Before You Take A Bite

Read Luke 22:14-20

Context: Jesus and his apostles are in the Upper Room celebrating his last passover meal.

Text:

14When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. 15And he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God."
17After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among you. 18For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."

19And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."

20In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. (NIV)

taken from www.biblegateway.com

According to the concordance, there are seventeen times in the Gospels where Jesus gives thanks for his meal before he eats. Some of these times are repetitions of a single event. I hadn't really thought about it before, but Jesus, who was present at the dawn of creation and is fully God, is thanking his father for provisions. There is never a time when Jesus eats that he does not first give thanks.

We are good about praying before meals in our home, but I can't say I've ever thought about giving thanks for a snack. And there are times when I haven't prayed before eating in a public place. I'm ashamed to say that it wasn't because I was embarrassed to pray... I simply forgot. Other times I may pray, but it's very short and sweet so I can dive into my food; I'm not really praying thankfully, I'm praying in autopilot.

Yet there isn't a bite of food that I could consume that wasn't provided for me by my Father in Heaven. He not only provides enough to nourish my body, he provides the good stuff -- freshly baked cookies, Fritz's frozen custard, and stuffed crust pizza! I don't want to take this for granted. I want to be truly thankful, even if I only eat manna and quail for forty years.

Giving Thanks for the Little Things

This week we are reading 1 Peter 4 and continuing to use the Chapter Summary Method of Bible study. A major element of this method is to focus on the text itself and not to read commentaries or other items relating to the text that might change your perspective. Therefore this week's devotions will deal with thanksgiving, not our text.

Read Psalm 95:1-7

Context: According to the NIV Study Bible, this psalm is a call to worship the Lord spoken by a priest or Levite to the Israelites assembled at the temple.

Text:

1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.

3 For the LORD is the great God,
the great King above all gods.

4 In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.

5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.

6 Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;

7 for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care. (NIV)

taken from www.biblegateway.com

As we enter the holiday season it is easy to get caught up in the stress of preparation and forget all about the reason we celebrate. Whether you are hosting a feast at your home or are traveling somewhere else this Thursday, remember to find some quiet time to thank God for his blessings on your life.

I tend to thank God for the large and obvious things...trees, shelter, sunrises, people, salvation. A friend of mine, however, is really good at praising God for little things. I remember one time she gave thanks for her toothbrush...something that surprised me a bit. But in thinking about it, I am VERY thankful for toothbrushes...my own and those belonging to others! What things do you take for granted that are blessings in your day? Could you list a hundred things?