1 Peter 1:13   (Message translation)  So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that's coming when Jesus arrives.

It has been a rough year, but we are nearly at the end of it. Humanly speaking it is our nature to look forward to the promise of the New Year with the hope that it will be better than the last one. This is often how we look forward to new things.

For Christians, our hope is in something that is perhaps further away than the new year, but which will last for ever, not just for 366 days. It is the hope that through the resurrection of our bodies we will meet face to face with the most wonderful, and most loving person, Jesus Christ. We will be with Him, in His Kingdom forever.
That future scenario is fantastic.

So the apostle Peter in the verse above urges us to put our mind in gear to be ready for that time when we will be totally blessed. We therefore are wise to take a longer view than 2012 and look forward to an eternity of blessing, contentment, joy, and peace. This can help us to ride through the ups and downs of our times and seasons wherever we are.

In the meantime may you have a pleasant and peaceful Christ filled Christmas, and a relaxing New Year.

Reading Isaiah I am reminded again what your saviour does for you:

"When you pass through the waters I will be with you,

and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour."

Isaih 42:2-3 NIV

Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa

'Let us keep close together, not far apart'

This from my mum:

If the apostle Paul had been alive today, and writing 1Cor. Ch9 v 24-27, instead of using the illustration of running a race, he could very well have used the Rugby World Cup as his theme. A paraphrase of this passage of scripture could have read like this.  

“Do you not know that in the Rugby World Cup, all the teams compete, but only one wins the tournament?  They play in such a way as to win the Cup.  Every team that competes in the tournament goes into strict training.  They do it to get a crown of glory that will not last; but we train under discipline to get a crown of glory that will last forever.  Otherwise, we would be like a team running around the field not knowing the rules or the purpose of the game.  Instead, we conduct ourselves in such a manner that we will not be disqualified for the prize that lasts forever.”