you to lean fully into the love that God has for you, and in turn to share that love with the people around you, experiencing the fullness of community that is intended for this life.

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You might also like:

“He is Lord of all!”

“Both Lord and Christ”

Honoring the newborn king

Prayer Tip: Jesus is Lord

Jesus, the light, moved us from darkness to light

Or download this week's printable GPS.

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Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011.

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