Today we began a four week series based on the book, One Month To Live, by Chris and Kerry Shook. The Shooks have written a simple but poignantly effective book about living your life to the full after the example of Jesus.
Death is a part of life. Christians believe that death is a part of God’s plan for life. More over, because no one knows whether this is their last day on this earth or if they have a week, a month, a decade or more years ahead of them, it is vital that we live each day to the full. Jesus’ live and his death teaches us how to live passionately, how to love fully, how to learn humbly and how to leave boldly. No one could ever accuse Jesus of not being fully alive each day of his life.
Jesus’ relationship with God defined his life and ministry. From this vital relationship, Jesus chose his priorities, organized his disciples, conducted his ministry and lived his choices with integrity and with trust that God would make of his life a sacrifice of love that would change the world. Jesus can teach us how to make our lives count and our days filled with grace. Jesus chose the path of discipline –the discipline of putting God first, of being immersed in scripture, devoted to worship, active in works of mercy and justice and seeing by faith a greater kingdom for our world –the Kingdom of God.
As we consider that we do not hold the lease on another day or even the next breath, we want to live our lives in love towards God, others and ourselves. We want to live a life with no regrets, as the Shooks put it so eloquently in the book. Over the next month, I will reflect each day in this blog from my reading of Scripture and from my reading of the One Month To Live book . I invite you to pick up the book and take the “One Month To Live” challenge. The weekly sermon will be posted to the website. There is also a prayer journal you can download from our Christ Church website. I hope you will make good use of the discipline of journaling.
http://www.gbgm-umc.org/christumchurch/
As I write this first post, I have just heard of the tragic shooting at the First Baptist Church of Maryville, Illinois this morning. Apparently, a man entered the sanctuary in the early service and shot the pastor to death. Others were also wounded. I am deeply saddened for this pastor, for his family and the church family at First Baptist and certainly saddened that a person would commit such a terrible act. I will join the rest of the Christian community across the nation in prayer tonight concerning this sad event. May the Holy Spirit surround the First Baptist Church family and the community of Maryville with grace and comfort.
Shalom, Bob
