The Spirit of Praise

I will extol the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips. Psalm 34:1

Give thanks to our God in heaven. Praise His holy name which is above all that we know. For He is our savior, the great Creator, the one who holds and keeps our fragile lives in safety

We should give thanks to Him who made us, and sing praises from our heart in deep appreciation

For He is good and honorable, glorious above all description. Come before Him each day with a spirit of thanksgiving. Begin each morning singing praises for His goodness, and live out each hour, giving thanks for all that He has done

Oh, if we only knew how wonderful God has been to us. If only the shades upon our eyes were removed and we could see Him how He truly is, we would bow and tremble in His presence and be astonished at how little we had thanked our Lord

Each one of us neglects to give appropriate honor to God and we’re often unthankful for the incredible blessings we have received. Instead, we cast our eyes upon lesser things, which have no glory compared to His

Grow closer to God through a thankful spirit. Open the eyes of your heart through a deeper faith and praise Him. Then you will see anew, the measure of His goodness and love

Renew your faith when you wake in the morning, and give honor to Him. Be thankful for the blessing of a daily provision and give thanks for everything that comes your way

For they are all gifts from God above, poured out for our lives, to build us up, that keep us strong

Don’t despair in the trials and afflictions that effect us, but rejoice in the love and salvation that comes only from God which far surpass the brief afflictions that effect us

Draw near to His side, sing praises to His name, begin again to consider all of the wonderful things He does. Be filled with a spirit of thanksgiving, and be transformed and renewed by the power of His love

We have such a great salvation through the work of Jesus Christ. How could we let a day go by without giving Him our deepest thanks?

For once we were dead in our sins, but now are alive through Him. We had no hope for our future, but now have the gift of eternal life

Strive to give God that which He so richly deserves. Fill your life with a spirit of love and honor for Him by giving the Lord your honest praises in a spirit of thanksgiving. 2/1998

Thanksgiving Offering

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. Psalm 100:4

Consider this day, what you should offer your God. What would be an acceptable gift, for one so great and mighty

What could He possibly need?

For God created all the heavens and the earth. He owns it all, there is nothing that is not His

All the world we live in lies within the palm of His hand. It is His creation. There’s not a single atom within this planet He does not own. All that live upon it were born from His will

He gave breath and life to all who dwell here, both plant and animal, microbe, and fungi

The God of all made the stars that dwell in the sky, He crafted their forms and gave rise to their clusters. He moved His arm and they swirled into galaxies, the courses they take were charted by Him from the beginning. Our God owns them all

What could we offer such a mighty God, who owns each of our lives, who gave us our breath, our life, our body, our heart, and our soul?

He has blessed us with our life, may we revere Him all of our days

In beauty and in death, in triumph and in our struggles, through health and during illness, with our richness and in our want, He stands with us, as our maker and our God

How could we not give thanks for the goodness of His creation and for all the things that He has blessed us with throughout our lives

What is life if we don’t recognize His place in the order of things?

We have riches and opportunities available that we have not seen yet. We have His Word and His Spirit to direct us so that we might live in all fullness of life

We have our families and friends and a great multitude of believers all around us, who He gave to us

They bless us, and He gives us many opportunities to bless them, so that love would abound. Yet, God’s love surpasses all

For He gave us hope in the form of His Son, Jesus Christ. In Him He provided the map that leads off to eternity so that we might dwell with God forever

He Himself has given us this all. Should we not give to Him by His own example?

