One particular Thanksgiving in Taiwan, I got the idea to invite everyone I knew for the holiday meal. So over the month prior, we ordered five large turkeys from a wholesale meat market, borrowed fifteen folding tables, and began stockpiling mounds of stale cornbread in the freezer.

Our apartment was too small to contain everyone, so Mark and I split the guest list into four groups who would come to our house on different days.

Our:

  • Mandarin-speaking church
  • English-speaking colleagues
  • Taiwanese colleagues
  • American/Canadian friends, who had become family.

 

The lists contained a total of 147 names.

Over the span of ten days, our lives revolved around setting up tables and clearing them away. Needless to say, I have never done it again.

Ever heard of Black Friday? Well, I coined that phrase years before retailers ever thought of opening their doors at midnight.

The sad thing is—I am not sure all of that preparation and work benefited any of our guests.

Thankfully, our Divine Host does not have that problem. Right now, He is preparing a table for you (Psalm 23:5).

Please re-read Psalm 23. Note that before you get to the feast, you have to go through the valley. Most of us do not enjoy the wounds and scrapes of the valley. After all, it is a place of thieves, darkness, and wild animals. Although we intend to come through with courage, we usually end up hiding, cowering, and retreating. The good news is that we find He leads us out anyway.

Now, after He leads you out of the valley, but before you can go into the presence of the King and eat the feast, you need to get cleaned up—and He has provided clean garments for you that are just your size (Genesis 41:14)!

Put your name in the following blanks to hear the Father speak on your behalf.

“ ___________, your garments are filthy and need to be removed. There now, I have taken your iniquity away and cleansed your inner person (Zechariah 3:3–5).

“Allow Me now to renew your mind according to a true knowledge of who I am (Colossians 3:9). Know that I have given you My very own mind (1 Corinthians 2:16). Make a stand against the evil one, who desires to destroy those honorable thoughts. Put on the helmet of My salvation and stand firm against degrading thoughts, which come straight from the pit (Ephesians 6:11, 17).

“Go ahead, _______. Be angry with the devil and push back from his deception (Ephesians 4:26–27). He prowls to devour you with his sour jealous thoughts (1 Peter 5:8–9). Do not let him have the time of day, especially in these days when you will be with your family. Instead, take care of your every thought, bringing each to My feet (2 Corinthians 10:5). Herein is your victory. Herein is the feast.”

This is the Thanksgiving feast prepared just for you—laid out in splendor by the Master Himself.

 

Question to consider: What are some practical ways you focus on the Master Himself instead of all the holiday preparations this time of year?

 

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