To rejoice in His blessings
Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. (Psalm 150:1-2)
The spiritual discipline of celebration is intrinsically connected to the joy which comes through abiding in and following God’s Word. Celebration as a discipline focuses on celebrating both inwardly and outwardly in direct connection with God’s blessings and interaction with us.
We practice the discipline of celebration inwardly when we take time to reflect on God’s presence in our lives; we acknowledge that every day is a gift from His hand. We recognize that the world we live in, the beauty we see, the food we eat, the companionship we enjoy, all the blessings we have, come from the hand of God. We rejoice in the knowledge of our salvation and find joy in living our lives attuned to God’s Spirit.
Our inward celebration, rooted in our faith, joy, peace, and strength in God, also brings about outward celebration. One of the key ways to celebrate the peace and joy we have is through worshipping God by praising Him in words, song, music, dance, lifting our arms, doing whatever helps us to rejoice in His blessings. We also celebrate outwardly when we join together with others, whether they’re family or friends or fellow believers, to commemorate the joys, victories, and milestones that we experience.
We engage in celebration when we enjoy ourselves, our life, our world, in conjunction with our faith and confidence in God’s greatness, beauty and goodness. We concentrate on our life and world as God’s work and as God’s gift to us. - Dallas Willard
[1] Anchor Celebration
