LIVIN' THE GOOD LIFE

-CoNnEcT- Remember the cute little kid from the movie HOME ALONE? You know, the red-head who gets left behind and keeps the burglars from entering his house by setting up all sorts of traps and devices to cause them immeasurable amounts of pain. He is a face that most people won’t forget, but never really saw too much of again.
This kid, named Maculley Culkin, had a rough run through his teenage years and ended up in a bad place, kind of like the more recent events with the Olsen Twins.

These people are celebrities, they have plenty of money, fame and success, but something went wrong. Maculley Culkin ended up with a drug addiction, married and divorced and out of the acting loop by 19. The Olsen twins (Mary- Kate and Ashley of “Full House” and a bazillion movies) end up with eating disorders and self esteem issues after an entire lifetime of fame and fortune! They have “everything” in this life, and yet they are obviously lacking life in some form.

-ReFlEcT- Read Matthew Chapter 16
Key Verse: 24-26

In this passage of Scripture, Jesus is making clear that his followers aren’t people who just get a bunch of “stuff” and rewards in this life. They aren’t people who get whatever they want or can have anything they desire, but rather, a people who have to give up something. The something Jesus talks about happens to be themselves. It is a puzzling thought to think about, that is, the idea of loosing your life, so that you can find it.

How DO you loose your life? The answer: you give up control. You give up your own power and allow a greater power to guide your life. Until that happens, then you can’t really live. Jesus makes that clear when he implies that we can have all things, but if we don’t have true “life” then we aren’t really living.

-DiReCt- We LOVE control. We love ourselves. We LOVE success. But the Christian life is NOT about getting something (although there are PLENTY of blessings that come) instead, it’s about giving something up. (That would be ourselves!) We have to let God be in control of our lives because we will never make it on our own. We may have some good things happen, we may experience God’s blessings in some ways, but no matter how much we gain, we won’t truly be living. The good news is that Jesus wants to help us find life. Without him, we can have money, fame, family and fun and still be dead inside. So loose yourself in Jesus---it is there that the lost are wondrously found.

-Do you consider yourself a follower of Jesus?
-What is the hardest part of your life to allow God to control?
-How do the people closest to you identify “really living”?
-By giving yourself completely to Jesus everyday, what have you/do you gain?
-Reread the chapter and ask God to show you something new through the entire chapter.
-Take a few minutes to pray. :)