by Martin Montgomery
As I write this, it is only 25 days till the Feast of Tabernacles. Are you looking forward to it? Are you excited? How many Feasts have you been to? Do you plan to keep attending forever, or is this just something that you are doing for now?
Something that can affect whether you keep going to the Feast when you are older or not, is whether you consider the Feast to be a holiday or Holy Days. Don’t get me wrong, holidays are a lot of fun and there are many studies that show that the right balance between work and recreation is good for us. But something else to keep in mind is that God, who actually designed human beings, knows better than anyone what we really need.
The Holy Days offer a purpose, they give us answers to big questions, they teach us about our future and they open our mind to the purpose of life. The Holy Days give you information that probably no one else in your school, university or workplace has. Through the Holy Days God takes the extra time to teach us about that plan, as well as giving us time to think, relax, enjoy friends and family and some fun activities as well. All this makes the Holy Days far more meaningful than the holidays of the world.
Think about it for a moment, holidays are all about us and what we can get…me, me, me, fun, fun, fun. The Bible actually says that “it is more blessed to give than receive” (Acts 20:35). When we go to the Feast we actually get fun, friendship, chill time…plus amazing, awesome information about how God wants to use you in His Kingdom….plus something else that is often forgotten on holidays. What is it? The blessing (the fun, enjoyment and satisfaction) of giving to others.
I have seen over many years that those who come to the Feast to give, rather than to get and just have a holiday, usually have the best Feast ever. How do we do that? Well, there are lots of ways but the first thing you have to do is to think “give” rather than “get”. Look for ways to help people. Look for things that are needed then go about filling the need. If you see someone struggling with something, offer to help, be friendly, introduce yourself to people that you don’t know and give your time and friendship. Maybe you can play an instrument for special music, or sing or do a skit with others in the Talent Show, because when you come with a giving attitude, God promises to bless it.
It’s true, holidays can be fun, but when we compare them to all that the Holy Days offer, it becomes easy to see that they are a cheap copy that fall short of what the Feast and the Holy Days have to offer. When we are able to see this difference, God can bless us so much more and we will never want to stop keeping them. When we learn to “give” the best Feast ever, we will have the best Feast ever.
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