MAN UP BIBLE SERIESLiving for Eternity

Lesson One

The Real World What if today was the first day of the rest of your life? Have you ever thought how different your life would be lived if it was lived in the shadow of eternal values. That is what this series is going to be all about. That is a total shift in values and actions. If you only worked for things that lasted a lifetime where would you spend your time? For some of us it would not matter that much; to some of us it would change all we do and say each day. Many of us are caught up in things that make no difference for eternity. If your life ended today no one would notice. If that statement is true for you then you have some changes to make and values to place in your life. Actions now affect the future. For the good or bad. The choice is yours. Lets see what God’s Word has to say to us about the subject of eternal values.

The Real Word

Luke 6

20 Looking at his disciples, he said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,    for yours is the kingdom of God.21 Blessed are you who hunger now,    for you will be satisfied.Blessed are you who weep now,    for you will laugh.22 Blessed are you when people hate you,    when they exclude you and insult you    and reject your name as evil,        because of the Son of Man.23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven.”

Real Talk

Look over your typical day. How many things make a difference for eternity?

What do you need to change in your values that will reflect an eternal vision?

What is the most important thing in your life? Does your daily schedule reflect this?

Real Steps

Luke 6 reminds us:

• You will be rewarded for your good life in eternity. (Matt.19:21)• Rejoice in bad circumstances. (Matt. 16:27)• Eternal Rewards are far better than earthly ones. (Luke 14:14)

There are two important keys to living for eternity:• BELIEF – this determines where you will spend eternity.• BEHAVIOR - this determines how you will spend eternity.

“ What do the greats of church history such as Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Wesley and Spurgeon have in common? They all believed in and hoped for eternal rewards.”

Do you agree with this statement? Why or Why Not?

Time to Close So as you begin this journey into living for eternity today you will begin to see God’s blessing and guidance in your everyday living. You will be empowered to live for God even in the very tough times knowing that this will make a difference for eternity. This kind of living is not something new. It is indeed the very oldest of teachings, but it is a topic that has been forgotten and overlooked in this “instant gratification” world we live in. If we do something good now we want the reward now. That is not the way eternal living works. It will not all add up today. It will be worth it for eternity. That is tough for us to understand and live with. Remember this; everything you do today matters forever. Live like that and you open the secret key to eternal living. Fail to do this and you will continue to go through life without a real purpose. Time to MAN UP!