Daily Devotionals

Voice of the Lord

Devotional: 3rd of Teves

No one's heart has imagined all the things God has prepared for those who love him (1 Corinthians 2:9).

My bubbe (grandmother) left me a set of dishes, service for sixteen, from the old country. You wouldn't call these beautiful dishes—in fact, they were downright ugly. They were green with gold trim, with a dull yellow tinge—definitely not my colors. I kept my bubbe's dishes safely wrapped in newspaper and out of the way ...until the day my husband invited sixteen guests over for dinner.

I am not such a balebusteh (woman in command of her household) and I kvetched (complained) profusely as I dusted off the dishes, embarrassed, but having no alternative. As my guests arrived and sat at the table, I noticed one man eyeing his plate closely. "Oh, no," I thought. "I forgot to wipe it!" Mortified, I rushed to take the plate from him, but he stopped me. "Do you have any idea how much these dishes are worth?" he asked. This man, a porcelain expert, had recognized my bubbe's old dishes as the work of a European master; they were worth a fortune! And what a beautiful yellowgreen hue they had. The next day I went right out and purchased a new china cabinet and proudly exhibited my beautiful, priceless dishes.

How often we don't value the treasures that have been given to us. Similarly, the Scriptures tell us that no eye has seen and no ear has heard what God has prepared for his children who love him and who are dedicated to him.

May this last day of the Feast of Dedication be a time to dedicate ourselves to recognizing the wonderful blessings our Father has given us.

...dust off and appreciate the incredible riches that have been given to me in Yeshua, the Messiah of Israel.

ZG