Tag: Praise

In the Beginning

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

“All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

Psa 33:6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!  For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Psalms 148:1  Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights!  Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts!  Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars!  Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!  Let them praise the name of the LORD! For he commanded and they were created.

John 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Hebrews 11:3    By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

2 Peter 3:5   For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God,

Deuteronomy 4:19  And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven.

Romans 1:25   because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever!

Job 33:4  The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

In the beginning God!!!!  I understand our desire to keep looking for more and more understanding of science but not at the cost of leaving God out of it.  How many have dug so deep they are now a quest to prove how everything came into being without God.  Theories and more theories abound trying to prove this.  The end of this search is more and more searching.  Can you imagine what these hearts would be like if that same desire was placed understanding God and thanking Him for His creation.  We do well to keep our eyes on the creator.

Praise Him

“But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues.  Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant.”

“Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High,  and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”  But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips?“

Psalms 33:1  Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright. Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.  He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.

Psalms 97:12   Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!

Psalms 32:11  Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

Psalms 147:1  Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.

Psalms 135:3   Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing to his name, for it is pleasant!

Isaiah 42:10  Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the end of the earth

Psalms 98:1  Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.

Ezekiel 33:31  And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain.

Isaiah 29:13  And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,

Deuteronomy 5:28  “And the LORD heard your words, when you spoke to me. And the LORD said to me, ‘I have heard the words of this people, which they have spoken to you. They are right in all that they have spoken.  Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!

Psalms 106:12  Then they believed his words; they sang his praise.  But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel.

Praising God, shouting for joy, singing a new song, being glad, rejoicing, and giving thanks are all actions that come from a heart and mind serving God with reverence, awe and wonder.  We choose to do these actions and at the same time they are a natural outpouring of our soul to God for the great compassion and love He has shown and will continue to show to those who seek, serve and follow Him.  Do you find these actions a natural outpouring in your life?  They should be.  If they aren’t ask God to open your eyes to the many wonders and blessings given to us.  The blessing of promises that He will guide us, lift us up, protect us, be our strength, our hope, our joy, our peace, our place of rest.  The blessings of His word. The blessings of fellow believers.  The blessings of the Holy Spirit.  The blessings of salvation through Jesus Christ.  The blessings of forgiveness.  The blessings and wonders of creation.  The list of blessings is endless.  Praise His name, shout for joy, sing, be glad, rejoice, and give thanks.

 

Wipe away every tear

” He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

“And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.””

Psalms 30:11  You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,  that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

2 Chronicles 20:3   Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the LORD,

2 Chronicles 20:12   O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

Isaiah 25:8   He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken.

John 16:20   Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.

Revelation 7:14-17   I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.  “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.  They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.  For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Revelation 21:4   He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Ecclesiastes 3:4   a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

Jeremiah 31:13-14  Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.  I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, declares the LORD.”

Nehemiah 8:10  And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

Psalms 126:5-6   Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!

2 Corinthians 7:10  For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

Luke 6:21-25  “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.  “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man!  Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.  “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.  “Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

There are times to mourn and weep and times to laugh and dance.  Such is life this side of eternity.  We know not when times of mourning and weeping will come but surely they are part of our life.  They hurt and burden our heart to the point of despair.  We are given words of encouragement for both our selves and friends in these times.  We are to mourn with those who mourn and weep with those weeping.  Times of despair seem to occupy everything aspect of our life, it consumes us and we seem to be carrying a burden so heavy it can break us at any moment.  But God gives us hope, our despair will be turned in to joy and praise.  Our tears will be wiped away and the darkness we are in will be turned in to light and our pain will be taken away.  There is joy in the morning.  This joy is found in seeking Him, waiting for Him, trusting Him and calling upon Him.  There is no other with power to lift us out of our despair.

Integrity

“O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.”

“As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.”

Psalms 25:20  Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me! Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.

Psalms 121:7   The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.

Psalms 71:1-2   In you, O LORD, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame!

Joel 2:26  “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you

Proverbs 20:7     The righteous who walks in his integrity— blessed are his children after him!

Proverbs 11:3   The integrity of the upright guides them

Acts 24:16   So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man.

Psalms 18:20  The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.  For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.  For all his rules were before me, and his statutes I did not put away from me.  I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from my guilt.  So the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

Psalms 7:8   The LORD judges the peoples; judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me.

Psalms 26:11  But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me.

