Today’s scripture: Psalm 29:1-2
How often do we really spend time in praise and worship, offering glory to the
Lord God Almighty?
He is Creator, Redeemer, Savior. Protector and Provider. Our strength. Our shield.
Our refuge.
He is in all, above all, around all.
He is everything. Everything.
But, how often do we just worship Him on Sundays during church. Or maybe during
a Bible study. Or maybe during our quiet time.
What do we do the other hours in the day? In the week?
He is worthy of all our worship, honor, and praise. We should wake up each
morning and praise Him. We should worship throughout the day.
We should, indeed, give Him the “glory due His name.”
All the time.
Today’s scripture: Philippians 4:4
We Christians quote this verse … a lot. But it’s not as easy as it sounds, is
it?
Oh, when the sun is shining, the pantry is full, the bills are paid, the
children are home and safe, the husband empties the dishwasher without being
asked … then it’s easy to rejoice. We sing praise songs. We thank the Lord for
His blessings.
But rejoice always? When the storms hit? When past due notices pile up? When
yet another interview ends with “You’re not quite the right fit”? When your
teenager comes home reeking of alcohol? When your wife says she just doesn’t
love you anymore? When the pain is unrelenting?
Rejoice?
That’s what Paul wrote. Rejoice always. Not just in the good times. Not just
when the sun shines. Always.
How can we do this? It all comes down to a choice. You choose to rejoice. You
choose to trust God’s faithfulness. You choose to believe Romans 8:28.
It’s okay to ask God “why” when things are hard or painful or confusing. But
even when we don’t understand, we can remember God’s blessings, His past
provision, His loving-kindness.
And we can rejoice.
Today’s scripture: Philippians 3:1
It all comes down to this: Rejoice in the Lord. Through good times and bad
times. On mountaintops and in valleys. At the wedding altar and at the
graveside. When the doctor says “you’re cured” and when the words are “I’m so
sorry.”
Rejoice in the Lord.
It’s not always easy. I admit there are many, many times I fail in this. When I
don’t feel well. When the future looks so uncertain. When a friend turns from
me. How do I rejoice in these times?
I just do. It’s a deliberate decision to find joy in all circumstances. A
choice. I can choose to wallow and whine, or I can choose to give praise and
glory to my Lord. And the latter is certainly better than the former.
Rejoice in the Lord. Remember His abundant love. Revel in His overwhelming
blessings. Reach out your hand to Him and thank Him for being your Lord and
Savior.
Today’s scripture: Philippians 2:9-11
One day, every single human being—past, present, future—will kneel at the feet
of Jesus. Everyone will confess that He is Lord.
For some of us, that will be a joyful day of celebration! I don’t know about
you, but I can’t wait. For others, though, they will finally recognize that
Jesus is the Lord they rejected. The Bible describes a people who will wail,
weep, and gnash their teeth (see Matt. 24:51; 25:30; Luke 13:28). These people
will know only an eternity separated from their God.
This day will come. So what are we to do?
First, I believe we believers need to constantly and continually exalt Jesus
now. Worship Him. Praise Him. We need to spend time with our Father and know
Him more deeply by reading His word.
Second, we need to share Christ with our non-believing friends and family. We
need to seek opportunities to tell others about the joy of knowing Christ, the
freedom that comes from serving Him.
Don’t
you want to know you influenced others to follow Christ, so they can bow a knee
and confess their love for our Savior? I know I do.
Today's scripture: Ephesians 5:18-21
I have no problem with a glass of wine here and there—I don’t think there’s
anything in the Bible that says it’s wrong—but God’s word is very clear about
one thing: We’re not to get drunk. Instead, we should be filled with the Holy
Spirit and His fruit: love, joy, patience, self-control and so on (Galatians 5:22-23).
And who needs to drink when we can praise God with songs and psalms? I love
music. I love everything about it. I love harmonies and melodies. I love
well-written, meaningful lyrics. I often feel closest to the Lord when I’m
singing words of praise, and I feel joy when I’m “making melody with [my] heart
to the Lord …” More joy than I feel at pretty much any other time.
When I sing words like “Amazing Grace” or “How Great Thou Art,” I am filled
with … well, feelings I just can’t fully explain. Gratitude. Humility. Awe.
And I’m so thankful for what God has done in my life. His faithfulness. His
grace and mercy. His love.
Yep. Who needs wine when we can life our voices with song?
Today's scripture: Ephesians 4:8-10
Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, came to earth in human form. He grew up,
experiencing the same things we did … happiness and sorrow, hunger and a full
belly, fatigue and rest.
