Jesus' life was the most beautiful, the most orderly, the most peaceful and the happiest life that this world has ever seen. This was because of His total obedience to God's Word. Wherever there is perfect obedience to God, there is perfection and beauty - as we see in the planets and the stars. "The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life" ( Prov. 14:27 ) - and Jesus obeyed the command to "live in the fear of the Lord all the day long" ( Prov. 23:17 ). When Jesus walked on earth, people saw the life of heaven in Him. His compassion, His consideration for others, His purity, His selfless love and His humility were all expressions of the very life of God. The Holy Spirit has now come to bring this life of God and the atmosphere of heaven into our hearts. We have been placed by God on earth to manifest this heavenly life to the world. God wants you to have a foretaste of the joy, peace, love, purity and goodness of heaven in your home and in your church in this coming year. Jesus lived a heavenly life on this earth. If you fix your eyes on Him and follow Him, then every day of this year will be like a day of heaven upon earth for you.

Fellowship with the Father was Jesus' most prized possession. He did not value anything else in the universe in comparison with that. This fellowship was what Jesus knew would be broken on Calvary, when for three hours He would have to endure the agony of an eternal hell for lost humanity (Matt. 27:45). Then the Father would have to forsake Him, and the fellowship that He enjoyed with the Father from all eternity would be broken for three hours. He dreaded that break of fellowship so greatly that He sweated great drops of blood in Gethsemane. The cup that He prayed to be removed from Him was just this: A break of fellowship with His Father. To follow Jesus means to value fellowship with the Father like He did. Sin will then become exceedingly sinful to us, for it breaks our fellowship with the Father. An unloving attitude towards another human being would not even be tolerated, for it would break our fellowship with the Father.

The secret of understanding the Bible is to have an intimate relationship with the Lord first of all. The Holy Spirit can explain the meaning of what He inspired in God's Word. So walk with Jesus, like the early disciples did and long to hear Him speak to you. Then your eyes will be opened like theirs and your hearts will be set aflame like theirs. This is what I have discovered in the past 61 years that I have walked with my Lord.

God planned our lives even before we were born. David says, "You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in Your Book. How precious it is, Lord, to realize that You are thinking about me constantly! I can't even count how many times a day Your thoughts turn towards me. And when I waken in the morning, You are still thinking of me!" (Psa. 139:16-18 - Living).

That teaches us that God has a detailed plan in His mind for every day of your life. Millions of years before you were born, He had already written down who your parents were going to be, and which country you would be born into, and the circumstances that He would arrange to bring you to Christ. It was also written there what trials He would take you through in order to give you a spiritual education; and also how He would make even your blunders and mistakes to work for His glory.

The most valuable brother and sister in a church is the one who can bring the atmosphere of heaven into that church and who can build fellowship there. And such a person need not necessarily be one of the elder brothers. All of us have the opportunity to become such valuable brothers and sisters. Think of a brother/sister in a church, who whenever he/she comes into a meeting or into a home, is like a pure breeze from heaven blowing through the room. What a precious brother/sister such a person is! Even if he/she stops by and visits you for just five minutes, you feel refreshed. You feel as if heaven came into your home for five minutes!

God told Abraham: "…I will bless you... and you will be a blessing to all the families of the earth" ( Gen 12:2 , 3 ). That blessing is our inheritance also, through the Holy Spirit (according to Galatians 3:14 ). God wants to bless you this year in such a way that your cup begins to overflow in blessing to many others. There is more than enough power and blessing in the anointing of God to bless every single person who comes across your path this year. So keep pouring out the blessings you receive into the lives of others. If, however, you selfishly keep God's blessing for yourself alone, it will begin to stink like the manna kept overnight did. The one who waters others, however, will be watered by God Himself ( Proverbs 11:25 ). May that be so in your life.

May you have a very blessed year, this year.