This was so satisfying to watch. You might not think you can write like this but with practise you can. Something to keep you busy during the summer break or isolation.

Binging is a word you hear a lot - we binge on chocolate, fast food, Netflix, social media, alcohol... I know a lot about binging, I used to have an eating disorder. I know for a fact that in most cases, neither binging or completely denying ourselves is good. God intended us to have balance in our lives. There is nothing wrong with chocolate, fast food, Netflix or alcohol as long as it is part of a balanced life (and you are over the legal drinking age). 

Luke 9:23 says, Any of you who want to be my follower must stop thinking about yourself and what you want. When we binge, we are thinking only of ourselves and how to gratify our selfish desires. So how do we stop? 

Ephesians 5:18 talks about binge drinking. Paul said, Don’t be drunk with wine, which will ruin your life, but be filled with the Spirit. Here's my paraphrase for the 21st century, Don't binge on wine, chocolate, chips, Maccas, cake, Netflix, Instagram or Snapchat. Instead binge on the things of the Spirit - reading and studying your Bible, prayer, worship, giving thanks. You get drunk on wine by drinking too much of it, so it follows that you become filled with the spirit by feeding it - reading the Bible, praying, meditating on God's Word, singing songs of worship, giving thanks to God for all that he has done for you...

Often binging is triggered by certain emotions or feelings such as despair, hopelessness, depression, guilt, shame, pain... Ironically, binging usually increases these feelings, rather than relieve them. One of the most effective ways of getting our minds off of ourselves is to do something for someone else. Being kind to someone else can be a great release valve to those negative emotions. In Ephesians 4:32 Paul instructed us to Be kind and compassionate to one another. Next time you feel yourself spiralling towards another binge session, do something for someone else - ring or visit a friend (don't just text or message them), make someone a nice card and send it to them, help your mum with the chores, play a board game or computer game with your brother or sister, write positive, encouraging comments on people's social media posts, bake a cake and take it to your neighbour...

It's obviously a bit more complicated than what I've outlined above but next time you feel yourself spiralling out of control and tempted to binge on [insert your weakness here], fill up on the spirit instead of chocolate and be kind to someone. It might not solve all your problems, but it might help.

Worship is not a style of music or song. It doesn't just happen at church on a Sunday. According to Tim Lucas at https://worshipdeeper.com, worship is declaring the greatness of someone or something. Delesslyn A. Kennebrew at www.christianitytoday.com defines worship as the priority we place on who God is in our lives and where God is on our list of priorities. So basically, worshipping God is making him our number one priority. It starts with an attitude and flows to our actions. If we really love God with all our body, soul, strength and mind we will live a life devoted to him. How we spend our time and money, what occupies our thoughts and attention, what we consume will all reflect this. We will worship him with our songs, with our financial offerings, by spending time reading his word and talking to him in prayer, we will worship him by serving others. 

If God isn't your number one priority, something else will be. Money, fame, success, self, music, entertainment, sport, looks, alcohol, drugs or another person will fill that spot. God said that we are to worship him only - and that shouldn't do that out of fear, but out of love.

CHALLENGE: What is your number one priority? Does how you spend your time or money reflect that?

Easton's Bible Dictionary defines a vision as a vivid apparition, not a dream. In plain English it is a visual message from God. I like to imagine that it's a bit like the holographic messages in Star Wars but that is entirely from my imagination and not the Bible. Visions are one way God communicated with his people in both the Old and New Testaments. He used visions to warn people of coming events, to encourage them, to warn people of their disobedience, or to instruct someone what to do. Visions are different to dreams as they can occur while you're awake.

I am fairly certain that God still speaks to people in visions but I think that most of us are too busy to be receptive. In the passage in Acts 2 it was the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came on the disciples. Peter was quoting a passage from the book of Joel in the Old Testament.

