“Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left” Joshua 23:6

January, the first of the 12 months of the Gregorian calendar, is undoubtedly the period of the year when wishes come out in spots and blossom. The habit of sending best wishes, which is likened to a prayer, is meant to wish one’s next of kin, parents and friends well during the year.

For 2018, I wish us only one thing: that we live the word, live it entirely, live it without complacency and without reserve, live it whatever it costs us, live it to the point of reflecting it.

We all know that we are currently in the last time when, one after the other, evidences of the next coming back of our Lord are showing up, making that coming back most imminent. This is therefore no ideal moment to leave Devil the least interstice or to display any weakness that he may use profusely to distract us from the most essential. As such, far from being the time for spiritual vacation or for any sort of distraction, we should rather display constant vigilance for the exercise Joshua is requiring us to perform calls for a surplus of attention.

Indeed in Joshua 23:6, Joshua is not just inviting Israel children to obey what is written in the Law of Moses. He wanted them to do so carefully. Moreso, he advised them to be very strong in obeying not just a portion of the law but rather “all that is written in the Book of the Law”. At that point the message looked Kristal clear. Yet, as if any portion of it might escape the understanding of a few, Joshua added “without turning aside to the right or to the left” thereby putting an ultimate stress on his core message.

We therefore constantly need to exercise violence on ourselves throughout this year knowing that the horn might ring at any time to trigger the meeting in the airs of Christians with their Lord. If we then place the Kingdom of God on top of our priorities, we can be reassured that all the good things we desire for ourselves and our next of kin will legitimately come to us.

Happy New Year to All!