11 Days Until Christmas

Each woman who attended the Christmas party for our Ladies' Sunday School class this past weekend received a wonderful gift to take home. It was a folder full of holiday recipes collected from all the ladies of the class. We asked them to write them out in their own hand writing and we made enough copies for everyone to have one. They were collected in a folder and were waiting on the table when they arrived.

These are priceless recipes, each with a family story behind them. They ranged from main dishes to appetizers, side dishes to desserts. In this collection are tips and ideas that have now been passed on to new generations of cooks who want to bless their homes with delicious Christmas meals.

Food is such a central part of the holidays. We gather around the dining room table to eat. We go out to restaurants as a family. We shop together, we prepare together and we dine together. When we are hungry, we sit down to a plate full of these special treats, like those we shared on Saturday.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6

But after this great Christmas meal, we will hunger again. Our stomachs will only be full for a short while before we need to eat again. The hunger for the Word is much more powerful and much easier to satisfy. When we seek God's will in our lives, we are filled with all the goodness He has to offer. This satisfaction never goes away because the Lord's desire is that it grow and grow in our hearts.

Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. Acts 14:17

There is never a worry that God might not fulfill our physical needs someday. He will fill us with food and He will fill us with joy. These are the eternal promises that make temporal hunger seem unimportant. Our greater good is always God's focus, and the fruitful seasons are continuous if we'll only open our eyes to see them.

So as you prepare, cook and bake this Advent season, praise the Lord that you are able to help Him satisfy the physical hunger of those you love. And praise Him for the hunger He puts in our hearts for His Word, His love and His fellowship. As satisfying as the food you prepare will be, the satisfaction of God is never-ending.

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