Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.

 Psalm 116:12-19

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. Psalm 116:15

I pause my study of Numbers to take a short detour to accommodate my Friday morning men's Bible study where this AM we focused on Psalm 116:12-19.  Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method.

• What do we learn from the text about God?: In vv1-11, the unidentified psalmist praises God for many of His attributes: how He hears our cries, protects and provides refuge during times of struggle, He is gracious, righteous, and merciful, He preserves and saves, He offers rest, He provides bountifully, and how He saves - eternally.  V15 and the preceding v13 require careful thought and upon reflection my read is that God sees us as precious - even in death - as this points to the coming Messiah Jesus Christ who is saving a place for us in Heaven (see John 14:2-3).   
• What do we learn from the text about people?: For those that believe in Him and know the attributes described by the psalmist, it is a natural response to worship and praise Him.  We will not only praise Him, we will do so publicly (vv14, 18, 19).  We will serve Him (v16).  We will thank Him and call on Him to be in fellowship with Him (v17). 
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Claim the promise that God is good and He saves!  Follow the example of the psalmist who praises and worships His name.  Proclaim God's great name publicly for all the world to hear!  

Comment and discuss this post

My Prayer: Father God, You ARE an awesome God, worthy of all praise, honor and glory.  You save!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.

 John 3:25-36

Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. John 3:33-34

I continue my study of John, and today, I further unpacking John 3:25-36 by providing an outline and a main point.

 Main point:  Jesus is God, and we must believe in Him to be saved. 

 V25: Baptism by John was only a taste of things to come. There was a discussion among some of John’s disciples (unnamed here) and a Jew (unnamed here) about purification; purification here refers to ceremonial washing that was important in the Old Testament law as means to approach God – the implication of having this discussion is that for those who know the OT law they might question the validity of baptism as performed by John. 

Vv26-30: Jesus is now the focus, and all must see Him for who He is. While there might a question by some over the validity of baptism by John, those participating in the debate did see John as having authority as he is referred to as Rabbi; as they engage John on whether is concerned that Jesus is now baptizing, John responds with great humility. John emphasizes that (a) Jesus is the one on whom people should focus, (b) he is not jealous of the attention and glory that Jesus is now getting because He rightly deserves all glory, (c) his (current) ministry is complete now that Jesus’ ministry has started, and finally in v30 that (d) Jesus must increase and John must decrease.

Vv31-35: Jesus reigns over all as God’s equal. John then describes Jesus (a) as coming from Heaven and that He reigns over all things, (b) as bearing witness to things both from Heaven and earth – including eternal life, (c) as having His message rejected by some yet received by others, (d) as being Truth because He was sent by God, speaks the Word of God and God is Truth, (e) as giving the Spirit “without measure” as any attribute or power of God is limitless and beyond measure or human comprehension, and (f) as being equal to God because God gave “all things into his hand.”

V36: Whoever believes in Jesus has eternal life but for those who don’t believe in Him, face eternal condemnation.  

Comment and discuss this post

My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves, saves and reigns over all.  You do not need me yet You saved me...while still an enemy and hostile to God.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and blessings...my sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me and help me turn from and overcome such sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear.

Ecclesiastes 5

For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear. Ecclesiastes 5:7

I resume (see last post on this) my study today of Ecclesiastes using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for this book.  Today, my focus is an unassisted review of Ecclesiastes 5:7, which covers the second division of the commentary chapter titled Religion Is Meaningless without Jesus - this second division specifically is referred to in the commentary as Through Christ, We Can Approach God with Confident Reverence.  My last post on Ecclesiastes 5:1-6 discussed how inappropriate worship of God is sinful and how the American church is probably guilty of this sin more so than perhaps most other churches elsewhere around the world. V7 starts once again reiterating the futility of inappropriate and sinful worship, but ends with a pointer to God and how worship on His terms is where believers should focus.  We must remember that we exist to glorify God, so of course it should follow that our worship should reflect this purpose.  Our worship is about Him, not about us!  We should fear God (Proverbs 1:7), remember that all sin and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8), be humble (Psalm 46:10), praise God for His great mercies (Lamentations 3:22-23), and surrender ourselves fully to God, allowing Him to work together with and through us for good and for His glory (Romans 8:28).  

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your great mercies that are new every morning and that never cease - thank You also for my salvation. I am not deserving of such blessings - my sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church and others.  Help me understand, apply and be obedient to Your message for me today and every day.

Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.