This is what I will do in the last days, God says:
    I will pour out my Spirit on everyone.
Your sons and daughters will proclaim my message;
    your young men will see visions,
    and your old men will have dreams.
​
My understanding is that we are in those last days now (that is, the time between Jesus' first coming and when he will come back again. I don't think Peter was implying that only men will have visions and dreams but that men and women will proclaim his message, see visions and have dreams. He was saying that the Holy Spirit would be poured out on everyone regardless of race or gender.

Unity is a word that we're all familiar with but one that we might not have thought too much about. Unity is not agreeing with everyone, believing the same thing, or being the same. Unity is about loving each other and getting along despite our differences. Unity means oneness, not sameness. 

It's like fans of a sports team - even though they follow the same team they have different values and beliefs, wear different clothes, eat different food and listen to different music, but they all follow the same team. 

It's also like a sports team - the players are all unique and different, but they are all on the same team. They need to get along and cooperate on the court or field to win. If every player just does their own thing they won't be very successful.

As Christians we need to put aside our differences and get along so that we shine the light of Jesus in our communities.

Ephesians 4:2-3 says,
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
These verses tell us that we are united by:

• Being humble - not thinking that we are better than anyone else.
• Being gentle - we've all been on the receiving end of some cruel or harsh words, it's not pleasant. Be gentle and kind to each other.
• Being patient - we are all human and make mistakes, we cause offence and hurt people's feelings (often quite by accident). Remember that we're all a work in progress - be patient with each other.
• Bearing with one another - the Greek word for bearing means to endure, have patience with, suffer, persist. Some people are extra grace required and are difficult to get along with but Paul encourages us to bear with them.
• By loving - love is like the cake and humility, gentleness and patience are the ingredients. You can't have love without them.

The Bible compares the church to a body made up of different parts but all the same body. Even though you are all unique and different, you're all part of the same body. We should look after each other because we're all one in Christ.

Download this free Christmas Reflection below.

It's a difficult to wrap your human brain around the Trinity because it's a God thing and outside our understanding and experience. I don't understand how a plane works, but I trust that it does every time I board one. There are a few analogies that can help explain the Trinity but none of them are perfect.
EGG: The Trinity is like an egg, it has a shell, yolk and egg white. All three are different but at the same time they are all part of the egg.
FAMILY: I am a wife, mother and daughter. The three roles are very different, but I fulfil all of them.

You won't find the word, Trinity, in the Bible. All three persons of God are referred to throughout the Bible but not usually together. Matthew 28:19 is what Jesus told his followers before he returned to heaven, So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 
I love this definition from Bill Pratt  on https://www.toughquestionsanswered.org. The Father is the Source, the Son is the Means, and the Holy Spirit is the Effector of salvation—it is He who convicts, convinces, and converts.
Source: https://www.toughquestionsanswered.org/2017/12/29/what-are-the-roles-of-the-father-son-and-holy-spirit/

Salvation is God's plan to save us from the consequence of sin which is death and separation from him. Hebrews 9:27-28 says, Everyone must die once. Then they are judged. So Christ was offered as a sacrifice one time to take away the sins of many people. And he will come a second time, but not to offer himself for sin. He will come the second time to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Romans 6:23 explains that when we are judged we deserve death because we have all sinned, For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. God's gift of eternal life in Christ is salvation. This plan was put into effect when Jesus came to earth as a baby and died and rose again. It will come to completion when he comes again.

Imagine someone gave you a game (computer or board game - you choose). It's great  fun but then you get the expansion pack and it's so much better. When we decide to follow Jesus we get adopted as God's children and he gives us his Holy Spirit - the basic game. When he comes again we get all the expansion packs. It will be so amazing it will blow your mind!

We celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas but this is just part one. Your sins have been forgiven, God calls you his child and gives you his Holy Spirit to guide and comfort you. But when he comes again you will live with him. There will be no more sin, sickness or sadness. That's the hope that drives us, that we cling on to when life gets hard, that makes us smile when we get up in the morning. 1 Thessalonians 5:8 says, the hope of salvation should be our helmet. This hope that we have protects our minds from being disheartened, in despair and discouragement. So hold your head up cause better days are coming.