The thief comes only to steal, slaughter, and destroy. I have come that they might have life, and have it abundantly!
John 10:10 TLV

By: M. Rosen
I have been thinking a lot about abundance. It’s become a bit of a catch phrase in the world today, especially as people are seeking to fill an emptiness that only God can fill. The Scriptures speak of abundance, and the Lord has promised abundance to those who love Him. But what does it really mean? And how is His definition of abundance different from that of the world?

We are approaching the time of the High Holy Days in Israel. For the Jewish people, this is a time of reflection; we reflect on our lives, the way we have treated people the past year, the challenges we faced, and our walk with God (among other things). This got me thinking about the many blessings in my life, and whether I am grateful for them or if I take them for granted.

People tend to take blessings for granted. And we tend to easily forget. It’s part of our DNA. I believe God knew this about us, even from the creation of the world. This is one of the reasons He gave us his feasts, the “appointed times”. The mo’adim (מועדים) in the Scriptures serve as a reminder to the children of Israel of God’s amazing faithfulness. They are fixed times in which we remember the incredible miracles that He has done on our behalf, for His glory. They are times when we remember how much we need Him in our lives.

The first appointed time of the fall feasts is the Feast of Trumpets (Numbers 29:1; Leviticus 23:24), also popularly known as Rosh Hashanah. As Jewish believers in Messiah, this holiday takes on a different significance than for our Jewish brethren who have yet to believe. This is a holiday in which we remember not only God’s faithfulness in our lives, but also look forward to His fulfillment of the promise for Messiah Yeshua to return.

It is also a time when we reflect on the plentiful blessings that God has bestowed on our lives. We dip juicy apples in sweet honey and wish each other a “Shana tova umetuka” (A good & sweet year). It is in this simple, yet profound, act that we recognize the sweet abundance that God has blessed us with.
For Jewish believers, we know that true abundance is not found in what the world can offer us — homes, cars, clothes, handbags, gadgets — but in the peace and joy that only Messiah Yeshua can offer us. And this is indeed sweet.

So, as you sit around your festive holiday table while dipping apples in honey, may I encourage you to think about the abundance that the Lord has brought to you? Even in what the world may seem is lack, you can see as plenty, because you know that in Him, true abundance cannot be quantified. You have abundant life in Him! May this be a year of celebrating the sweet abundance we have in Messiah. Shana tova!