One of my favorite hobbies is reading.

And I read a lot.

But I’ve never read a book more than once because, when I know the ending, there is no motivation for me to read the book.

The only exception to this is the Bible.  I am on my 6th time of completely reading the Bible, cover to cover and I am amazed at all of the new things God is still teaching me.  I love how God speaks so clearly through his Word.  The fact that I know the end of the Bible gives me peace and joy and confidence.  I love getting to the end where Jesus says he is coming again and then starting over “In the beginning”.

I am excited about the things God has to show me in 2016.  And I love sharing some of those thoughts with you.

Let’s face it.  If you’re like me, I like the historical accounts of the people in the Bible – Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and especially Joseph’s interesting relationship with God.

Numbers and Leviticus are much harder to read and try get something from.

But God always reveals tidbits about himself to me when I persevere through these chapters.

Like today – Leviticus tells us all about the various festivals the Israelites were supposed to celebrate and their required offerings.

Honestly, I used to skip a bunch of these chapters the first couple of times I read through the Bible because all the splashing of blood stuff and directions for animal parts turned me off.

Now, God points out to me pieces of his relationship with the Israelites that increase my understanding of him and what he desires from me.

Today, he pointed out the Fellowship offerings that the Israelites were to give him.  These offerings were given to praise God and to show their gratitude for what he had done for them.

They would all eat the meat and bread of their offering together like they were eating a meal with God.

A meal with God.

How would something like that work for us?

Instead of just praying grace over our food at the beginning of the meal, what would our meal be like if we dedicated the food to God in thankfulness for what he has done for us and then we eat the meal with him?

Maybe we should try it?

Dear Abba Father, Would you like to come to dinner?