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Elaine White Named Executive Officer of The Upper Room
The Upper Room is pleased to announce that Elaine White has been named the organization’s new Read More
Dea Jones | Read Psalm 78:1-4
As a teacher, it is my job to share knowledge with my students and help them understand its importance in their lives, both right now and in the future. I help them learn new ideas they’ve never seen or heard before and remind them how older ideas and concepts can...
God of wisdom and might, thank you for teachers, both old and young, who remind me, with wise words and loving hands, of your great works and caring presence in my life. Amen.
The passages this week share a theme of conflict among God’s faithful people. The passages from Exodus and Psalms remind us of when God provided water from a solid rock at a time when the people were rebelling against their spiritual leaders. Both detail God’s dramatic response, reminding the people of God’s authority over everything. To the Philippians, Paul stresses the avoidance of conflict, using a hymn recalling the authority of Christ as God’s beloved son. Matthew tells about Jesus’ conflict with the religious leaders of the Temple. They questioned his authority, but he turned their questions back on them, indicting them for their hypocrisy. In all these passages, we are reminded that God is the ultimate authority who loves us even when we are rebellious.
Read Exodus 17:1-7. Where did you see God at work in the outcome of conflict?
Read Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16. Reflect on your best teachers. How did they convey important lessons about faith to you? How has your perspective changed about those lessons?
Read Philippians 2:1-13. What are some of the characteristics that make cohesiveness possible? How does your faith inform your practice when working with others?
Read Matthew 21:23-32. Have you ever questioned the words and/or actions of someone in authority? How does understanding God’s ultimate authority help you discern the right and wrong of those situations?
Respond by posting a prayer.