Hebrews 13

Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Hebrews 13:15

I continue my study of Hebrews, and today my focus is Hebrews 13:15-25, and my unaided observations of the text. Use of the word "then" at the start of v15 seeks for us to build on what has already been said in this chapter such that we read this verse as an imperative with the reason already defined in previous verses. The imperative here is to "continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God" - because of what Jesus did for us on the cross (outside the camp - v12) we should follow Christ (v13) and praise Him for what He has done for us.  In v16, we are also exhorted to "do good and to share what [we] have," as God sees these sacrifices as pleasing. V17-19 seek for us to support and encourage church leaders as they "watch over [our] souls." The concluding verses (v20-25) of the chapter include a benediction and final greetings from Paul.  The benediction reminds us that it is God who equips us (v21) to do his will. 

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who offered Himself such that I could have life - to the full now and forever - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

[W]hen he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.

2 Thessalonians 1

[W]hen he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. 2 Thessalonians 1:10

I pause on both my studies of Isaiah and Proverbs to listen to DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion - which today focuses on how we can reconcile how followers of Christ are commanded to seek humility (and glory of Christ), yet Christ Himself seeks glory for Himself.  This at first glance seems to be a contradictory pursuit by God - He commands others to pursue humility (not to exalt self) while He seeks to exalt Himself.  In the devotion, John Piper uses 1 Corinthians 13:5 as text where others might see this as a contradictory pursuit.  Piper refutes that this is a contradictory pursuit by God by first stating that "[b]ecause God is unique as an all-glorious, totally self-sufficient Being, he must be for himself if he is to be for us. The rules of humility that belong to a creature cannot apply in the same way to its Creator."  He then goes on to state that "[i]f God should turn away from himself as the Source of infinite joy, he would cease to be God. He would deny the infinite worth of his own glory. He would imply that there is something more valuable outside himself. He would commit idolatry....This would be no gain for us." We should of course seek humility, as this is one of the most prominent themes and commands in the Bible, and recognize that we exist to glorify God...and not stumble on how God seeks glory for Himself.

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an incredible God who loves me and who is full of love, compassion, grace, etc. for me and You are worthy of my efforts to glorify You.  You are my all in all - thank You Jesus for all that You are and for all that You have done and will continue to do for me to save me and to never leave or forsake me!  I am not deserving of these blessings nor any of the blessings You pour for me.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing!

Isaiah 47-50

Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! Isaiah 49:13

I resumed my deep dive of Isaiah, based on the Precept Upon Precept study series - today moving on to Lesson 18 day 4a, which focuses on Isaiah 49:1-13. Having already started a study of Isaiah 49 within this lesson on day 3, and having reviewed my commentary on this chapter, I now recognize Jesus as being the key speaker in Isaiah 49:1-13. In 8-13, we see Jesus as:

• answering/helping us (v8)
  
• as a covenant to the people (v8)
  
• establishing the land (v8)
  
• freeing prisoners from sin/bondage (v9)
  
• feeding us (both spiritually/physically) (v9)
  
• not hungering or thirsting (including spiritually/physically) (v10)
  
• protected (v10)
  
• led/shepherded (v10)
  
• provides a path to God (v11)
  
• comforts and has compassion on us (v13)

My commentary describes how Jesus is praised by the "heavens and earth [v13], set free at last from decay [Romans 8:19]."  For this and more, we should recognize Jesus as worthy of praise, honor and glory forever and ever! (1 Timothy 1:17, Revelation 5:13, 7:12).  Our lives should reflect such praise, honor, and glory - Romans 12:1.

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who is worthy of all praise, honor and glory, forever and ever!  I am not deserving of the love and blessings You pour out for me - daily.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and energy.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.

Chapter 6: Pages 83-95, and Exodus 3-11

But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. Exodus 9:16

This morning, I continued John Piper's book Providence (purchased from Amazon Kindle Store) and started Part 2 "The Ultimate Goal of Providence", starting with Section 2 "The Ultimate Goal of Providence in the History of Israel" - moving to chapter six "The Exodus Unfolds".  Piper writes that "Scripture expresses God's ultimate goal in the events of the exodus more clearly and more frequently than in any other event in Israel's history".  Piper's focus for this chapter is "the expressions of God's goal in the exodus embedded in the very story of the exodus itself." During the story of Exodus we see God "reveal his unique name, Yahweh, which sets him off from all other gods....and it occurs in the Old Testament over 6,800 times in reference to Israel's God....Yahweh exists in part because the name itself expresses Gods goal for all God's action in the history of Israel, and, as we will see, all his action in the history of the world".

