If you've read this blog for the last few months, you'll know I'm a strong supporter of God's festivals -- you know, the one's God told us to celebrate in Scripture: Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Pentacost, Shofars, Atonement, Tabernacles. These honor God and are awesome prophetic pictures of Messiah: things he accomplished when he first arrived and things he will accomplish when he returns.
One cannot love God without subtracting from love of the world. Messiah put it this way,
Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.And again he told us,
Likewise, we cannot embrace the things of God without discarding the things of the world.
If anyone comes after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the angels.
It's a simple equation: you + God = you - world
Enter Halloween.
Halloween is a rather unique man-made holiday in that no one really hides or denies the pagan, satanic, witchcraft from which it sprouted. (Contrast this with Easter or Christmas, both which have similar backgrounds, but is often denied by some Christians.)
When I married my wife, she had already been celebrating Halloween, so I've followed along. This year, however, I've come to the conclusion and have been convicted that it does mean something to God. It doesn't honor God, even though we have, for the masses, thoroughly sanitized the holiday of any tangible evil. Doesn't matter though, it doesn't honor God, it's from the evil one, and I am now convicted it has no place in the life of a proud Messiah follower who is unashamed of God and the awesome things God does on our behalf.
This year I'm not going to take part in the Halloween celebrations; not as some holier-than-thou thing, after all, I've had my share of lying, cheating, and all kinds of immoral behavior, but I can nonetheless strive to live for God, despite my failures. Gotta dig myself out of this worldly culture that has otherwise consumed me.
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Now playing: Lamb - Ode To Bethlehem
via FoxyTunes