John 6:27. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
Well Friends, at last it’s New Year’s Eve; the day of the big bash! Now as I said yesterday, enjoy yourselves; eat, drink and be merry, but don’t get too carried away, conduct yourselves with ‘a modicum of circumspection.’ As Peter so wisely advises: ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.’ (1 Pet.5:8) Truer words were never spoken Friends! And it’s especially in times of merriment that we let our guards down and are most vulnerable, most susceptible to the evil tricks of the wily enemy. So once again: drunk or sober, mind yuh business. (smile) And the easiest way to do that Friends is to live the way Jesus declares in our Bit: ‘Labour not for the meat (food) which perisheth, but for that which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.’ Yes my people, when our focus, our concentration is on the things of heaven, rather than those of earth, we are less likely to fall into the snares and traps of the lying Lucifer and his evil buddies. But if we are fixated on earthly things, those things that belong to Lucifer and are fiercely promoted by his lieutenants, then we can be very easily swayed and made to do wrong. Yes, I know it’s not easy, it’s a constant battle, but if we stay secured to Jesus, then we will surely win most of those battles. Remember that Jesus is our rock, our sure and solid foundation, our anchor in the time of storm, and once we’re securely linked to Him, there’s no cause to fret and/or worry, because He’s promised to never leave nor forsake us. And we know that He faithfully keeps ALL of His promises. Now let’s look at some scripture that aligns with our Bit. I promise to keep it short because I know you have to prim and prep yourself for the partying later. (smile) And a good place to start is at the well of Jacob, with the Samaritan woman whom Jesus asked for a drink. (John 4:7) The woman was taken aback that a Jew would ask a Samaritan for anything, since the Jews considered the Samaritans outcasts, unclean through intermarriage with the Gentiles amongst whom they lived. When she raised this point with Jesus, (John 4:9), He answered: ‘If thou knewest the gift of the God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.’ (John 4:10) Not knowing who Jesus was, she obviously questioned His ability to give her water since He had no utensils with which to draw it. ‘Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well (fountain) of water springing up into everlasting life.’ (John 4:13-14) Oh Friends, that’s the kind of water we desperately need! And it’s the kind of stuff that Jesus is referring to in our Bit, where we earnestly and excitedly desire the eternal things that He has to offer, not the earthly stuff. And the woman wasn’t stupid, she asked for the living water. (John 4:15) Oh my brethren, when we live for the things of heaven rather than those of earth, we tap into the spiritual power of Jesus, and are thus able to do much more here on earth in His Name, to further His kingdom. As Bruh Paul enlightened the Ephesians: ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship (creation), created in Christ Jesus unto (for) good works, which God hath ordained (prepared) that we should walk in them.’ (Eph.2:8-10) So Friends, for this upcoming year of 2012, let’s make it a priority to walk in those ways which God has ordained for each of us nuh. It’s our duty as believers to do so. And if we do, life will be ever so wonderful! See, I kept my promise to keep it short. (smile) Much LOVE!…walk in the footsteps of Jesus…and you’ll never go astray…