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Mar 15, 2024 18:00pm

Feast of Faith

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There’s a lot I love about the holidays, but if you know me, you know there’s one thing that tops the cake –

Food!

I love a good feast! Everyone is different in what they have on the table or their specialty. Mashed potatoes and gravy, turkey and dressing (you northerners might call it stuffing ), green beans, cranberry sauce, deviled eggs, Mac and cheese, sweet potato casserole, freshly baked rolls with butter…

Is your mouth watering yet?

I love all the things!

And it’s great we get to enjoy the feast. But have you ever thought about all the prep work to get it there ready for you to dive in?

Of course, there are the ones who have worked tirelessly for days in the kitchen using several pounds of butter, covered in flour, smelling like sage, and sticky from the sugar and marshmallows.

But let’s go even further back. The one who planted those green beans, harvested them, packaged them, stocked them in the store, and even the ones that might have loaded them in your car at the grocery pickup. Every item on that table has a beginning, and a lot of work went into getting it where it is today.

You reap the harvest, but there was great labor before you.

John 4:34-38

Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.
38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.”

Jesus used every instance to teach the disciples. His friends were concerned about Him and were encouraging Him to eat. But Jesus shared that He had meat that they didn’t know about. Confused, the disciples asked one another who brought Him food. Then Jesus lays out this beautiful message about His work here on earth.

He told them to look up; the harvest was ready. No more excuses; it was time. They would reap and rejoice! There were people of the past who had labored greatly to prepare for this very moment. Prophets and men of God, like John the Baptist, had prepared the way for this day.

The day of salvation.

There is no greater joy than serving the Lord by sharing His name with others. I LOVE to see someone’s eyes light up when suddenly, after months of studying, they “get it.” It’s like a switch turns on, and the light shines in their eyes. It’s beautiful!

Some will labor and never see the harvest. But it doesn’t make them slow their efforts. They continue doing what the Lord has for them to do.

Because they have faith.

Faith that God has a plan. Faith that it will be joyful for the one who reaps the harvest and leads that person to salvation. Faith that the church, the body of Christ, will come alongside that new believer and instruct them in their new walk. Faith that the Holy Spirit will guide them.

And then, on that day, when the feast is laid out before them, there will be great rejoicing both for the one who labored and the one who harvested.

If it’s that great here, can you imagine what rejoicing happens in heaven when a soul is saved?

I can’t fathom all those who went before me have endured during their lives. Their stories in the Bible give us only a glimpse into the hardships, the work, and the persecution they endured, all so that we might have this beautiful message of forgiveness and freedom in Christ.

As I feast on God’s Word this morning, I am thankful for those who labored and committed their lives to the Lord. And in return, well, I invite you to the table to enjoy this feast with me and taste and see that the Lord is good!

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His love endures forever!