Through His teen years and twenties, He learned and plied the trade of His
earthly father, constructing … well, we’re not exactly told what, but likely
tables and shelves and bedsteads. He may have smashed a thumb or two with a
hammer or felt the pain of sore muscles.
At thirty-three, He began His earthly ministry, and at the very first,
experienced temptation by the lies of the enemy. He went on to heal lepers and
blind men, cast out demons, and raise the dead to life. He grew intimate
relationships with twelve chosen followers.
He taught love and warned of persecution. He claimed oneness with the Father,
the Creator of all. He forgave sins.
Finally, He was betrayed by a close friend, denied by an even closer friend,
and forced through a sham trial. Beaten. Ridiculed. Spat on.
Crucified. Buried. “… descended into the lower parts of the earth …”
Ah, but then He rose from the dead. Alive!
After spending time with His followers—some 500 of them—He ascended to the
right hand of the Father. Where He sits today. Alive and interceding for us.
And one day, He will return. He will gather all His followers to Himself. One
day, He will set up an earthly kingdom, a new heaven and new earth (Revelation 21:1),
where “… God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there
shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain,
for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).
Praise our Lord Jesus today for what He’s done and for whom He is.
Today's scripture: Ephesians 3:20-21
Our God—Father, Son, and Spirit—deserves all glory, all honor, all worship, and all praise.
He is all-mighty, all-knowing, all-loving. He is Lord of lords and King of
kings. He is Savior and Redeemer.
He is wise and just, righteous and holy. He is counselor and friend,
ever-present and constant.
He is the Alpha and Omega. He has always been and will always be.
He is our strength, our refuge, our stronghold. He heals, protects, and
provides.
He is our Shepherd, and He carries us when we’re weak.
He is the giver of peace and joy.
He is our guide and the lifter of our heads.
He works all things for good, and His plan is perfect.
He is everything we could ever want or ever need.
And one day, we’ll be able to stand in His very presence and worship Him
eternally.
Today’s scripture: 2 Corinthians 13:1-4
“Christ … is not weak toward you, but mighty in you.”
Our God—Father, Son, and Spirit—is all powerful and almighty (Genesis 17:1;
Revelation 1:8). He is our stronghold (2 Samuel 22:3; Psalm 9:9; 62:2). And
Jesus Christ, God the Son, is in each of us who has accepted the gift of
salvation through His death, burial, and resurrection. He is indeed “mighty” in
each of us.
And because He provides strength in us, although we are “weak in Him, yet we
will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward” each of us.
These are amazing, affirming, encouraging, and humbling words.
I certainly feel weak … most of the time. The many health issues with which I
deal often make even getting out of bed a challenge. Yet, I still have to take
care of the major priorities on my “to do” list. So I pray for extra strength …
a lot. And my Lord God provides just what I need to do what needs to be done.
And so I “… sing of Your strength; Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your
lovingkindness in the morning, for You have been my stronghold and a refuge in the day of my distress (Psalm 59:6).
For He is indeed power in me.
Today’s scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:12-15
The age-old question: What is the meaning of life?
For Christ-followers, the meaning of our lives is our faith. And the purpose of
our lives is to bring glory to God. Everything we do, everything we say, all
that we are … to bring glory to God.
Sometimes we use a word over and over, and we forget its actual meaning. Good
old Webster defines “glory” as “worshipful praise, honor, and
thanksgiving.” So when we say we glorify God, we mean—or at least we should
mean—we’re giving all praise (“worship” or “reverence”), all honor (“a showing
of respect), all thanksgiving (“a prayer expressing gratitude).
So the next question is: Do we do these things? Do we truly praise God at all
times, through good times and bad? Do we worship Him with the reverence and
respect He so deserves? Do we show heartfelt gratitude for His blessings—and
for the pain, knowing He’s using it to refine us?
It’s easy to take God for granted, and that’s tragic. We let days—or weeks or
months—go by without spending time with Him. Oh, we thank Him when things are
going well, and we cry out to Him when times are dark. But do we really, truly
glorify Him—each and every day?
God is worthy of all honor, praise, worship, and yes, glory. And we as
His very blessed children of grace should give Him all He deserves.
Today's scripture: Psalm 9:1-2
What
a wonderful privilege we have to serve the Sovereign Creator, the one true God,
the Savior of mankind. He—the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving God—can be
known by those who choose to follow Him. He is personal. He desires a
relationship with us. He’s not some far-off, disinterested God. Rather, He
allows Himself to be intimately known.
How
can we help but praise Him?
That’s
why I love so many of the psalms and why I've so enjoyed spending this year
meditating on them. The words of gratitude and praise are so
encouraging—and sometimes convicting.
Take the opening verses of
Psalm 9.
I too can give thanks to the Lord with all my heart. I am glad and exult in
Him. I do sing praises to His name.
The conviction? Those words, “I will tell of all Your wonders.”
He is a wonderful, amazing God. He blesses beyond expectation. He carries me
through the darkest valleys. He causes even the most difficult moments to turn
out for good. He loves me as His own daughter.
Yet, how often to I tell others of “all [His] wonders”? Not often enough. I
remember hearing someone ask, “If you had a cure for cancer, wouldn’t you tell
everyone you knew?” I have the “cure” for soul cancer. I have the best story to
tell.
And I need to tell it much more often.
Lord God, I do thank You and praise You. I do give You glory. Please continue
to convict my heart to tell Your story to anyone who’ll listen, so they might
give You glory as well. Amen.
Today's scripture: Psalm 138:4-5
Throughout the ages, kings and nations have denied God's existence. They have
served false idols. They have gone their own way.
One day, though, each and every person who ever lived and who will ever live
will stand before the Sovereign God of the universe. One day, "at the name
of Jesus every knee [will] bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and
of those under the earth, and that every tongue [will] confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:10-11).
For eternity, every believer will praise, honor, and worship the one and only
God of the universe. Every king. Every person.
We will spend our moments and our days basking in His glory, reveling in His
very presence. We will sing and shout words of praise. We will recount His ways
and share stories of His goodness.
Because He is good. He is gracious. He is merciful. He is loving.
He is God.
Today's scripture: Psalm 138:1-2
I've often written about praise and worship. Not only is it a commandment to do so, it's
a wonderful privilege.
We often think of praise and worship as being what we do in church before the
sermon. We sing a few "praise songs" and think we've done our duty.
If, however, we take verses like today's seriously, praise should be a
continual action. We should, indeed, praise God with whole hearts. Complete
hearts. Entire hearts.
Our God is worthy of praise for so many reasons. Grace. Mercy. Love.
Protection. Provision. Strength.
For some of us, just getting up in the morning is a reason for praise. The fact
that we have food and water, a roof over our heads, clothing on our backs ...
all reasons for praise.
The relationships with which we're blessed.
Our senses. Our health. Our bodies that allow us to work and play.
The beauty of creation. Mountains. Oceans. Flowers and trees. Animals. Birds.
It should be so easy to praise God continually with all our hearts because
we've been given so much. Yet, we're so often guilty of going through our days
forgetting by Whose hand we're blessed ... we take so much for granted.
Maybe today—just for today—as we enjoy each and every blessing, we can praise
Him ... wholeheartedly.
Today's
scripture: Psalm 71:22-24
Praise the Lord!
How often do you say that ... and not really think about what you're saying?
We who follow Christ tend to use that phrase or talk about some praise song we
sung Sunday morning without much thought.
But when we look at verses like today, we should be convicted by how the
psalmist defines praise. He writes how he "greatly rejoices." He "talks of [God's] righteousness all
the day long ..." so that those around him are "confounded" and
"brought to shame."
Praise to him is a constant focus on the Lord and His attributes. He is
overjoyed at the privilege of being able to offer praise and worship to the God
of the universe.
Two synonyms for praise are "exalt" and "glorify." Both of these
words allude to thinking more about the one being exalted or glorified than
oneself. Even more, the psalmist is so focused on praising God that others
actually see their own sin ... and perhaps their need for a Savior.
When we offer praise to God, our hearts and minds should be solidly centered on
Him. Our aim should be to exalt and glorify Him. We should find great joy in
honoring Him.
And as we do, we should pray that others will see the joy we find in the one,
true, righteous God.
Perhaps they'll feel led to praise Him too.
Today's
scripture: Psalm 145:1-2
Our God is great and greatly to be praised. He is the Creator of all things. He
is all-powerful. All good. All loving. All knowing.
He is holy, righteous, and just. He provides and heals. He gives strength and
shelter. He provides refuge and protection.
He brings joy in the good times and offers peace and comfort in the bad.
He is everything.
Yet, how often do we neglect offering praise and worship to Him? How many days
go by when we don't bless His name?
The longer I walk with the Lord, the more I realize how crucial it is for me to
spend time with Him every day. That time includes study and meditation of His
word and time of prayer, interceding for those I love.
It also includes time of praising Him. Just praising Him. Blessing His name.
Giving thanks for His blessings, yes. But also just giving thanks for Him.
Because
He is everything.
