The Discipline of Celebration
The Discipline of Celebration
Major Ted Morris
Corps Officer
Clearwater, Florida
Scripture: Psalm 139
In our series we have been delving into the Discipline of Confession, the Discipline of Worship, the Discipline of Guidance and today, the Discipline of Celebration. None of these take place in a vacuum. In the Discipline of Confession, we are not suggesting that we confess anything to anybody at any time. In the Discipline of Worship, we are not advocating that “as long as you worship something, you will be fine.” Oprah was quoted as stating that “there are many paths to what each person calls ‘God.’ There cannot possibly be one way to God.” This is not an uncommon philosophy in the world of today. In the Discipline of Guidance, we are not suggesting that we seek guidance from any source. And in looking at the Discipline of Celebration, we are not suggesting that we should celebrate anything and everything. Some who have chosen alternative lifestyles that are contrary to the plan God has for us, expect us to celebrate that. The bottom line is that all these disciplines are in relation to God: Confessing our sins against God to a fellow believer or to God Himself; seeking guidance provided by God; and celebrating God Himself.
Celebrate God Every Day
In Eugene Peterson’s The Message, Philippians 4:4 states, “Celebrate God all day, every day, I mean revel in Him!” When the Holy Spirit descended on that upper room on Pentecost,
His Spirit flowed through 120 believers, who were all together in that one place – praying. And because thousands of people from all over the known world were in Jerusalem for the purpose of celebrating the Feast of Weeks that we call Pentecost, they heard the Good News and carried it back to their part of the world. What a great celebration of God and His power!
There may be times when we may feel more comfortable thanking Him for His blessings to us, which is a good thing, instead of simply celebrating Him, who He is, rather than what He has done for us. No doubt, He has done amazing things for us. He sent His Son to take our sins upon Himself. He cleanses us from all unrighteousness. He can free us from the slavery of sin. He walks with us during sunny and stormy times of our lives. We can and should be thankful for this!
But sometimes it is not quite as easy to simply celebrate God for who He is, His attributes, for the things that are intrinsically part of His character. One way to help us do this is rather than saying “God, You have done _____________for me,” we can say “God You are ____________.” We celebrate who You are!
What are some things we can celebrate about God?
God is love
First John 4:8 reminds us that God is love. Because of His love, He showed us His love by sending His Son so that we might live through Him (1 John 4:9). He also allows us to know Him (1 John 4:7). We can thank Him for the love He gives us, but we can also celebrate the fact that God is love. Love is part of His character. It cannot be separated from God. When times comes that we may feel unloved, when we may feel like we have nobody to love, since we know God, and since God is love, we can know love by knowing Him. In knowing Him, we can know true love.
God’s Power
In recent months, we have seen the abuse of power with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and with Hamas’s terrorist attack on the people of Gaza. These invasions took place to take power from other peoples. Closer to our worlds, we may often feel that we have little or no control over our personal situations. We may try to eat the right foods, or not eat the wrong foods. We may faithfully exercise, and take the right medicines and supplements, however we still get sick. We may try to say the right thing and are still misunderstood. We may pray for the salvation of a loved one but feel powerless to help bring about a change in their life. But, despite our lack of power, we can still celebrate the fact that God is all powerful. When the writer penned the first verse of the Bible (Genesis 1:1), the literal meaning was “In the beginning, God made what is above my head and what is below my feet.” Romans 1:20 reminds us that “…since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen…” The Apostle Paul, when discussing the faith of Abraham in Romans 4:20-21 notes that Abraham knew that God had the power to do what He promised.
Is this any different for us? Did God like Abraham better? Will God renege on His promises to us? Is God powerful to keep His promise as recorded in Isaiah 26:3, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Is God powerful enough to keep His promise as found in Psalm 32:8, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” When Paul asked God to remove what he called his thorn in in the flesh, did God really mean it when He stated, “My grace is sufficient for you – for my power is made perfect in (your) weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9). We can celebrate God’s omnipotence! His POWER!
Vivek Murthy, the US Surgeon General has said, “We live in the most technologically connected age in the history of civilization, yet rates of loneliness have doubled since the 1980s. Today, over 40% of adults in America report feeling lonely, and research suggests that the real number may well be higher.” It is even possible to feel lonely when there are people all around you. You may be able to attest to this from personal experience. It is true that we may be lonely for human companionship. This social need is certainly valid. We were made to be social creatures. Through the pen of the prophet Isaiah, God provides instruction followed by promise. (instruction) “Do not be afraid;” (promise) “I am with you.” (instruction) “Do not be dismayed” (promise) “I am your God.” (promises) “I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
God’s Presence
We can celebrate God’s presence. Psalm 139 reminds us that there is no place where we can be out of God’s presence. So, He can be present with you wherever you are, while at the same time with believers in Iraq or Turkey; with faithful followers in China and Australia and Christians who may be on the International Space Station, 249 mile over our heads. We can speak to God while believers in Fiji are doing the same.
There is so much more about God that we can celebrate in addition to His love, His power and His presence. We can celebrate His patience, kindness, ultimate knowledge, never ending-ness, unchangeable-ness, and countless other attributes.
We are also blessed to know that God celebrates us as well. Zephaniah 3:17 tells us that “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will make great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you but will rejoice over you with singing.” God rejoices over you with singing! God sings over us with joy! He celebrates you and me! Let’s celebrate God – simply for who He is!
Our Corporate Prayer
Dear God, we celebrate You this day! Thank You for who You are. We cannot begin to fathom the smallest facts about Your greatness. We know that what touches us from You is overwhelming. Such love! Such grace! Such peace! Such joy! We sometimes are distracted from this by the world we live in but You remind us that this is Your world, that we are Your creatures and that You have Your eye upon us in it. We can do nothing less than celebrate You and thank You. Please accept this tiny token of praise lifted to You. It is not enough but I will be back again with more. I offer it in Jesus' name. Amen.
Our Worldwide Prayer Meeting
Japan Territory
Thinking It Through
Think about some of the attributes of God and take a moment to celebrate them: His omniscience, omnipotence, eternity, holiness, love, justice, mercy, grace.
Notable Quotables
Let everything in creation draw you to God. Refresh your mind with some innocent recreation and needful rest, if it were only to saunter through the garden or the fields, listening to the sermon preached by the flowers, the trees, the meadows, the sun, the sky, and the whole universe. You will find that they exhort you to love and praise God; that they excite you to extol the greatness of the Sovereign Architect Who has given them their being. - Paul of the Cross
Enjoy this song of praise, "In Moments Like These, I Lift Up a Love Song to Jesus"
We would appreciate any feedback and/or suggestions on how to improve these devotionals. Please email comments to: [email protected] or by going to our website: https://southernusa.salvationarmy.org/uss/spiritual-life-development.
We would love to hear from you.
Lt. Colonel Allen Satterlee