WEEK 6 TUESDAY

MrsLarCat

12 One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. 13 At daybreak he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles. Here are their names:

14 Simon (whom he named Peter),
Andrew (Peter’s brother),
James,
John,
Philip,
Bartholomew,
15 Matthew,
Thomas,
James (son of Alphaeus),
Simon (who was called the zealot),
16 Judas (son of James),
Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).

17 When they came down from the mountain, the disciples stood with Jesus on a large, level area, surrounded by many of his followers and by the crowds. There were people from all over Judea and from Jerusalem and from as far north as the seacoasts of Tyre and Sidon. 18 They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those troubled by evil spirits were healed. 19 Everyone tried to touch him, because healing power went out from him, and he healed everyone.

20 Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said,

“God blesses you who are poor,
for the Kingdom of God is yours.
21 God blesses you who are hungry now,
for you will be satisfied.
God blesses you who weep now,
for in due time you will laugh.

22 What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man. 23 When that happens, be happy! Yes, leap for joy! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way.

24 “What sorrow awaits you who are rich,
for you have your only happiness now.
25 What sorrow awaits you who are fat and prosperous now,
for a time of awful hunger awaits you.
What sorrow awaits you who laugh now,
for your laughing will turn to mourning and sorrow.
26 What sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds,
for their ancestors also praised false prophets.

kimbershep

LUKE 6:12-26

OBSERVATION
Jesus had many followers but in the beginning verses He chose 12 to be closer to Him as his apostles. They would receive deeper teaching and training and would be given the authority of Jesus to do the same things He did. Note that before He did that, He prayed; which is very important. I think it was stated to let us know that for any small or big decision we must make in our lives, we should allow God to direct it and ask Him for direction in prayer.

The Beatitudes which also means blessing. Vs 20-26 shows the difference of what the world offers and what God offers. The first few vs are self explanatory. People live their whole lives chasing the mighty dollar. Their hearts and minds are so much into it that they forget about the Lord. They find peace and fulfillment in their money. Some even make unethical and immoral decisions just to get it. Its nothing wrong wanting to make more money but the drive should not overcome you where your life is out of balance. God is a jealous God and does not like taking second seat; especially to money.

APPLICATION
My husband had a very close friend who had it all...very nice house in the "posh" area of where we live, real-estate business and could do just about everything himself in the business, building houses left and right and selling them. He was a part of our home bible fellowship and was an awesome teacher. He captivated everyone's attention when teaching. Nevertheless, when he wasn't teaching he would always be on his phone 90% of the time; leaving out to talk business of course. It seemed as if his business and gaining more of it consumed him. To make a long story short, he ended up making some unethical decisions relating to real-estate fraud and took money from my husband and others in our home fellowship. He is sitting in prison right now however he lived and breathed gaining more business and money but sin set in his heart since he was separating from God. You can't serve two masters. He ruined the relationship with his wife. They divorced. He ruined the relationship with his kids and he emotionally hurt his friends. So many things can go wrong for that temporal enjoyment of feeling rich. I have come to the conclusion that if its in God's will that we are rich then so be it, if not I am content where we are. Bills are paid and we can vacation when we desire and give when its needed. We are happy.

PRAYER
Heavenly Father, help me to keep my focus on you. In Jesus' name, Amen.

kristina1709

Observation:
* Jesus prayed a lot before choosing his disciples
* God blesses us and provides for all of our needs when we walk with Jesus
* At all times during all situations we need to keep our focus on the Lord. Do not let the enemy come between the two of us
* Our salvation comes from our faith in our Father's Son. The more faith we have, the more blessings we will receive.
* Our faith in Jesus will pay off when we get to heaven

Application:
* I will put ALL my faith into the Lord
* I will NOT listen to man
* My focus will remain on Jesus
* I will remain aware of what the enemy is trying to do and stand strong in my faith
* I need to pray more before making decisions in life and left God lead the way, just as Jesus did

Prayer:
Lord, help me keep my focus on YOU so that I can walk my path of salvation; so I can walk free of my sinful ways. Lord Help me keep my focus on YOU so I can overcome any obstacle set before me. Help me Lord to be more like you. In Jesus' name, Amen.