Celebrate
Everyday Celebrations
Each morning when the alarm goes off, it seems to have been set earlier and earlier. You see, I am not really a morning person, at least not until I have had a shower and something hot to drink. Over the years I have tried to psyche myself out by attempting to put on a happy spirit, or telling myself that it is later than I know it really is. Such approaches have not worked, I must admit. Finally, several years ago I hit upon something that always works. You see it is not my method, but God’s and it works every time! Of course I am not surprised, after all isn’t His way always best? So, each day as I rise I begin with these words, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!”
Having thankful hearts by acknowledging God’s goodness is
really nothing new. In Deuteronomy
“For seven days
celebrate the Feast to the Lord your God at the place the Lord will
choose. For the Lord your God will bless
you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be
complete.”
As we reflect on all of these blessings from God, each and every day can be a day to celebrate in thankfulness! The Psalmist in Psalm 136:1 says it best.
“Give thanks to the
Lord, for He is good. His love endures
forever.”
This is an ongoing statement. No matter what is going on in our lives He is always there for us. His mercies and goodness far outreach any “problems” our day may hold. Each day holds the promise of His grace and forgiveness. What better reason could there be for us to wake up to our alarm in thankfulness!
Questions
l. How do you begin each day?
2. What can you do differently today to have a more thankful spirit?
3. What can you do today to show others His joy?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You so much for Your many gifts that You give me each and every day. Help me to appreciate all that I have. Let others see a thankful spirit in me today. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen
Celebrate
Future Celebrations
Have
you planned for your future? This is a
common question asked especially to the baby boomer generation these days. In fact, mailings come almost daily for
special opportunities to open investment accounts or acquire extra insurance
for those days ahead.
Our future may be uncertain when it comes to earthly
matters. We may think we have adequate
savings and insurances for those days ahead, but ultimately we can never be
completely sure. How quickly life can
change, as we have just evidenced with the horrific Tsunami disaster is
As Christians however, what a wonderful, certain future we have. Our future in Heaven is already secured for us. The best part is that we need not do one thing to acquire it. Heaven is ours now, through faith in our Savior Jesus. His promises are clear and simple as revealed in John 3:16.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his
one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have
eternal life.”
When God calls us home to heaven we will have celebrations unending. We can’t even begin to imagine how wonderful they will be. As we prepare for our future here on earth, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2a) knowing that an even more glorious celebration is yet to come!
Questions:
1. How are you preparing for your future?
2. Who do you know needs the comforting words of Jesus today, as they draw close to their earthly death?
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, Thank You for Your unending love for us. Help us this day celebrate the gift of Heaven that is ours through faith in You. Help us boldly proclaim Your name until You call us home with You. Amen.
Gifts
Each one should use
whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s
grace in its various forms. If anyone
speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the
strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus
Christ. To Him be the glory and the
power for ever and ever. Amen.
(I Peter 4:10-11)
What a wonderful world we live in. God gives us these gifts. But not only are we blessed with gifts, these gifts are what we are good at and what gives our lives purpose and happiness. Sometimes our gifts are not apparent to us or we are just not as attentive as we should be. I believe my gift is teaching. However I did not get my teaching degree until I was 34 years old. At 20 years old I had no interest or desire to teach. I had other plans and goals. When I had children and became involved in their education I found my passion. I love to teach. Do not misunderstand. It is not always easy. It takes many hours and lots of planning to be a good teacher. I am thankful that my gift is teaching.
Find what you enjoy doing. If you enjoy it, spending time doing it is rewarding and the more time you spend at it the better you will become at your talent. We are given gifts, talents and opportunities from God. It is our responsibility to use them wisely. “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your Master’s happiness! . . . For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.” (Matthew 25:21-29) Celebrate your talents, gifts and opportunities.
Questions:
1. What are my talents?
2. What opportunities has God given me?
3. Am I celebrating my talents and opportunities?
Prayer:
Dear Lord, You have created us so wonderfully and uniquely. We are not only blessed with the outward beauty of the world which You created, but we are also blessed with the inner qualities You have given each of us. Help us to use these special gifts to give honor and praise to Your name. Let us not miss opportunities. Help us be attentive to the world around us. In Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.
