Deuteronomy 16:15 “Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast (Chag in Hebrew) to the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD shall choose: because the LORD thy God shall bless you in your produce, and in all the works of your hands, therefore you shall surely rejoice (Sameach in Hebrew).
Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles) started a few days ago, and it’s customary to say to everyone this week — Chag Sameach, which literally means joyous festival! As we mentioned, the feast of Sukkot commemorates the time in which God led the Israelites through the wilderness for 40 years, providing them with every need on a daily basis — shelter, food, water, and clothing. You may know that a during Sukkot, a portion of Ecclesiastes is read in the synagogues. Interestingly enough, it speaks of the vanity of materialism.
Hmm. If our focus lies on all of our abundances without acknowledging the Provider, then it is all vanity! But if our focus is on the Lord and His desire for our lives, then He will provide us with all that is pure and holy.
Let’s feast in the Lord today, for all that He has provided for us this season! Let’s take the time to recognize and appreciate all of the abundances God has poured upon us this past year and allow our hearts to overflow with the measure of gratitude that is appropriate given His great generosity!
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]One of my favorite heroes of the faith is Hudson Taylor. For those who are unfamiliar with him, Hudson Taylor led a great awakening in China which continues to this day.
Did you know that on a rocket's journey, the most force is exerted at its lift-off? The amount of force that is needed to get that rocket off the ground is so fierce that it could easily blow the whole thing to pieces. Interestingly though, the further the rocket moves from the earth's gravitational pull, the less energy it needs to move farther along.
My wife and I are both big Keith Green fans. He sang a great song about the children of Israel in the wilderness complaining to Moses that they "Wannna go back to Egypt".
Peter exhibited GREAT faith when he stepped out on the water... but then he allowed his immediate surroundings to hinder his walk! Peter's faith began with a tremendous bold step, but it required a level of focus that he wasn't used to. Follow through.... that was the problem; those pesky waves, and the way he usually thought about and experienced water; (not something that generally supports your feet)...
I read this passage and I wonder how I would react if someone mixed their saliva with some dirt on the ground and put it on my face like this. Ewww! Why didn't Jesus just heal this guy and be done with it? Why the messy prelude?
It is among popular "Christian" belief that an abundance of material and other blessings follow those whose hearts are truly after God and that those who seem to consistently struggle to that end, cannot possibly be in God's perfect will. I want to submit to you a realization I had about this very thing. I think we might have it all backwards.
Years ago, a young sailor went to sea for the first time. Not long after setting sail his ship encountered a heavy storm and the sailor was commanded to go aloft and trim the sails. About three quarters of the way up, the young sailor made the mistake of looking down. The roll of the ship combined with the tossing of the waves made for a frightening experience. The young man started to lose his balance. At that moment, an older sailor underneath him shouted, "Look up, son! Look up!" The young sailor did as he said -- he looked up, and regained his balance.