i) Family Values - W.Kroll

ii) Seven days to live (Part 1) - B.Hybels

And Mordecai had brought us Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman was lovely and beautiful. When her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter. Esther 2:7

One of the most monumental works in all the world is the Great Wall of China. It stretches more than 1,500 miles over mountains and deserts and is the only man-made structure visible from space. The Chinese built it to keep out barbarians, and for the most part they succeeded. Only three times was it ever breeched, and in all those three instances the enemy gained access by bribing a gatekeeper. Even the strongest security system is worthless if those responsible do not have appropriate values.

It is evident that Mordecai had strong values. Scripture reveals that while Esther was still young, her parents died and Mordecai took her into his house and raised her as though she were his own daughter. While in his home, Esther learned the values of loyalty, obedience and courage, all of which she would need to intercede for her people.

When values deteriorate, so does everything else. Former American President Ronald Reagan observed, "If we fail to instruct our children in Justice, religion, and liberty, we will be condemning them to a world without virtue, a life in the twilight of a civilization where the great truths have been forgotten."

Take seriously your responsibility to teach those in your house the values that make life worthwhile. Share the Word of God with your children and grandchildren as the source of those values. Teach them to "do according to all that is written in it" so that it may go well with their lives (Joshua 1:8).

[Courtesy: Lessons on Living Devotional by Woodrow Kroll]

Seven days to live

What can we learn from Jesus' last week on earth? (Part 1)

Bill Hybels

When some celebrity dies—such as Princess Diana or Sonny Bono—filmmakers often scramble to put together a documentary that examines the last hours or days of that person's life.

What if you knew you had only one week to live? What actions, what priorities, would be captured on film?

Passion Week—the last week of Jesus' life, before he faced a criminal's execution on a cross—was an extraordinary week. Jesus knew he was going to die in seven days. He knew it would be an excruciatingly painful death. But there's much we can learn from what Jesus taught and from how he acted in the week preceding Easter Sunday.

Saturday: The weekend before his death, Jesus stayed at the home of three of his closest friends in the small town of Bethany, about two miles outside Jerusalem. These people weren't among his 12 disciples; they were personal friends—Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Jesus chose to spend his last days of freedom with them.

Throughout Jesus' teaching ministry, he emphasizes the importance of community. Jesus continually told all who would listen, "You were created for community with God and others. You were created with a yearning to know and be known, to love and be loved, to serve and be served, to celebrate and be celebrated."

What are you doing with the one and only life God's given you?

Have you found this kind of community in your life? It's more than good relationships with your family. You need an inner circle of friends who are fellow believers—just as Jesus had—with whom you can be honest, with whom you can "do life" together.

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