Day 28: Missional Excellence
Posted: May 21, 2013 Filed under: 40 Day Walk With God, Bishop's Blog | Tags: 40 day walk, bishop mcalilly, christ, church, god, jerusalem, lord, Macedonia, Second Epistle to the Corinthians 1 Comment2 Corinthians 8:1-5
Brothers and sisters, we want to let you know about the grace of God that was given to the churches of Macedonia. While they were being tested by many problems, their extra amount of happiness and their extreme poverty resulted in a surplus of rich generosity. I assure you that they gave what they could afford and even more than they could afford, and they did it voluntarily. They urgently begged us for the privilege of sharing in this service for the saints. They even exceeded our expectations, because they gave themselves to the Lord first and to us, consistent with God’s will.
The Macedonian churches actually gave beyond their means as they responded to the desperate needs of their brothers and sisters in the Jerusalem church, even while they faced their own extreme hardship. Their extraordinary generosity far surpassed even the greatest hopes and expectations.
How were they able to accomplish this task?
They were not successful because of their abundant skills, compassion, or even a great love for their Christian brothers and sisters. No, the Macedonian churches excelled and did even greater things, because they gave themselves first to the Lord. They were able to reach out to others only through God’s grace and God’s provision.
God was not only primary, but in fact everything.
If we, likewise, are to be successful ambassadors for God, reaching out to bring the love of Christ to a lost, lonely, desperate world, then we also must surrender our all to God. We must humble ourselves before our omniscient Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer, offering everything we have and everything we are, seeking His will, not ours to be done in His mighty Church.
Prayer: Almighty, gracious, and loving God, we come to you this day grateful and humbled by the overflowing abundance of your grace, love, and blessings in our lives. We relinquish ourselves and our gifts and abilities entirely to your service to do your will. We also come to you repentant for all the times and ways we have made your holy Church our church. We ask now that you will use us as your vessels to accomplish your perfect will. AMEN.
Theresa Johnson
Spiritual Formation Team-TN Conference
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REFLECTIONS FOR THE DAY | Use a program on your computer, a traditional journal, or feel free to use the comment section of this blog post to record your reflections as a conversation with others…
READ – What spoke to me as I read today’s meditation?
REPENT – Where is God showing me that I have failed to be obedient to the call to discipleship today?
RECEIVE – What words of redemption and grace is God offering to me?
REMEMBER – Who and what is God calling me to remember in prayer related to today’s reading?
RESPOND – How is God calling me to respond today?
RESOURCES:
> DOWNLOADS – 40 Day Walk prayer guide (.PDF), 40 Days of Doodles kids journal (.PDF)
> CLICK HERE for sermon starters/suggestions
Day 26: Pastoral Excellence
Posted: May 19, 2013 Filed under: 40 Day Walk With God, Bishop's Blog | Tags: 40 day walk, bishop mcalilly, ezekiel, god, jesus, lord 2 Comments
I looked for anyone to repair the wall and stand in the gap for me on behalf of the land, so I wouldn’t have to destroy it. But I couldn’t find anyone.
Why pray? Does prayer really matter? Won’t God do whatever God wants to do regardless of whether I pray? These questions, or other similar questions, have undoubtedly pricked the edges of most of our consciousness at some time or another. A candid walk through Scripture tells us otherwise. For some reason, God has chosen to invite us to carry the privilege, and, albeit, the burden and responsibility of prayer. God needs our prayers. Ezekiel 22:30-31, is nothing short of a call to arms, or knees, if you will. “But I found no one.” Ouch! What if my prayers really could make that much difference?
Greater things…what are those? Let us stretch our expectations. It was mid- morning when the knock came to my office door. A church member asked me if I could immediately join him and his wife in the sanctuary for prayer. She was already on her knees at the altar, as her husband whisked me to her side. Her son was the president of US Airways, and they had just received word that one of their planes had crashed into the Hudson River. She did not need to say more. We all know that when a plane crashes, lives are lost. The question is usually, how many? I immediately began praying with the authority entrusted to Jesus’ followers on the Day of Pentecost. I prayed for all of the obvious, including that her son would be given wisdom and discernment in dealing with the fallout and ramifications of this crash. What came out of mouth at the end of my prayer actually embarrassed me. With an authority that I did not know was in me, I declared, in the name of Jesus, that not one life would be lost in this crash! My body was covered in goose bumps. How could I possibly have asked for such an impossibility! I felt myself sort of silently breathing, “I am sorry, God.” We parted, and I went back to my office.
The world knows this story as, “The Miracle on the Hudson.” Could my prayer have really made a difference? Not one life was lost! I wonder. GLORY! God said, “If I can find one person to stand in the gap…” Is that person you?
Prayer: Lord, forgive us for not taking the call to prayer more seriously. May we walk in no other authority than the authority of love as we use that authority for your glory. In Jesus’ name. AMEN.
Rev. Dr. Diana M. DeWitt
Chairperson, Spiritual Formation-TN Conference
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REFLECTIONS FOR THE DAY | Use a program on your computer, a traditional journal, or feel free to use the comment section of this blog post to record your reflections as a conversation with others…
READ – What spoke to me as I read today’s meditation?
