Never too busy to celebrate
Just this past weekend, Highpoint Church celebrated its 14th anniversary. In some ways, it's easy to let those occasions come and go without much notice. Yet in the busyness of our lives, it’s so important that we pause long enough to acknowledge God's faithfulness in our midst.This morning, as I was in my priority time in Deuteronomy 16, I was reminded of something else God calls us to prioritize to take the time to remember and celebrate. Long after God had done the miraculous work of freeing the children of Israel from Egypt, He wanted them to remember the day when they were set free through what was called the Passover. On that landmark day, any Israelites who had put blood on their doorposts as the Lord had instructed, were passed over as each Egyptian family unfathomably lost their firstborn.[bctt tweet="It’s so important that we pause long enough to acknowledge God's faithfulness."]Simply put, in Deuteronomy 16:1-8, the Israelites were told to make a sacrifice to the Lord, eat unleavened bread for 7 days, and conclude with a solemn assembly. And while we no longer live in a day where Christians celebrate the Passover, I couldn’t help but see that in the very details of God’s instructions, there was application for our lives in 2016.
1. The place mattered.Twice in these 8 verses, instructions were clear that the sacrifice was supposed to occur "at the place that the Lord will choose." They just couldn’t make the sacrifice anywhere. Why? God had a specific location in mind because He was going "to make His name dwell there." The place mattered to God and God's presence would change that place.
If you’re a Highpointer, you know we’re praying for God to do a major work of revival and restoration in Memphis. I love the idea of praying that God would make His name dwell in Memphis. God can choose to bring His favor to a specific place… and we should ask that He would, and we should thank Him as He does.
[bctt tweet="God's presence changes places."]
2. Freedom can come quickly.Moses called for the use of unleavened bread in this remembrance. In Deuteronomy 16:4, he refers to it as the “bread of affliction” because the Israelites came out of Egypt in haste. There was no time for the bread to rise, so they departed with their unleavened bread.
As I thought about all the times when the children of Israel cried out against the abuses of Pharaoh, it occurred to me that, in some ways, they’d actually desired freedom for so long. Yet when freedom came, it came in an instant; it came so fast they couldn’t even stay to prepare their next meal. Some of us have been waiting such a long time for God to give us freedom. Take courage: When God’s freedom comes, it can come quickly.
3. Freedom should not be forgotten.As much as the day of release caught them by surprise, God purposed that they wouldn’t forget. It wasn’t just a single day that they were called to partake in this annual remembrance called Passover. They were supposed to eat unleavened bread for 6 days and then gather for an assembly. (Bad bread for a week?)
The celebration wasn’t intended to simply be a tip of the hat to God, but something that lingered for 7 days. They truly would have their lives disrupted long enough to cause them to reflect on exactly how important their freedom was. As we think about the freedom God has given us personally, may we not just tip our hat to God but truly, truly worship Him.
Plan right nowWhen today can I set aside some time to worship the Lord with gratitude for what He’s freed me from?What if you set aside just 30 minutes this week to ask God to bring His presence to do a work in a specific place you care about?