Everyday that God allows us to live upon this earth, we realize that it’s a day of thanksgiving. We look back over our lives, and see the many blessings that have been bestowed upon us. As we reflect, it’s important to know the source of our joy, the source of maintaining us through our daily experiences. We need to know whether our source is ‘Live or Memorex’. Our faith needs to be one of total commitment. In I Maccabees 2, we find Mattahias and his sons in the city of Modein ready to defend their religious beliefs at all costs When we go through our many rituals of worshiping God through our sacrifices, we sometimes feel that God was beholden to us, or that he owes us something. In Psalms 50, God lets the children of Israel know that he is God. He calls together a council of the entire Earth to let us know that he is the Judge. God reminds us that he does not need our sacrifices, because he owns it all anyway. Can these sacrifices alone suffice for the payment for our sins. The answer is no, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to love God and our neighbor is pleasing to God. In Luke 19:41-44, we find Jesus weeping. Was it because he knew that he would be betrayed and bound, scourged and spit upon, condemned and crucified? No, he wept because he observed that his people missed their opportunities to be saved, even though the Gospel had been preached. They had missed the very thing that brings pleasure to God, and that is making peace with God. When God’s spirit strives with us, and our own consciences are startled and awakened, then is the time of visitation of his spirit. Let’s face it, God is crazy about us, and wants us to know that he cares for us. |