We first see Yahweh or Lord, as a name in Exodus 3 where God is talking to Moses in the burning bush. Piper shares how three aspects of how (1) Yahweh or Lord is first, foundational, and of infinite importance, (2) he provides a bridge between His being and His name, and (3) Yahweh or the Lord as a name has meaning and implies a message - how He intends to be known.  Piper then expands further to provide ten dimensions of its meaning:

1. No beginning
2. Never end
3. Absolute reality
4. Utterly independent
5. Everything that is not God depends totally on God
6. All that we see as compared to God is nothing
7. God is constant
8. Absolute standard of truth
9. Always right and beautiful
10. Most important and most valuable in the universe

Piper moves on the build on these descriptions of God's identity to show how His purpose in "multiplying His wonders in Egypt at the exodus was to make known his name and his power...so that he would be glorified." And this glorification extends "in all the earth" (Exodus 9:16) such that his own reputation was "enlarged".  We then see how we worship "joyfully" as an output of our praise of God's glory. 

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are certainly worthy of my praise and worship and glory of all the earth not just because of Exodus but for many, infinite reasons and my words I know are empty filthy rags.  Yet they are all I have, in addition to my life which You seek as a living sacrifice.  You are worthy and I know You love me.  I am undeserving.  My sin continues.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith.  Give LIsa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

And you have forgotten me, declares the Sovereign Lord.

 Ezekiel 19-22

And you have forgotten me, declares the Sovereign Lord. Ezekiel 22:12

Day 229 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) continues with my study of Ezekiel. My commentary describes today's reading "[a]s a lasting reminder of how the wicked are brought down[.] Ezekiel writes a lament for two of Judah’s kings who were taken by Judah’s oppressors. It has been some 17 years since Pharaoh Necho led King Jehoahaz away to captivity in Egypt, and some six years since Nebuchadnezzar brought a subdued King Jehoiakin to Babylonia. Their capture and exile are witness to Judah’s vulnerability to God’s judgment."

Ezekiel also delivers from God words of judgement on both Israel and Judah. The puppet king Zedekiah is warned as is the Ammonites.

*Smith, F. LaGard. The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®). Harvest House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Sticking out like a sore thumb this morning are God's words how Judah failed to remember all that God had done for Judah, including all of the grace and patience God demonstrates over many generations where sin and disobedience to God continued, albeit with certain periods of obedience and love for God. 

Worship and a heart of gratitude are critical for our journey with God. God has done SO much for us and we must recognize this and praise Him daily.

My Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are an awesome God who has done so much for me my whole life and even today - how You give me life and life to the full.  I am not deserving of how You are so full of love and grace for me.  My sin continues.  Forgive me Father.  Help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing”....Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.

Psalm 8, 9, 16, 19, 21, and 24 

I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing”....Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. Psalm 16:2, 5

Day 117 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) continues my focus on 112 of David's psalms which my study has not already covered or will not cover through other daily devotions as part of a broader study within their historical context. This study of these 112 psalms groups the psalms into five major topical areas, and I start a new group today: "Psalms of Joy and Praise".

Today's psalms focus on praise for man's glory and status in God's sight, praise for God's judgement against the wicked nations, praise for joy and security of the righteous, praise for God's creation and for His laws, praise for the king's blessings and reminder of God's wrath, and recognition that the earth belongs to the King of glory.

Praise is a critical aspect of our prayer life - I have often heard and like to use the A.C.T.S. acrostic for prayer - Adoration, Confession, Thanks, and Supplication.  R.C. Sproul encourages us to follow this method and start with praise and "[he has] noticed over many years that as we grow in the discipline and in the delight of prayer, it seems that we naturally spend more and more of our time on this first element".  He has also noticed that other approaches, such as S.C.A.T., fail to give due time and effort to adoration, confession, and thanksgiving.

On a related note, John Piper tells us that, using the acrostic A.P.T.A.T., praise should be our starting point as part of "practical steps to walk in God’s power whenever you open your Bible".

My Prayer: Without a doubt, You are an awesome God who loves me and who provides for all of my needs and seals me for eternity - thank You Jesus!  You are an incredible God - yet I am not deserving of such blessings.  I am full of pride - please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Thank You Jesus for Your grace and compassion but I need Your forgiveness daily!  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you.....Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.....

Psalm 70, 71, 77, 83, and 86

From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you.....Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.....Psalm 71:6, 17

Day 111 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) continues my focus on 112 of David's psalms which my study has not already covered or will not cover through other daily devotions as part of a broader study within their historical context. This study of these 112 psalms groups the psalms into five major topical areas, and I continue with "Psalms of the Troubled Soul".