REPENT – Where is God showing me that I have failed to be obedient to the call to discipleship today?
RECEIVE – What words of redemption and grace is God offering to me?
REMEMBER – Who and what is God calling me to remember in prayer related to today’s reading?
RESPOND – How is God calling me to respond today?
RESOURCES:
> DOWNLOADS – 40 Day Walk prayer guide (.PDF), 40 Days of Doodles kids journal (.PDF)
> CLICK HERE for sermon starters/suggestions
Day 24: Missional Excellence
Posted: May 17, 2013 Filed under: 40 Day Walk With God, Bishop's Blog | Tags: 40 day walk, bishop mcalilly, christ, god, jesus, lord, Thessalonians 2 Comments
Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in every situation because this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
I wonder sometimes, if disciples of Jesus know and understand the importance of sharing the joy and thanksgiving of faith. In a world that is too often filled with gloom and doom, disciples need to bring the light of God’s love in Christ Jesus with joy and thanksgiving. After all, we are to witness and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus which is the Good News.
John 14:28, says in part, “If you love me you would have rejoiced …” I believe it is our responsibility as Christians to infuse and model for the world the joy and thanksgiving of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. It seems to me the two, rejoicing and thanksgiving, go hand in hand. When there is joy and rejoicing there is thanksgiving, and when there is thanksgiving there is joy and rejoicing.
Recently, at the Pulaski District Training, Bishop Bill McAlilly shared a God story with us. You could literally feel the joy and thanksgiving in the sanctuary, along with the spoken, “Amen” and “Praise God” as Bishop McAlilly told his story. We need to tell our stories of faith, and give witness to the blessings of a life in Christ. We need to celebrate with joy all that God is doing in our lives and in the world around us.
May we remember that the Church is called to be faithful to God in Jesus Christ, rather than to be successful according to the standards of the world. Jesus told his disciples in Luke 15:7,“… there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” As we share our stories of faith, people will be drawn to Christ for redemption and salvation.
Prayer: Lord, help us to know and understand that “rejoicing and thanksgiving” is vital and important in expressing and witnessing to our faith. In the holy name of Jesus. AMEN.
The Rev. Ron Brown
Spiritual Formation Team- TN Conference
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REFLECTIONS FOR THE DAY | Use a program on your computer, a traditional journal, or feel free to use the comment section of this blog post to record your reflections as a conversation with others…
READ – What spoke to me as I read today’s meditation?
REPENT – Where is God showing me that I have failed to be obedient to the call to discipleship today?
RECEIVE – What words of redemption and grace is God offering to me?
REMEMBER – Who and what is God calling me to remember in prayer related to today’s reading?
RESPOND – How is God calling me to respond today?
RESOURCES:
> DOWNLOADS – 40 Day Walk prayer guide (.PDF), 40 Days of Doodles kids journal (.PDF)
> CLICK HERE for sermon starters/suggestions
Day 23: Congregational Excellence
Posted: May 16, 2013 Filed under: 40 Day Walk With God, Bishop's Blog | Tags: annual conference, bishop mcalilly, Epistle to the Philippians, god, jesus, lord, paul, philippians, Prayer, TNUMC 1 Comment
Philippians 4:11-13
I’m not saying this because I need anything, for I have learned how to be content in any circumstance. I know the experience of being in need and of having more than enough; I have learned the secret to being content in any and every circumstance, whether full or hungry or whether having plenty or being poor. I can endure all these things through the power of the one who gives me strength.
Balance is always a problem because there seems to always be more of something than something else. Paul was able to find balance where ever he found himself planted…even when he is under arrest.
He reminds us that he has had plenty and he has had nothing. Finding that balance is important, and Paul was able to find balance between his relationship with Christ, the people he loved, and his situation.
In our congregations, it has been my experience that those Christ followers that manage to find a balance between jobs, families, culture, worship, prayer life and concerns have the ingredients to cause the kingdom to become closer at hand.
So, how does one or a group of “ones” find that balance?
I believe that the key to finding this balance, which was exemplified by Paul’s state of contentment, is by putting first things first.
Let us seek first the kingdom of God, let us pray continuously, let us do what it takes to balance our spiritual lives with our physical lives…let us be healthy, as both individuals and congregations, so that we are able to love God and love the neighbors Christ has given us.
Prayer: Lord, help us to focus, and help us to set our priorities to bring balance to our being. Amen.
The Rev. Stephen Webb
Chairperson, Fellowship of Local Pastors & Associate Members-Memphis Conference
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REFLECTIONS FOR THE DAY | Use a program on your computer, a traditional journal, or feel free to use the comment section of this blog post to record your reflections as a conversation with others…
READ – What spoke to me as I read today’s meditation?
REPENT – Where is God showing me that I have failed to be obedient to the call to discipleship today?
RECEIVE – What words of redemption and grace is God offering to me?
REMEMBER – Who and what is God calling me to remember in prayer related to today’s reading?
RESPOND – How is God calling me to respond today?
RESOURCES:
> DOWNLOADS – 40 Day Walk prayer guide (.PDF), 40 Days of Doodles kids journal (.PDF)
> CLICK HERE for sermon starters/suggestions
Greater Things Are Yet To Be Done 