March 10

      "At midnight all the first-born of the Egyptians were slain. Then the king sent to Israel the message, "Rise up, and get you forth from among my people; . . . and go, serve the Lord, as ye have said." Ex. 12:31. The Hebrews went out from Egypt an independent nation. The Lord had commanded that the Passover should be yearly kept. "It shall come to pass," He said, "when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? that ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord's passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when He smote the Egyptians." Thus from generation to generation the story of this wonderful deliverance was to be repeated.

         Desire of Ages, page 77 from the chapter, 'The Passover visit'

       I have friends who have decided to mark a long married life with a renewal of their marriage vows. The ceremony might include a wedding dress, an exchange of rings and a repetition of the vows. The aim is not to create a romantic holiday for a couple but to genuinely mark a milestone in life.

     Please note that the Passover was to be celebrated at a yearly interval. When you come to make your decision to celebrate a deeper relationship with God try to include in your planning a yearly reminder of the new relationship.

     Is a yearly reminder enough? Rick Warren, in his book, ‘The Purpose Driven church’, suggests that we ought to remind ourselves of visions that are set for us or which we set for ourselves at much shorter intervals. The idea, apparently suggested by the book of Nehemiah, would be that we should keep our minds alert by reminding ourselves of our vision every 26 days. That works for me.

     By the way, check out, as a reminder, the Conference Strategy, based on the opening chapters of the book of Nehemiah.