Today's psalms focus on prayers for the urgency for God's deliverance, for God's presence even in old age, for the comfort of knowing God's record of deliverance, for punishment of oppressing nations, and for mercy in the face of enemies.  Praising God during the good times comes to mind as a critical spiritual discipline.  Gratitude, even for God's blessings from our childhood or from years ago, serves as, according to John Piper, "an essential guardian of the soul, and therefore we should guard ourselves with as gratitude. He goes on to day that, "[e]vidently we are fair game for the devil when we don't abound with thanksgiving".  We must build the muscle of gratitude. 

David does this in the Psalms, with Psalm 71 being my example.  David experienced difficulties, like we all do, and as Jesus promises (John 16:33). Yet David was able to draw upon his heart of gratitude to protect himself and to keep himself close to God.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who has done SO much for me - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such a God.  I sin...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him.

 2 Samuel 5:6-6, 1 Chronicles 11, 13-14, and Psalm 18

As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. Psalm 18:30

Day 95 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) focuses on David's capture of Jerusalem, Hiram (king of Tyre)'s efforts to build David a palace, David's efforts to bring the ark of the Lord back to Jerusalem, David's defeat of the Philistines in battle (who sought to attack him after hearing of the news that he ascended to king over all of Israel), and Psalm 18 - which focuses on David's praise of God.

David, being a man after God's own heart - is often seen praising God.  David, using the words of John Piper, praises and worships God as a result of his "right mental grasp of the way God really is".

We often refer to fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22) as evidence that God is working in our lives, yet here we have another critical demonstration of our spiritual maturity - the extent to which we have true "inner worship" once again using the words of John Piper. Piper, using Romans 12:1, goes on to say that ..."all of our bodily life done in love for others and in reliance upon God display the worth of God above all things and make us worshipers in our daily life".

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is worthy of my praise and worship, in words and my actions in my daily life.  I know You love me and I daily feel the blessings of a relationship with You.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of the blessings You pour out for me.  I sin...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses for Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

 

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

James 5

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. v16

In v13-18, James describes for us effective worship in fellowship with other believers.  Difficulties of course should trigger prayer that we gain strength from God and for relief.  Joy should trigger songs of praise.  John Piper offers us this definition of worship, emphasizing our heart condition, which then leads to praise, prayer and acts of love:

"The inner essence of worship is to know God truly and then respond from the heart to that knowledge by valuing God, treasuring God, prizing God, enjoying God, being satisfied with God above all earthly things. And then that deep, restful, joyful satisfaction in God overflows in demonstrable acts of praise from the lips and demonstrable acts of love in serving others for the sake of Christ."

James' words on the effectiveness of prayer offers us encouragement that God hears our prayers.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and You ARE worthy of worship, praise and adoration as You are the King of Kings, slow to anger and abounding in love...for me.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of the love and blessings You pour for me.  I worry...too much Lord!  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

That day David first appointed Asaph and his associates to give praise to the Lord in this manner[.]

1 Chronicles 16

That day David first appointed Asaph and his associates to give praise to the Lord in this manner[.] v7

When we worship God we must recognize who He is and His attributes.

When we take the time to reflect on who God is, what He has done corporately and personally, then our natural response is to humble ourselves and ask forgiveness for our sin so that we are not separated from for too long...that we can remain near to Him. 

Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. James 1:15

Instead, just as David instructed Asaph we are to "Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always." v11

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who has created the heavens and the earth, yet You humbled Yourself to save me.  Thank You Jesus.  I am not worth such love.  I lazy and I worry.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses for Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Psalm 150

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. v6

Over the past week or so, many of the posts have focused on how we exist to glorify God.  Today, the message I hear from God is that God is worthy of a praise that comes from all lips and with all of our energies.  He is a great God and there is no equal - the one and only true God.  

As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
    every tongue will acknowledge God.’ Romans 14:11 (Isaiah 45:23)

In Romans the context is that we should live to glorify God now because "we will all stand before God’s judgment seat." Romans 14:10

We should praise God because:

1. That is why we exist
2. He is worthy of our praise
3. He commands us to (Exodus 20, Matthew 22:37-40)

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You ARE worthy of my praise and the praise of all people in all times.  You created all things, are before and in all things, and hold all things together.  You are full of compassion, love, patience, mercy, etc. even though I am not deserving.  Thank You Jesus!  Please forgive me for my worry, my selfishness, etc.  Help me overcome and turn from my sin and turn towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure her of her cancer and the side effects from chemo. Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach, and Dustin...and serve You.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.