7 And there you shall eat before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your households, in all that you undertake, in which the Lord your God has blessed you. – Deuteronomy 12:7
Thanksgiving
Today we celebrate another Thanksgiving. In the comfort of our homes we will sit with family and friends and feast. To the tune of 4500 calories per person according to one report. I don’t know how accurate the study may or may not be but most of us will eat more than we need to.
As the day passes and the conversations carry on many of us will be entertained by an early sampling of Christmas music. Certainly, some will sit in front of the television and enjoy a movie and others will allow the NFL game to give them their annual indigestion (you know who you are Lion’s fans).
For many, the day will consist of board games or card games. In between the days activities, I am confident there will be a lot of time spent on our cell phones and laptops. The day just wouldn’t be complete without checking in on the Joneses.
But before you retire and your head hits the pillow…
Rejoice
In the passage quoted above, God commands the Children of Israel, “You SHALL rejoice.”
Why?
After Israel spent 430 years of slavery in Egypt, God personally intervened on behalf of His chosen people. Helpless to escape from the bonds that held them, God sent Moses and Aaron to confront Pharaoh. Once Pharaoh’s heart was stubbornly hardened, God sent a destroyer to break him.
On the eve of their exodus, the Israelites marked their doorposts with the blood of sacrificed lambs to prevent the destroyer from entering. When it was time for their departure, God would lead them by a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night.
Destination Promised Land.
“There” you shall eat before the Lord. We may not be in the Promised Land, but wherever we are we should rejoice. Most of us will spend Thanksgiving in a comfortable home protected from the elements. We will be safe and comfortable and cozy. Our present homes may not be perfect, but we should be thankful for them.
While we are at it we should rejoice for our future homes. While we were held in bondage to sin, the blood of the Lamb was applied to the doorposts of our sin hardened hearts and the destroyer can no longer touch us. Rejoice in your future home!
You and Yours
As God commands the Children of Israel to rejoice, the command applies to them both individually and corporately, “you and your households”. God wants us to express our thankfulness before others. God’s blessings upon us our visible to others, our praise should be “shared” as well.
As you sit down to “eat before the Lord” take a good look at the faces around the table. They are just a sampling of the many blessings that God has bestowed upon you. Grandparents, parents, siblings, children, grandchildren, nephews, nieces, aunts, uncles, cousins, unrelated friends, etc. How many relationships have molded you into the person you are today?
Thank God for the people He has brought into your life. Rejoice with those you spend time with. Thank those who have invested in you and encouraged you. There is no guarantee that some of those chairs might not be empty next year.
Someday we will stand before the throne of God rejoicing with people from every tribe and tongue. This Thanksgiving may you recognize the blessings of “you and yours.”
Undertake
Why should I thank God for what I have done? How many times have you heard this or a similar question? Yet God tells us to rejoice in all that “we” undertake. After all, without God, what could we do?
Who gives us life? Who gives us health? Where does the breathe in our lungs come from? How about the heat of the sun? The food we eat? The water we drink? Why do we deceive ourselves? The only reason “we” can “do” anything is because of the grace of God. The only reason “we” exist is because of the grace of God.
Take time to thank God for your health. Thank Him for your employment. Thank Him for your talents and abilities. Reflect on all you have accomplished and thank Him for enabling you to do so. God not only enables us to labor, but then He blesses our labor. Isn’t that what that feast before you represents?
Rejoice in all that you undertake. It is a constant reminder of the grace of God.
Blessings
As you eat before the Lord this Thanksgiving, consuming your 4500 calories, don’t forget to thank God for His unlimited blessings. He has blessed you beyond measure and desires and deserves your praises.
As Proverbs 10:22 reminds us, it is the blessings of the Lord that makes us rich. Maybe not always in the material realm, but certainly in the spiritual. Richer than we can ever realize. Certainly rich enough to rejoice forever.
We might be wise to turn off the football game for a few minutes (spoiler alert: the Lions are going to lose) and listen to Matt Redman’s song 10000 Reasons (Bless The Lord). If his heart can find 10000 reasons to sing about the goodness of God, certainly our hearts can find 10000 reasons to rejoice in His blessings. And no, you can’t count each calorie as one reason.
Happy Thanksgiving!!
10000 Reasons
Bless the Lord oh my soul
Oh my soul
Worship His Holy name
Sing like never before
Oh my soul
I’ll worship Your Holy name
The sun comes up
It’s a new day dawning
It’s time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass
And whatever lies before me
Let me be singing
When the evening comes
Bless the Lord oh my soul
Oh my soul
Worship His Holy name
Sing like never before
Oh my soul
I’ll worship Your Holy name
You’re rich in love
And You’re slow to anger
Your name is great
And Your heart is kind
For all Your goodness
I will keep on singing
Ten thousand reasons
For my heart to find
Bless the Lord oh my soul
Oh my soul
Worship His Holy name
Sing like never before
Oh my soul
I’ll worship Your Holy name
Bless You Lord
And on that day
When my strength is failing
The end draws near
And my time has come
Still my soul will
Sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years
And then forevermore
Forevermore
Bless the Lord oh my soul
Oh my soul
Worship His Holy name
Sing like never before
Oh my soul
I’ll worship Your Holy name
Bless the Lord oh my soul
Oh my soul
Worship His Holy name
Sing like never before
Oh my soul
I’ll worship Your Holy name
Yes I’ll worship Your Holy name
I’ll worship Your Holy name
Sing like never before
Oh my soul
I’ll worship Your Holy name
Jesus I will worship Your Holy name
Worship Your Holy name