Celebrate
Celebrate With a Song
Music has always been very
important to me. As a child my parents
were music lovers and my sisters and I would often enjoy singing with
them. After I was married and had children,
music also continued to be a big part of our time together. When my oldest daughter left home, one of the
things we all missed was hearing her piano music.
What makes music so appealing
to people is that it has a way of soothing the soul and penetrating the
heart. King Saul found the music of
David of great comfort during trying times.
“Whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David
would take his harp and play. Then
relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would
leave him.” (I Samuel 16:23)
Many great classical
musicians like Handel used words from scripture as inspiration for their music,
knowing that the Word of God and music combined has a powerful influence on
people. Handel’s great masterpiece “The
Messiah” comes from Isaiah 9. The
section most familiar is:
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and
the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:2)
Music indeed is a powerful
way to draw people to God. It is no
mistake that our worship today is filled with music. Music and worship go hand and hand. Music has a way of hallowing God. What a wonderful way of celebrating who God
is!
Just as we sing “Happy
Birthday” to celebrate life, let us sing praises to our God, for He is the one
worthy of all honor and praise!
Questions
1.
What is one of
your favorite songs?
2.
On what occasion
in your life did music play an important role?
3.
What music or
song stirs deep emotion in you and draws you closer to God?
Prayer:
Dear God, Thank You for the
gift of music which stirs the soul. Help
us draw closer to You through Your Holy Word and through song. Fill our hearts with Your love so that we may
praise You all the days of our lives. Amen.
Celebrate
Do Not Worry
“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:31-34)
Do you worry? I do! I worry that I might hurt someone’s
feelings. I may say something that
offends someone. I worry about my
husband. Is he careful on his job? Do I take him for granted? Do I show him enough appreciation? I worry about my children and their friends. Are they making the right choices? Are they driving carefully? Are they
safe? Are they happy? I worry about my students. Did they understand the lesson? Am I giving them a well-rounded
education? Do they know I care about
them? I worry about my parents. Are they healthy? Are they taking care of themselves? WOW! I
worry a lot! What a waste of time! Why?
Why do we worry? According to
Luke12:24-26 “Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no
storeroom or barn: yet God feeds them.
And how much more valuable you are than birds!
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you
cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?”
I worry, even though I know I should not. God forgives me. He knows I try not to worry. He also knows I am a sinner. My greatest worry is taken care of. I do not have to worry about death. “For
God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes
in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
(John 3:16)
Wow! Why do I worry? (Believe it or not, I actually worried about writing this devotion.) Do not worry. Celebrate Christ and the blessings He has given you.
Questions:
1. Do you worry?
2. What do you worry about?
3. Why do you worry?
Prayer
Dear Lord, Thank You for family and friends. Thank You for food, shelter, and clothes. You provide, yet we worry. Please forgive us when we worry. Please help us to trust in You. Help us to trust and celebrate more and worry less. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.
Celebrate
Birthdays
“Before I formed you
in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” (Jeremiah 1:5a) “For you created my inmost
being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139:13)
Babies! The day they are born is exciting. Parents are in awe. Family and friends bring gifts and exclaim,
“How Cute!” God shares in the importance
of that day. He knew each of us before
that day.
Every year after that, the birthday is celebrated. There is a cake with candles, a flame for
every year. Children are excited about
getting older and adding more candles to the cake. Adults do not always share that enthusiasm.
The candles blown out mean years past. That year is done. Never again will you be that age. However there is an eternal light, a light
that will not blow out. A light that
offers a life that does not count years.
Eternal life, no sense of time, hard to comprehend? Perhaps.
