Celebrate the Passover
of the Lord your God during the month of Abib, because it was during
Abib that he brought you out of Egypt at night. …celebrate the Feast of Weeks
for the Lord your God. Bring
an offering as a special gift to him, …Celebrate the Feast of Shelters for
seven days, after you have gathered your harvest from the threshing floor and
winepress. Everybody should rejoice at your Feast, …No man should
come before the Lord without a gift. Each of you must
bring a gift that will show how much the Lord your God has blessed
you. Deuteronomy 16:1, 10, 13-14,
16-17 (NCV)
The Israelites celebrated these festivals to remember how
God had delivered them from Egypt. The
Lord God was their Savior and they celebrated Him and the salvation He gave
them. The Lord was their Provider and
they celebrated Him for His blessings in their lives. As they celebrated and gave thanks, God told
them to give back to Him as He had blessed them.
I can think of three ways we can apply this to our lives:
1. As God delivers and provides for you, give back to Him
with joy and remembrance of Him.
2. Choose to celebrate what God has done and is doing in
your life. And do it joyfully.
3. Schedule anniversaries and events that bring to mind what
God has done for you. And give Him
praise and thanks.
Obviously we will celebrate with family and friends this Thursday. It will be one of those opportunities to give
praise and thanks to God for His blessings.
And there are many more events you can celebrate: birthdays, wedding anniversaries, spiritual
birthdays … As a church we will celebrate Christmas and Easter as two great
events which have changed the future of mankind and have given us hope and
purpose, and they remind us of the real story that is unfolding which dwarfs
all others, and one in which our personal stories are a part. Give thanks and praise to our Savior and God
this Thanksgiving because of His blessings and His promises.
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I have had some time to reflect on the special events that I have celebrated and realize that although each is filled with joy and gratefulness that they have another thing in common and that is food. Have you ever been to a celebration that didn't have food? For me and others like me food can become like an idol...something that is used to pleasure insecurities, sedate anxiety, and to fulfill a personal desire, or missing link in an empty corner of our life. Father God, I come to you with a prayerful heart. Help me to be aware of idols that sneak into my life only to sabotage the real meaning of celebrating all that you are, all that you have given me and all that you have planned for me in the future. Thank you for your faithfulness in my ongoing journey to provide a healthier temple for you to reside in. Thank you for your mercy when I fail to listen to my heart and when I don't lean on your understanding, strength and love. Father I look forward to celebrations that no longer whet my appetite and over stuff my selfish desires. I give you all the praise and glory as I remember that what you feed me will not only sustain me, but give me joy, peace and grow my relationship with you. For my next celebration I will remember to pull out the most important recipe...Your delicious and fulfilling "Bread" of life. Thank you Father for everything...especially your precious son Jesus who died so that I might live forever with you...Amen
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