Memorial Unto the Lord

"And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever." Exodus 12:14

The scripture above refers to the Feast of the Passover, a feast day still observed annually by Jews everywhere, whether they are secular, which so many are these days, or whether they are religious. It was a day to look back and remember how good God was to the nation of Israel. He forgave their sin and delivered them from slavery to the Egyptians. It was a memorial set aside to remember their Lord and to remember their freedom and not to take it for granted.

Here in America, we celebrate Thanksgiving, a memorial to the Lord as well. Or at least that was the original intent.

I found an interesting little website that talks a bit about Thanksgiving and its origins. There are many of them, of course. This particular one [ http://www.christiananswers.net/q-wall/wal-g007.html ] speaks of the Thanksgiving that we all know of: celebrated by the Pilgrims after a successful harvest in their new homeland, having run from England because of religious persecution, coming to a faraway place that became known as "New England" – a place of freedom. But it also tells of how first George Washington, and later Abraham Lincoln, made the day an ordinance in a sense, a national holiday here in America. It goes on to tell of how Abe Lincoln became a Christian while walking among the graves of some of the 60,000 men who had died at the Battle of Gettysburg.

Thanksgiving has come a long way since the days of the Pilgrims, and Washington, and Lincoln. It follows pretty closely on the coattails of Halloween, the holiday producing big profits for retail in America – estimated at 6.2 billion this year – I think I heard that it's bigger than Christmas in sales, but I haven't verified that. Regardless, 6.2 billion in sales for Halloween this year [ http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/media/halloween-2010-more-treat-than-trick/19693833/ ] says something rather significant, I think. Especially in our current economic times.

Thanksgiving is a lot about food, as are many Biblical feast days. But how many of us remember that it's about thanking God as well?

In my own family, there are some who don't give God a thought at all on Thanksgiving, for they don't yet know Him as their Lord and Savior, giver of all that they possess, including their next breath, and the one after that, and the one after that….

Yet, for many others in my family, and in so many families all over America, we still remember that this rather secular holiday had very spiritual beginnings. And we remember the Lord on Thanksgiving Day, but not ONLY on that day.

A heart filled with grateful thanksgiving is an everyday occurrence for true believers. In fact, I believe that a grateful heart is the one thing that marks true believers and sets them apart from others who simply call themselves by the name of Jesus Christ, but really don't know Him or rely on Him.

God, the Father, sent His Son, named Jesus, the Christ (the Anointed One) to show us the way to Himself. Jesus lived a life of perfect obedience to His Father, then He died for US. By the power of God He was resurrected from the dead, the first of many to receive eternal life and to experience the joy of living in the presence of God, both now and in the future. But those who follow after Him, who call themselves His disciples, understand that He is the source of all that they possess and the supplier of all their needs. And I'm not speaking of material things here, for in light of the knowledge of what Jesus has done for us, material things have little value. I speak of things having eternal value: the joy of knowing our sins are forgiven, the peace of knowing that we will spend eternity with the Lord rather than in a place of everlasting torment called hell, the hope of knowing that the Lord is always with us, never forsaking us, leading us always into righteousness, right living, holiness, as we rely and depend upon Him for all that we need and all that we are to become.

And because of all of these things, we receive the most blessed gift of all: REST.

"My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest." Exodus 33:14

God loved us enough to give us REST. REST from worrying that we haven't been good enough and never will be to attain heaven. REST from fear of death and hell. REST in times of economic turmoil. REST from trying to figure out how to survive. REST in times of religious persecution. REST from worrying about the future of our loved ones. SO MUCH REST!!!

If you aren't experiencing rest, then you aren't calling out to and relying upon Jesus. It's very simple to do. Just call out to Him. He WILL Answer. He WILL give you REST.

Have a blessed (and grateful) Thanksgiving!

Psalm 77:11: "I will remember the works of the Lord, surely I will remember thy wonders of old."