Romans 13: 13
Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy.
We are to live our lives as in full daylight, not doing the kinds of things people do at night, like:
"Carousing and drunkenness" is the kind of partying that is destructive;
"Sexual promiscuity and sensuality" is all the sexual and sensual things people do to pleasure and please their bodies at the expense of their souls and characters; and
"Strife and jealousy" is all the competitveness in our relationships instead of working together in concert with one another, focusing on their positive qualities to build them up and encourage them.
There's nothing wrong with partying, Jesus loved to go to parties. But He never did do anything at parties that would be unhealthy to His body, or injurious to anyone else. He used these festive occasions to invite people into relationship with Himself, to present His Kingdom. The Lord's table in His Kingdom will be the biggest party ever!
And the sexual act, the "one flesh" of marriage, is a beautiful sharing between a husband and a wife. Our enemy has twisted the concept into unrecognizable forgeries and divorced it from marriage, which is very destructive deception.
Neither strife nor jealousy has ever helped anyone in either their emotional life or their relationships. How much better is cooperation and recognizing the different ways God has gifted us with varied abilities and propensities, to admire in one another and encourage each other.
Whenever someone is jealous of another's skill or ability, they are neglecting their own skill or ability with which to serve and bless someone else. And it's always more fun to give than to receive.
God designed this World to work on the basis of our loving one another, as He has loved us. When we understand what real love is, we realize that it is a sacrificial wanting the very best for the one loved regardless of the cost to ourselves. So when we love one another, we'll not think twice about doing for another what might be very costly to ourselves in time or energy or finances, because they have a need.
And we will be humble enough to allow others to also minister to us, in ways we are not able to do for ourselves.
Jesus taught this to Peter when He washed his feet at the Last Supper. He ministered to him in a way only the lowliest servant was required to, and showed him to accept this service even from his Lord.
O Father, help me to understand the balance of ministry that You desire of Your children. Show me how I can serve others, and give me the humility to accept their help with what I cannot do on my own. You never mean for any of us to be "on our own," You have put us into societies, organizations, neighborhoods. We all live together on this beautiful Earth, and we all have different personalities, different abilities, different interests; so that everything will get done.
Please teach all of us how to help one another with all the things You want us to accomplish in this age. Especially to share Your love with one another, and find all the lost sheep that belong in Your fold.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
