Greetings in Christ,
“Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty expanse. Praise Him for His mighty deeds; praise Him according to His excellent greatness. Praise Him with trumpet sound; praise Him with harp and lyre. Praise Him with timbrel and dancing; praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe. Praise Him with loud cymbals; praise Him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!”
Psalms 150 simply states it best Praise the Lord! Of all the things we can do which requires little effort on our part is to praise the Lord, but the key is to be sincere in our praise.
All down through the times of mankind the one thing which gets mankind in more trouble with God is not giving Him the praise and glory He deserves. Mankind has the tendency to pat themselves on the back thinking they have accomplished great feats of amazement, and this requires them to receive glory and praise for their actions. People tend to hold people in high regards for their actions and feel they recognition for achieving some great feat. They have forgotten the simple fact if it was not for God’s grace they would not have been able to accomplish anything.
God is a very gracious God, but He is very jealous. Mankind has forgotten its roots in God and has forgotten the grace which is extended to mankind through the graciousness of God. Mankind has forgotten how to praise God for His goodness to mankind. Just the simple act of saying a prayer before a meal can have significant meaning and praise to God for the sustenance of life. Too many people think they have supplied their own food by working for it all week, or it is owed to them for just being alive.
Amos records the people in his time relaxing enjoying the fruits of their labor thinking it was all done by their own hand forgetting the works of God leading them to the land of milk and honey. They got caught up in their own self-reliance, and they started patting themselves on the back thinking they had accomplished great things. They took God out of the equation, and God became jealous. God did not like the fact they forgot about all of the great things He did for them so they could enjoy the great life, and He was going to take this great life away.
God requires more from mankind than what He has been getting. God requires praise to be given where it deserves to be given—to Him.
Praise accomplishes several things. First it is given to the One who deserves it the most God. If it was not for His grace we would not have life as easy as we do, nor would we have the blessings we have received. Second it takes the focus off of us and back on God. We are what God has made us, and outside of this we are nothing. God has given us all the talents and abilities we possess to do the things we do for ourselves as well as for others. Third it sets the example for others to follow. Others need to see us praise God for all He has done. It is a time of celebration for others to see and rejoice in as well.
Praise is a simple thing we can do, but it has an impact which will greatly affect our lives. God is deserving of all our praise, so let’s give Him all the praise He deserves.
“Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He commanded and they were created.” Psalms 148:5
“Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted; His glory is above earth and heaven.” Psalms 148:13
“Praise Him for His mighty deeds; praise Him according to His excellent greatness.” Psalms 150:2
But as for us, we will bless the Lord from this time forth and forever. Praise the Lord! Amen
Blessings,
Mark Johnson
Psalm 114,115,148-150; Amos 6:1-14