Around 9:00 a.m. on New Years Day, the phone rang and it was one of my relatives wishing my husband and me a happy new year. He said he had thought, "I will call somebody I know does not have a headache!" Then he made the comment some would not remember what they had done or who they had done it with! Of course we laughed, but it is too sad, but oh so true!

The question was asked on one of the news channels that morning, "Did you make it till midnight?" Unfortunately, countless thousands did not. They were here at midnight New Years Eve, and some were here after midnight, but many never saw 2007.

We can only guess at the number of people in the world who did see 2007 and who did experience a headache to some degree for any number of reasons. The two reasons at the top of the list were most likely drugs and alcohol. Webster defines a headache as "a pain located in the head, as over the eyes, at the temples, or at the base of the skull"; "an annoying or bothersome person, situation, activity, etc."

Drugs are mind altering and alcohol is intoxicating, and they are two of Satan's most powerful weapons leading to physical ruin and too often death. Proverbs 23:29-35 paints a very graphic and horrifying picture of this sinful behavior.

Who has woe? Who has sorrows? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who linger long at the wine, those who go in search of mixed wine. Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it swirls around smoothly. At the end it bites like a serpent, and stings like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart will utter perverse things. Yes, you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, or like one who lies at the top of the mast, saying, "They have struck me, but I was not hurt; they have beaten me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake, that I may seek another drink?"

This is without a doubt, one of the saddest passages of Scripture in the entire Bible! Do we as people of God really believe this description of the results of drug and alcohol abuse? Paul tells us in the last few verses of 1 Corinthians 6 that we are not our own, we have been bought at a price and we are to glorify God in our body that belongs to him.

How do we glorify God in our bodies? We bow in humble submission recognizing his presence, his power and his protection of us. We are growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. We understand that there is no such thing as sinning in moderation. We understand that there is no such thing as an "optional" command. We understand that there is no such thing as it ever being necessary to sin!

We often see TV commercials advertising alcoholic beverages. Perhaps as some kind of disclaimer, something will be said at the end of the commercial such as, "Please drink in moderation or drink sensibly." How do you sin in moderation? Even the least discriminating Christian recognizes self-control must be exercised in abstaining from the sins of lying, stealing, cheating, murder, drunkenness, adultery, fornication, etc. After listing a host of the works of the flesh, Paul said in Galatians 5:21, "...of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in the past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."

These are some questions we can ask ourselves as we look back over our lives in 2006:

How much did we grow spiritually in developing the mind of Christ?

How much time did we spend reading, studying and meditating on God's Word?

How well did we serve and encourage others?

How active were we in the converting of souls to Christ?

How effective were we in seeking to restore an erring soul?

We need to give serious thought to these questions and more importantly our answers to them. This question is on a calendar for January 2007: "If not us, who? If not now, when?"

In 2 Corinthians 3:2 Paul said, "You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men." Our lives are the only Bibles many people will ever read. What are they reading? What are we telling them? Do we realize God's plan and purpose is the redemption of mankind? Do we realize we are to submit our lives to him so he can fulfill his purpose for creating us? "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us" (2 Corinthians 4:7).

A church bulletin dated 12/31/06 had a thought entitled, "Five Firsts for a Successful 2007."

Give God the FIRST HOUR of every day.

Give God the FIRST DAY of every week.

Give God the FIRST PORTION of your pay.

Give God the FIRST CONSIDERATION in every decision.

Give God the FIRST PLACE in our heart.

Jesus said, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33). We must keep before us the perfect example of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He never once gave in to any temptation to do wrong. He never once did anything to hurt another human being. He never once said anything to disgrace anyone. "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them. For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens" (Hebrews 7:25-26).

When we follow the example of Christ, God will give us all that we need in every year he grants to us. When we follow the example of Christ, we will never have a headache brought on by sin. May all of us resolve this year to give glory, praise and honor to God because of his mercy and because of his truth.