January 31 - One Day
The annual calendar is full of special days, holidays and days of festivals. The first day of the year is the New Year Day, then the July 4th Independence Day for America. For China and the Chinese, there are the Chinese New Year, Mid Autumn Festival and other festival days. Each such day is there to remember something.
For the Jewish nation, God gave them special days to remember for on those days, God acted on their behalf to bring about salvation. Here, the word “day” is repeated many times. The Lord said, “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.” This is the Feast of Unleaven Bread that the Lord was referring to. The Israelites were to do some special things on the first and seventh days to commemorate the exodus from Egypt.
The Passover is the most important festival for the Israelites. The whole event is still being re-enacted in Jewish families today. The removing of leaven, the Pascal lamb, the sprinkling of blood on lintels and doorposts, the eating of the dinner in haste, fully dressed, ready to leave Egypt, are some of the things to be remembered. On that very night, God struck the firstborns of Egypt, causing Pharaoh to release the Israelites. The Passover is Israel’s salvation story that they repeat annually to remember what the Lord had done for them.
We all have our own “day” or “days” to remember: our dates of conversion, our wedding days, our birthdays, the days of our baptisms and other significant days. This has to do with how the Lord has led our lives and are meant to give glory to the Lord. Celebration of birthdays, for instance, is not just to be grateful that you are one year older but on that day, you remember the grace and mercy of the Lord. Then your special “day” will truly be special.
There are, however, other festivals that are pagan in origin and we should avoid celebrating them. Many already have known that Halloween has pagan origins and becomes an annual pact renewal with the devil over the land. Christian believers should not be involved in it. The Mid Autumn Festival in China has its origin in moon worship and came from the autumn sacrifice of the Chinese emperors. On those special days, we must have a heart of discernment not to participate.
What are some of your special days in your life? Can you see the footprint of God over those tracks? It is not just your own story but also His story. Pause now to reflect on what the Lord has done for you on this day. Give thanks to Him for all the special days of your life. He has been good to you!
Ps 18:16-24 Exo 12:14-13:16 Matt 20:29-21:22 Prov 6:12-15