Through Numbers Sample

Offerings and Festivals 

In today's world of commercialization where every holiday is about spending money, the significance of the holiday seems to have been lost. Christmas is more about Christmas trees, Santa Claus and gifts that we forget the importance of the birth of Christ in the festivities. It's not the death and resurrection of Christ for our sins that we remember during Easter, but Easter eggs and bunnies that we look forward to.

In Deuteronomy 28- 30, Moses reminds the people of the various sacrifices and the feasts or holidays God wanted the Israelites to follow. These days were ordained to remember God's providence and protection in Israel's time of need and the hope in days to come. They were a part of an ' life to remember God's goodness.

What is the center of the festivities we follow in our life? Is it all about me, my family or Christ? To elaborate further, I would like to take the example of Thanksgiving Day celebrated in various countries. Is it about the food and family fellowship and what God has done for us materialistically or are we thankful for what the Lord is doing for us? To know the difference, do we thank God for health only when we are healthy? Do we come with the same gratefulness even if we are battling a life-threatening health concern? Are we thankful only when we have a big bank balance and complain when finances are tight? In the issue of funds, are we good stewards of the wealth God has given us or are our investments scarce because of our unhealthy spending habits? Do we give God and the government their due?

In my life, God is moving me from a place of just following traditions, even as I enjoy them, to a place of using the season to remember Christ's work in my life. 

After losing my seven-year-old to leukemia, these festivities remind me of the hope in Christ that one day we would also be resurrected like Christ. Death is not the end of life, and there is more to life. It is not just the glory in heaven but joys on earth. It's not striving and surviving but enjoying our life in this world.

Thought for the day: 

Is Christ and His goodness the center of your family traditions around the holidays you celebrate?

Lord be the center of our festivities.

Additional Reading - Numbers 28-30