Monday, October 13, 2008

ONE MONTH TO LIVE: MONDAY-"GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS"

I hope this Monday finds you well. Today we begin our week of daily Bible study in order for us to go deeper into this months theme: One Month to live. This whole month we are focusing on the question: If you only had one month to live, what would you value most and how can you live your life to support that. So far this month, we have looked at:

Living life with passion
Defining What We Value Most
Depending on God to live out these values
Valuing Our Relationship With God
Looking at what we need to change to live a life that values God

TODAY:
Good News ~ Bad News
To begin, please read Luke 6:17-26 (if you don't have a Bible handy, click HERE)

The teachings of Jesus in Luke 6 contain blessings and warnings. Jesus gives
us this list of good and bad news because our priorities in life so often do not
match His. Jesus turns many of our conceptions of life upside down.

Try to imagine yourself in the scene described in verses 17-19. Picture the
place, the feel of the crowd around you, all the people pressing in on Jesus. Why
had the people come? What was happening? What was Jesus doing?
In verses 20-26, Jesus was addressing first his apostles (He had just chosen
them) and the great crowd of disciples around him, as well as a mass of others.
(See also Matthew 5:3-12.) Who did Jesus say are the “blessed” ones and what is
in store for them? Do these blessings and “rewards” appeal to you?
For the next few minutes, think about some of the priorities in your life. Is it school (ha), work, friends, TV, your computer? Whatever it is, think about what you need to change in order to make your relationship with God #1. As you finish today, talk to God about it, ask Him to help you prioritize your life to the things that He wants you to put first.