Amazing? Definitely. The eternal light of Jesus shines forever. “When
Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in
darkness but will have the light of life.’ ” (John
Questions:
1. Do you celebrate your birthday with excitement or is it just another day?
2. Do you include God in the celebration of your birthday?
3. Do you have the light of life?
Prayer:
Dear Lord, Thank You for life. The miracle of birth is so amazing. The days, weeks and months go by so quickly and soon we are another year older. Let us not take this time for granted. Help us to celebrate the days and years You have given us with the rightful praise they deserve. We pray that our days on earth are pleasing to You. Help Your light to shine through us that others may see how truly wonderful You are. Thank You for the gift of eternal life. Help our faith grow stronger with each passing day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Celebrations That Last
What is a celebration without decorations and balloons? When children are small their eyes light up at a room filled with these items because they know that there is more to come. There will be games, food, laughter, and gifts.
Such celebrations are temporary, just like the balloons that add to the festivities. I can remember a time when one of my own children was so excited about receiving a balloon. There was a store in a mall celebrating an anniversary and balloons were being given away. Before we even arrived home the balloon was gone. The tiny grip on the string let loose and away the balloon sailed into the sky. That day was just the first of many in which the lesson of what lasts and is really important was taught.
Everything in life does not always end up being what it appears to be. A balloon to a child brings such joy and happiness at the moment. Such happiness lasts only a short time. True happiness is eternal.
God tells us in 2 Corinthians 4:18: “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is
unseen is eternal.”
Faith in Jesus is the unseen. Faith in Jesus is what lasts, eternally. I love the words of Jesus to Thomas in the upper room. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29b)
Faith in Jesus brings true happiness and lasting joy. There can be the largest of celebrations with streamers, food, and gifts, but such celebrations will never compare to the gift of faith. This gift has a celebration that will never end!
Questions:
1. What was one of your favorite celebrations?
2. How can you celebrate the gift of faith God has given you?
3. Who can you tell about this wonderful gift?
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, Thank You for the gift of faith that You gave me in my Baptism. Help me this day to grow in my love and knowledge of You, knowing that I will never be disappointed. Help me share my faith with those around me. In your name I pray. Amen.
Ablaze
Living With Hearts Ablaze!
So, how is your heart? If it is like mine, there are days when it is
on fire and other days when it is nothing but a smoldering heap. Thanks be to God that Jesus paid the price
for that smoldering heap. It is only
through His grace that I can face each day.
As we live each day knowing that we are redeemed Christians, bought and
paid for by His great sacrifice, that smoldering heart is renewed. Through the power of the Spirit, may your
heart each day be set Ablaze with the Good News. May we be eager to learn, pray, give, tell,
send, go, and celebrate.
Our wonderful pastor closed
his devotions with the following paragraph.
I think it sums everything up.
“Let the celebration begin by rededicating ourselves
to responding to His Great Commission, first by learning and praying. Then, let us put our learning and prayers
into action by telling and giving. Pray on behalf of His bride that she might be
disturbed out of her apathy and comfort zone and be known as a sending
Church, where believers are missionaries as much as they are members, going
wherever God sends them. Then as the
lost souls are saved and lives transformed, let His Holy Nation, the priesthood
of believers, join with God and all the company of heaven, celebrating
over each soul that returns home.”
Keeping in mind our family
devotional theme, we gave our 8th graders a shot at putting his
paragraph in their words. It reads as
follows:
So let the party begin. Let’s start by re-giving ourselves to
answering His Great Commission, first by learning and praying. Then, let’s put our learning and prayers into
action by witnessing and giving our faith, firsthand, to others. Pray for our worldwide fellowship. Pray for the awakening of the worldwide
church. Jesus wants us to serve not only
through lighting the altar candles or donating money to the church, (not that
these are bad things) but He wants us to go and tell about all that has been
done for us. We must not become lazy or
uncaring, but we need to be alive in our faith.
Pray that we may be known to others as a “sending church.” Our church is God’s
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank
you for loving us so much, so much that you sent Jesus to be our Savior. Everyday You shower us with Your
blessings. We know we don’t deserve Your
grace and mercy, but You give it to us anyway.
Help us to take this undeserved love and share it with others. Help us to take Your Gospel Message and
through the power of the Spirit share it with an unbelieving world. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.