Having strong moral principles and being honest deserve some thought.  How do we judge our moral principles (integrity)?  By what standard do we use or should we use to know our moral compass has the right heading?  If the culture of our society says murder is ok would we have moral principles if we agreed with this?    One example; Worldwide 40-50 million living babies in the womb are killed every year.  Do our moral principles say this is wrong or right?  It is critical to understand what we base our principles on.  It can get very confusing.  Social media at our finger tips can easily play into defining our moral stance. Where do we find solid ground?  How do we stay grounded and not moved?  God’s word says that His laws have been written on every mind and heart.  For the most part we know wrong from right but for some reason we seem to want to define our own wrong and right – we justify it in our mind.  If we question our stance, as it may be contrary to what God is speaking to our heart, we search out others who think the same and then justify our stance on like minded people.  David said he the ways of the Lord, and God’s rules and statutes were never put away.  He kept them before himself.  Writing them on his heart and mind, meditating on them when the sun rose and set.  God’s word is truth – if you don’t start here you will never have a basis on which to stand that has eternal benefit.  Every person gets to decide if they will believe in God, believe He will judge every man, believe there is nothing hidden from God, believe He alone has salvation, believe God will lead and direct them, believe God will protect them, believe God will be their salvation on the day of judgement, believe there is both heaven and hell, believe God will hear their prayer, believe God is living and ever present, AND THEY ARE ABLE TO BASE THIS ON HIS WORD.

Test Me

“Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind.”

 

Psalms 17:3
You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night, you have tested me, and you will find nothing; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress. With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent. My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped.

Job 23:10
But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.

Zechariah 13:9
They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’”

1 Corinthians 4:4
For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.

1 Peter 1:7
so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Psalms 26:2
Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind.

Saying our heart and mind are given to humbly serving, honoring and glorifying God is one thing but committing to doing it is another.  We fight our sinful nature all the time when it is telling us it is all about me, myself and I.  How easy is it to lose sight of God in our lives?  It is very easy if His word is not feeding our soul every day.  Our prayer each day should start with search me, try me and see if there is anything offensive to you God, and lead me on paths that bring your honor and glory.

I will

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.”

Joe 2:18  Then the LORD became jealous for his land and had pity on his people. The LORD answered and said to his people, “Behold, I am sending to you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations. “I will remove the northerner far from you, and drive him into a parched and desolate land, his vanguard into the eastern sea, and his rear guard into the western sea; the stench and foul smell of him will rise, for he has done great things. “Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things! Fear not, you beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are green; the tree bears its fruit; the fig tree and vine give their full yield. “Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given the early rain for your vindication; he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before. “The threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you. “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame.  You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame.

Psalms 46:5
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.

Isaiah 12:6
Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”

Leviticus 26:11-12
I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.

Deuteronomy 23:14
Because the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and to give up your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy, so that he may not see anything indecent among you and turn away from you.

Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

“I will be among you,” “I will help you”, “I am jealous for you,” “I will deliver you,” I will walk among you,” and “I will restore you.” These are all promises of God.  Do you ever think God doesn’t care or seems distant? He is ever present and is very near.  There are many things that can separates us from understanding His presence, love, mercy and grace. Scripture states “if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us,” “if we knock He will open the door,” and “if we seek we will find Him”.  When things around us are going well do we seek Him, or draw near to Him?  More than likely it is when the things around us are falling apart, or facing a trial, or something has happened we don’t understand, or when we have tried to handle it on our own and failed.  This is when we start seeking, knocking and trying to find God in the chaos.  What would it feel like to be friends with someone who never has anything to do with you until the day they are in trouble?  Time and time again never wanting anything to do with you until you are their last resort.  The point I am trying to make is that this type of behavior is one sided and is not a relationship. God wants to be the Lord of our life – all of it – all of the time.  He has done great things and had them recorded so that we might know of His power, might, strength, love, mercy, and grace.  He is worthy of our praise, honor, glory, and humble service.  Do you want to know Him more – read His word with desire.  Do you want to see His hand at work in all of your life – Seek Him.  Do you want to have peace, joy, love, rest, and hope – choose to serve Him sincerely every moment of every day.

Burning Desire to Praise

Do you ever have that burning desire to praise God for what He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do?

Isaiah 62:11

Behold, the Lord has proclaimed

to the end of the earth:

 Say to the daughter of Zion,

 “Behold, your salvation comes;

behold, his reward is with him,

and his recompense before him.”

 And they shall be called The Holy People,

The Redeemed of the Lord

40:10

Behold, the Lord God comes with might,

and his arm rules for him;

 behold, his reward is with him,

and his recompense before him.

 He will tend his flock like a shepherd;

 he will gather the lambs in his arms

Matthew 18:12

What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety- nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety- nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish