The Power of Praise

Praise is more than just a warm fuzzy feeling. Praise is acknowledging the truth of who God is and always will be. Sometimes, in the midst of living our daily lives we can forget that we are not the center of the universe and there is more to life than just what we see and feel in the here and now. Thanksgiving is linked to praise and frees to remember the goodness and greatness of the Lord God Almighty our Maker, Savior, intercessor, friend and Father. 

So, remember all the good things he has done for you and praise him for being your Maker.

What are you thankful for today?

Rejoice In Everything

I am thankful for...

It is not the dead who praise the Lord,
   those who go down to the place of silence; 
it is we who extol the Lord,
both now and forevermore. 
Praise the Lord.

Psalms 115:17-18 NIV

and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:12-14 NIV

Moses and Aaron then went into the tent of meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.

Leviticus 9:23-24 NIV 

I woke up this morning, made my coffee, started to reading the Bible and remembering that it is Thanksgiving here in the United States of America and I asked myself what can I be thankful for. Maybe the coffee hadn't quite kicked in or I was having a bit of a sugar hangover from the Oreo churros my youngest son and I made last night. I could easily say I was thankful for my salvation, my wonderful wife and children, my job, my friends and outside of my back and allergies, my health. 

But I asked myself, "What am I really thankful for?" I want to think about it. I would like to ask you, "What are you really thankful for?" I would truly like to hear and glorify God in the comments section. 

Thanks and have a blessed and thankful Thanksgiving!

God Created You

“You are worthy, our Lord and God,

   to receive glory and honor and power, 

for  you created all things,

   and by your will they were created 

   and have their being.”

Revelation 4:11 NIV

Remember you are part of all things that God created. 

God created you.

By his will you were created.

And by his will you continue to have your being.

You are not an after thought. You are not an insignificant part of the kingdom of God. If you are still here, God still wants to work in and through your life. Be looking. Be aware. Be ready. Be willing. Be thankful.

I Thank God Because...

Lord, we thank you, O Most High, for your love and your faithfulness. Thank you for my family, my job and an opportunity to serve you. Praise be to you in us today!

What are you thankful for today?

Receive Mercy, Find Grace, and Thank God

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Hebrews 4:14-16 NIV

As is my custom on Sundays, I would like to thank God for his many blessings. 

I thank him for providing Jesus, his Son, to be our great high priest. 

I thank Jesus for empathizing with my weaknesses.

I thank Jesus for his mercy and grace that I find in his Presence.

What else can we thank God for today?

Better

Better is one day in your courts
   than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
   than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
   the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
   from those whose walk is blameless. 
Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.

Psalms 84:10 NIV

You can be a lot of things, hold any kind of position but, serving God is the highest honor and greatest gift. 

What are you thankful for today?

Praise God in his glory! God will not share with anyone. But, he will be glorious in our lives. I am thankful that when I acknowledge him as God and Lord of my marriage and family he shines his glory upon us. 

What Are You Thankful For?

My mouth is filled with your praise,

declaring your splendor all day long.

Psalms 71:8 NIV

I am thankful for a good day with my son. 

Drop a Sacrifice of Praise in the Comment Section

I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you;
   I will praise your name, O LORD,
   for it is good.
Psalm 54:6

OK, here's the deal. I am not going to suggest you kill a dove, goat or a bull. Neither will I challenge you to set apart an hour of your day to read the word and pray. 

I will encourage you to take a moment and thank God for something in your life that he has done recently. Write it in your journal, text it to a friend, or put it on your calendar. Maybe post it in the comment section below. 

Thanks be to God because he is good!

What Trial Are You Thankful For?

Whoever sacrifices a thank offering honors Me, 
   and he prepares the way, 
so that I may show him the salvation of God.” 
Psalm 50:23

On this Christmas eve I invite you to take a moment and remember something you are thankful for. Maybe you are in a line. You might be taking a moment between errands. Whatever you might be doing, remember and be thankful. Be thankful for the really easy things to be thankful for and also for the hard lessons that you needed to learn. Each tough lesson is a highway for the Spirit of God to move in your life. 

Who You Gonna Call?

To sacrifice a thank offering almost sounds contradictory to me. Sometimes, it can be hard to be thankful, especially when you don't see the hand of God or you didn't get the answer you were hoping for. 

What God does call us to do is to seek him, like we said we would when we gave our lives to him. In a way, I think that until Christ returns we live in "the day of trouble". Jesus told his disciples in John 16:33, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." 

The amazing truth is that the Lord says to call upon him in the day of trouble and he will answer us! Maybe it's that so often we look to ourselves or others and expect help from them, when God wants us to look to him for help. When God answers our prayers and we know it's him, we will honor him. 

I am thankful for...

What do you have to be thankful about? 

The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;
   he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
The Lord helps them and delivers them;
   he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
   because they take refuge in him.
Psalms 37:39-40 (NIV)

I am thankful for my salvation. The truth is that without the Spirit of God reminding me every day to read the Bible and pray, I would just go on about my day. I am thankful that my salvation is for today, not just yesterday. 

What are you thankful for?

How To Be Mature in Christ

I am writing to you, dear children,
   because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
I am writing to you, fathers,
   because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
   because you have overcome the evil one. 
I write to you, dear children,
   because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
   because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
   because you are strong,
   and the word of God lives in you,
   and you have overcome the evil one.
1 John 2:12-14 (NIV)

Where are you at in your relationship with God? John reminds us that knowing that our sins are forgiven is the basis of our relationship and the purpose is to know God, him who is from the beginning. There will be battles along the way and we will need the word of God to live in us and to be strong in the Lord and overcome the evil one. 

Where are you at in your relationship with God? Are you a little child just learning that your sins are forgiven? Are you a young man/ woman learning to be strong in the word of God and, by faith, overcoming the evil one? Are you a father/ mother who knows him who is from the beginning? 

What I get from this is that the basis of my relationship with God is the forgiveness of my sins by Christ's death on the cross. I progress in my relationship with Christ through the study of the word of God and the applications of its' truths applied by faith in the daily battles where I need to overcome the evil one. I mature and rest in my faith as I learn that knowing God and making him known is my true purpose in life. 

Father, help us to press on toward maturity. Reveal you forgiveness to us. Give us strength to overcome the evil one. And help us to know you, the Eternal Sovereign Lord. Praise be to you in us today!

Does God Hear Your Prayers?

Praise be to God,
   who has not rejected my prayer
   or withheld his love from me!
Psalms 66:20 (NIV)

God's love is amazing. If one of my children does something wrong  I will not stay upset too long. And even when I am really angry with them I still have a father's love. How much more does God love us, even when we sin? He loved us enough to send his one and only Son to die for our sins! That love has not changed. His compassion continues! His mercies never fail! It's about his faithfulness and that is why we are thankful!

REMEMBER TO KEEP YOUR PRAISE IN SHAPE

Shout for joy to God, all the earth!
   Sing the glory of his name; 
   make his praise glorious. 
Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
   So great is your power 
   that your enemies cringe before you.
All the earth bows down to you;
   they sing praise to you,
   they sing the praises of your name.”
Psalms 66:1-4 (NIV)

My son and I went camping with his Boy Scout troop this past week end. It was a nice overnighter, my son's first backpacking adventure and my first and too long. I knew I was out of shape, but man alive, that just proved it. I am very sore today. 

I tried to stop and enjoy the view, but because I was out of shape I really didn't get to soak it in. I think that is a little like praise and thankfulness. If we don't make it a practice to take the time to be thankful and praise God for the things he provides like our daily bread, jobs, families and friends, we will miss out on much of what warrants our thankfulness and praise. 

So I encourage you to, spiritually speaking, keep your thankfulness and praise muscles in shape. 

Father, open our eyes to see all that you do for us each and every day. Praise be to you in us today!

PRAISE GOD FOR...

Extol the Lord, Jerusalem;

   praise your God, Zion. 

He strengthens the bars of your gates

  and blesses your people within you.

He grants peace to your borders

   and satisfies you with the finest of wheat.

Psalms 147:12-14 (NIV)

What can we be thankful for today? 

He strengthens us!

He just plain blesses us!

He blesses us with peace (with him and others)!

He satisfies us with all we need!

Father, thank you for all these blessings! Praise be to you in us today!

I ALL NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FAITH

"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased." Hebrews 13:15-16

You may have seen the book by Robert Fulgham All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. These verses have that same sort of tone. Your saved, be thankful. That is the basis of our faith. Do good to others and share. Be nice and don't hog all the toys. 

Yes, sometimes we don't feel like praising God. Sometimes we may not be in the mood to think of others before ourselves. Sometimes we may not want to share what God has given us. But, this is really where Christianity meets real life. Our real lives. 

Understanding that God is Sovereign even when we can't see it, and acting upon that truth rather than our feelings, that is faith. That is Christianity. Doing what is right, what is good, no matter what the circumstances are is what we are called to do. That is faith. Giving what we have to someone else in need, even if it means less for us Christianity. That is faith. 

When I think back to when I first gave my life to Christ, that is pretty much what it was all about. Just praise God. Just do what is good. Just share with others. 

Father, thank you for Jesus and salvation. Help us to do good to others and share what you have provided. Praise be to you in us today!

WHAT ARE YOU THANKFUL FOR?

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. "

Hebrews 12:28-29 (NIV)

I am thankful for many things (my wife and children, friends, my job and co-workers to name a few), but my salvation and relationship with God must come first. God gives meaning to everything else. His love, forgiveness and grace are the cornerstone of the abundant life we are called to live. 

Father, we humbly thank you for all the many blessings you have provided. Thank you for our daily bread and for a place to call home. Praise be to you in us today!