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New Year, New Life, New Wine
Contributed by John Ong on Jan 15, 2018 (message contributor)
Summary: We should not be drunk and indulging in worldly pleasures, instead we must soak in the Holy Spirit.
As we celebrate a new chapter of our lives, we hope for a lot of fortune and opportunities. Life as we know it is full of things that may lead us to wrong choices. These choices include our hope for meaningless fortune we wish and ungodly opportunities we want just to suffice our human desires. We value more our desires more than our mission here on earth.
In this new year that God has given us, He wants us to fulfill it with things that will matter most in heaven, things that will help us be more like Him each day. We can start with changing our mindset from wishing to be luckier to aspiring more to be Christ-like.
We may think that it is unpractical if one say that we must live to be Christ-like. This is because a lot of people were not used to value God’s great offerings instead they want more for their convenience. This is like when we go to a party; we look for wine, alcohol and other things that will entertain us. What we don’t know, there is more to life than these temporary entertainments if we just let Jesus take over.
Remember when Jesus ask the people for a barrel of water and said that he will turn it into wine in John 2:1-11?
THE WEDDING AT CANA
2 ON THE THIRD DAY THERE WAS A WEDDING AT CANA IN GALILEE, AND THE MOTHER OF JESUS WAS THERE. 2 JESUS ALSO WAS INVITED TO THE WEDDING WITH HIS DISCIPLES.3 WHEN THE WINE RAN OUT, THE MOTHER OF JESUS SAID TO HIM, “THEY HAVE NO WINE.” 4 AND JESUS SAID TO HER, “WOMAN, WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ME?MY HOUR HAS NOT YET COME.” 5 HIS MOTHER SAID TO THE SERVANTS, “DO WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU.”
6 NOW THERE WERE SIX STONE WATER JARS THERE FOR THE JEWISH RITES OF PURIFICATION, EACH HOLDING TWENTY OR THIRTY GALLONS.[A] 7 JESUS SAID TO THE SERVANTS, “FILL THE JARS WITH WATER.” AND THEY FILLED THEM UP TO THE BRIM. 8 AND HE SAID TO THEM,“NOW DRAW SOME OUT AND TAKE IT TO THE MASTER OF THE FEAST.” SO THEY TOOK IT.9 WHEN THE MASTER OF THE FEAST TASTED THE WATER NOW BECOME WINE, AND DID NOT KNOW WHERE IT CAME FROM (THOUGH THE SERVANTS WHO HAD DRAWN THE WATER KNEW), THE MASTER OF THE FEAST CALLED THE BRIDEGROOM 10 AND SAID TO HIM, “EVERYONE SERVES THE GOOD WINE FIRST, AND WHEN PEOPLE HAVE DRUNK FREELY, THEN THE POOR WINE. BUT YOU HAVE KEPT THE GOOD WINE UNTIL NOW.” 11 THIS, THE FIRST OF HIS SIGNS, JESUS DID AT CANA IN GALILEE, AND MANIFESTED HIS GLORY. AND HIS DISCIPLES BELIEVED IN HIM.
The people just trust God and obeyed not knowing if it will really happen but then right in front of their eyes God fulfilled His promise and turned the water into wine. Just like these followers we too must be selfless and don’t put our convenience first, instead put God first and let Him take over everything.
WE SHOULD NOT BE DRUNK AND INDULGING IN WORLDLY PLEASURES, INSTEAD WE MUST SOAK IN THE HOLY SPIRIT.
We have another chance to change our life and become deserving people for God’s gift of eternal life. He had given us another year to repent, surrender ourselves, and be ready for His great kingdom where He will provide all things we need.