Freedom is Good News Part 157

What is it that you desire to have from God?  Has He not already given you all things?  Paul puts it this way in the book of Romans 8:32, “He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?”  In other words, the sacrifice of the Son of God to save us from our sins and to redeem us unto salvation and life eternal is the greatest gift that God the Father could have ever given to mankind.  So, if He gave us the greatest gift, why wouldn’t He also give us every lesser gift?

In his letter to the Church in Ephesus, Paul says it this way, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”  And if you don’t believe Paul, Peter says in his second letter, 2 Peter1:3, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and goodness.”

So, what is it that you desire to have from God?  If it is just for this physical life that you exist, consider that God has blessed you with everything you need to survive – air to breathe, water and food to sustain you, and a body more miraculous than any machine that can be built by man and the five senses with which to experience and learn about this world – yes, even more, the universe.  He has placed us in an awesome setting.

But you and I want more.  We want a spiritual life that reaches unto the heavenly realms.  And guess what?  God has blessed us there also!!  But there are so few of us (yes, even us Christians) who will accept and use these gifts, these free gifts from our Father in heaven. 

What gifts do we have?  Well let’s start with an obvious one – the bible.  God did not just plop us down here on earth to fend for ourselves.  We are His children and we need help to guide us on our way.  But again, how many of us accept this gift of His word and use it to help us.  The bible is a fulfillment of Peter’s statement that He “has given us everything we need for life and godliness”.  Do you want to live a better physical life on this planet?  The book of Proverbs is for you.  In it are found practical statements on how to attain wisdom, discipline, understanding, prudence, knowledge, discretion and discernment.  You can learn how to manage your finances, manage your speech, manage your work ethic – how to control your temper, how to teach your children and even how to listen to your elders and be taught by them.  It truly is an incredible book.  But, do you know what I desire from my Heavenly Father?  Knowing all that I have already mentioned, I desire to draw nearer to Him in a one to one relationship that goes far beyond anything that I can attain to here on earth!!  I desire a close relationship with God.  And if you are following me from our previous article, let me simply say that I know of no better way to achieve that perfect and sustaining relationship then to keep the appointed times of my God.  It is during these times of putting the world at arm’s length, getting out of my day to day routine and spending time with my Father and with others who feel as I do, that my relationship with Him grows.  And because these special times come around each year, I develop a closeness that could not be found at any other time.  The festivals are times of real spiritual growth, especially the Feast of Tabernacles!

There is still more to come.

Freedom Is Good News Part 156

We have been on the topic of covenants these past few weeks and so I would like to turn our attention to something that Sally and I participate in each and every year.  It has to do with “covenant relationships”.  Sometime during the month of October we attend the Feast of Tabernacles at different places around the country.  This is an eight day festival wherein God’s people join together to worship, honor and fellowship with the Eternal God of Heaven.  There are about 200 different sites around the world where one might attend.  This is something that is extremely important to us and I would like to share with all of you reading these articles, some information concerning this feast.

In Leviticus 23:2 we read, “These are my appointed feast, the appointed feast of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.”  It is quite interesting that God calls them appointments!  He says they are His appointed feasts – indeed they belong to Him.  God told ancient Israel that He desired to meet with His people and so, basically He set up appointments for them to keep.  When we have an appointment with a doctor, hairdresser, dentist or lawyer we strive to keep that appointment – we do not show up at any time we desire.  How much more important is it for God’s people to show up at the appointed times He has made?

You can read chapter 23 of Leviticus and see that there are seven holy Sabbath assemblies.  Each of them is a time to meet with our Heavenly Father.  But the one that we just kept is perhaps the most wonderful and meaningful of all.  We read of it in this same 23rd chapter, verses 33 through 43.  Allow me to highlight a few thoughts from these scriptures.  “On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the LORD seven days. The first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest.”  This festival is broken down into two events.  The first is a seven day period of rejoicing and worship with the first day being a day of rest from working and then the eight day is a special day (often called the last and great day of the feast) also a day of ceasing from work.

The ordinance that God brings with these days is that the worshipers are to stay in temporary dwellings.  Today, those who keep the feast stay in cabins, lodges, homes and some set up tents and RVs to camp.  Why do we do this?  The simple answer is that my family and I are Christians.  But that needs some explanation doesn’t it?  By definition a Christian is one who follows after our Savior, Jesus Christ.  Jesus Himself tells us to follow after Him and do the things He does.  Very simply then, let me say that I have seen many people wearing wrist bands that say, “What would Jesus do?”  I assume that they are advocating we should do as He does – and so what did He do in regards to the feast of Tabernacles?

The entirety of John chapter 7 tells us about how Jesus kept this festival.  I’ll let you read it for yourself.  But in verse 37 it tells us this, “On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”

There is still more to come.