Grand Sweep Daily
Leviticus 7:11-15 (NIV)
11 These are the regulations for the fellowship offering a person may present to the Lord: 12 If he offers it as an expression of thankfulness, then along with this thank offering he is to offer cakes of bread made without yeast and mixed with oil, wafers made without yeast and spread with oil, and cakes of fine flour well-kneaded and mixed with oil. 13 Along with his fellowship offering of thanksgiving he is to present an offering with cakes of bread made with yeast. 14 He is to bring one of each kind as an offering, a contribution to the Lord; it belongs to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the fellowship offerings. 15 The meat of his fellowship offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the day it is offered; he must leave none of it till morning.
II Corinthians 4:14-18 (NIV)
14 Because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in His presence. 15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. 16 Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 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.
Good morning!
Birthday cakes are a big deal in our family. When our children were little, they looked forward to having a special birthday cake made especially for them. Every ingredient, including the flavor and color of the cake, was hand-picked by the birthday boy or birthday girl. Our Rachel loves strawberry cake. One of her favorite dolls was Strawberry Shortcake, and she had several birthday cakes made with strawberries and whipped cream icing. Her mother even made a Strawberry Shortcake costume for Rachel to wear. Our Benjamin likes lots of chocolate – the gooier the better! Our David didn’t have a big sweet tooth. His favorite desert was banana nut bread with cream cheese frosting. He still likes it when his momma makes him banana bread fresh from the oven.
The birthday cake marks a milestone moment. We celebrate with thankfulness the life of another. We taste the sweetness of the cake. This sugary confection reminds us of the sweetness wrapped up in the person whose life we celebrate. We embrace the culinary delight with joyful and happy hearts. The people in our lives are a gift from God and we find ourselves grateful for each and every loved one.
The Lord made specific provisions for His people to express thanksgiving, by means of a fellowship offering. This offering was a way to express thankful appreciation to the Father for healing and safety during a time of illness or danger. A vow offering signifies the celebration in the keeping of a holy promise. The freewill offering is just that – my free will chooses to praise and thank the Lord of all for of His amazing love and grace poured out in my life.
Do you have a thankful heart? My heart overflows with thanksgiving every morning when I awake. It starts bubbling up about the time my feet hit the floor, and after the first couple of hours, I find myself simply overflowing in thankfulness to Him. I just can’t help it! The Lord has been so very good to me. He is faithful in all things. He has never forsaken or abandoned me. He loves me even when I’m not very lovable. I don’t have to try to be something other than who I am when I’m sitting in His holy presence. His grace and mercy overwhelm me, and I live to praise Him each and every day.
His love for me is the sweetest thing I know. Because He lives, I can live with a thankful and grateful heart. No matter what my circumstance, regardless of my physical state, my soul tastes His sweet mercy and love every moment of the day. It is like having your cake and eating it too! Won’t you join me for a piece of God’s grace?
Grace and peace,
Deb Spaulding
Pray for: a taste of the mercy and grace through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. Celebrate Jesus today! He is the sweetest treat you’ll ever know.
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© Copyright 2007, Deb Spaulding
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