“Time to prepare your body for summer,” is the article in our local paper called.

Five steps are given how to go about it. “Hydration, inside and out, is important all year round, but especially over summer,” we are told in Step three. It is all about drinking enough water daily.

Reading about our body brings straight away our soul and our spirit to my mind.

“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (King James Version)

In the Bible we are reading about a hungry soul, a weary soul, a thirsty soul, a grieved soul and a loving soul.

Jeremiah 31:25; Psalm 42:2; Job 30:25; Song of Songs 1:7 (King James Version)

On the cross the Lord Jesus Christ died to redeem the soul of man. Hebrews 10:39 says, “But we are not of them who draw back back in perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” Read also James 1:21 and Psalm 49:8. (King James Version)

I am all for preparing my body for summer and drinking enough water daily, but I think it is more important and always time to prepare my soul for eternity and drink enough water daily from the living water.

“Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value.” – Albert Einstein

In his book called “TRUE RED”, the ex-Mongrel Mob Gang Leader Tuhoe Isaac writes that at a very crucial time in his life he believed that the Mongrel Mob gave him not only a total sense of belonging, but that there he found also true acceptance.

Where do we find a sense of belonging? Where do we find acceptance? It seems that “belonging” and “acceptance” are very important words in our lives.

You have read already why I say that.

So I think it behooves us to find out what “THE BOOK OF BOOK”, (The Bible) says about those two important words.

ACCEPTANCE:

“To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he has made us accepted in the beloved,” we read in Ephesians 1:6. (King James Version)

BELONGING:

In Romans 1:6 the Apostle Paul writes to the Romans, “And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.” (NIV) And in Romans 14:8 we read, “If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”

I love especially 1 Peter 2:9, where we read, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, …” The verse goes on, but I can stop here, because here “a people belonging to God,” is mentioned.

Let us remember again that all the letters in the New Testament are written to believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, including Ephesians, Romans and First Peter.

NOW Tuhoe Isaac believes in the Lord Jesus Christ.

If we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, we belong to Him, and those who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ God graciously accepts though they do not deserve it.

It was a privilege to meet Tuhoe Isaac some years ago here in Kaitaia in Commerce Street, where he sold his books. We even prayed together if I remember right.

“Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” – Acts 17:11

“What’s on your mind?” asks Facebook.

On a sign this morning I saw written “peace love happiness”. I think those words are on the minds of the majority of people.

Those words are of course also on my mind, including joy, hope, and forgiveness.

What is on your mind?

To the people who love the Lord Jesus Christ, His name means not only peace, love, happiness, joy, hope, forgiveness, but much more and everything else.

“For they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body.” – Proverbs 4:22

“A cheerful heart is good medicine, …” – Proverbs 17:22

“To Americans, tragedy is wanting something very badly and not getting it. But many people have had to learn … that perhaps the the worst form of tragedy is wanting something badly, getting it, and finding it empty.” – Henry Kissinger, former US Secretary of State