Give thanks and live out His gift of love that flows through you with all your mind, body, soul, and strength. It is our only true means of offering something of value to Him.   9/8/2021

Seek Forgiveness

Bee on Poison Oak
But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be awed. Psalms 130:4

The past is fixed in stone, it cannot be moved. What has been done and what has been said can never be changed

No amount of worry can ever alter the past, but, love and a righteous way can heal many wounds and bind up that which has been injured

Scars may remain, but God will forgive all who are faithful, and pour out new life into those who are broken

We fail, and often fall along the way. Our righteousness is never good enough. But, in Christ we are made new each day. No form of transgression that overcomes us, will cause us to lose our position in Christ

We sin, get back upon your feet. Our faith is found lacking, return to God with a humble spirit

Confess your sins before Him. Ask of His forgiveness. Repent, and pour your heart out to Him and He will be just to forgive you

Truly, our God is full of love for His children, and though every believer will sometimes fail, in Christ we are made victorious

Resist sin, cleanse yourself from all unrighteousness. Do not allow yourself to become its slave, but seek God’s forgiveness so that you might be restored to health again. For all who sin must pay a severe price.

Remember, judgement begins within the house of God. We who are faithful, will not be spared the direct negative effects of sin, because our physical  past is fixed in stone.

How unpleasant is the withdrawing of God’s sweet presence to all those who have known communion with Him, and how great is the sense of guilt, when we realize our sins have been done against our Lord

The one who has given us all good things, even eternal life, Our savior Jesus Christ, went to the cross and suffered incalculable pain, so that our sins might be taken away

How great then, is the destructive weight of our sin. What complete displeasure our God must feel, that He would go so far as to offer up His Son on our behalf

We cannot do anything about the past, but we can resolve each day to live an obedient life unto Him, and to take up our own cross in respect, awe, and in faith. 10/27/2006

Encouragement

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, and who have been called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

For all of you who have been called of God, to employ yourselves in accomplishing His holy work, and to those who had heard His voice clearly, to live out their lives in faithful service to His will, Be strong and stand firm in Christ

Humble yourself, and conduct your life worthy of His calling. Nourish your relationship with Him, so that you will never stray far from His path for you

At all costs, make every part of your life as His home, and He will come in and strengthen you for your labor, giving you holy wisdom to accomplish all things

Defeat can only come from within you

Never accept criticism as a barrier to progress, or a reason for giving up. Rather, consider what council, if any, might come from these words so that you can improve your efforts

Don’t give in to failures. God is more powerful and wise than anything in creation. He will never leave you, or forsake you, on your journey

Don’t give up, but grow through every experience, trial, and victory

It is a sin to be weak in Christ, so never allow yourself to be completely defeated

Be wise about what people say about your work and your call. Do not fret if roadblocks are placed before your path. Accept it for what it is, but do not give up, or retreat

Place all matters before before God, and He will give you wisdom. Be courageous and brave, for there will be opposition

In Christ, you can overcome every kind of trouble

If God has truly given you this calling, then never believe the lie that what you’re doing doing is all a waste of time. God has ordained you, He has given you the strength and skill, and anointed you for this service

Your work is of infinite value, no matter how the world rates what you do

Guard yourself, so that you don’t stray off the path. Focus your life upon what our Lord has shown to you

Don’t become lazy about what God has said is vitally important, nor should you spend out all your energy in overheated activity. Instead, strive for a consistency of effort each day, and our Lord will will give you the strength and wisdom to continue on

Share in your effort with like minded believers, and have them pray for work, as you also do the same for them

Always maintain close contact with God. Pray to Him each day with requests and petitions for your work. Stay vitally connected to Christ, through His Spirit and His Word. As you do these things, God will use your work to bless many others. 1/18/2006

The King of the World

 

How glorious is the Lord, Jesus Christ, and majestic, His Holy name

He stands above all creation, beautiful and glorious. His form is like no other and His ways are beyond all measure

He calls out from upon high. He stands and beckons

His strength is stronger than the mighty mountains, and position, more firm than the foundations of earth

He rules over all creation, and guides its every ebb and flow. Nothing can rise up against Him. Nor could anything be done by man, that could move Him even slightly

He stands firm in power, the days of His reign will last forever more. We live beneath His feet

He skips across the tops of the lofty peaks and dances upon mountain heights, where none can reach or aspire to

Yet, He loves us. He pours out endless grace and mercy as a gift upon all that dwells below, and for the blessing of our lives

He is a fountain. A nourishing spring, filled with all goodness and grace

Jesus calls out to us, He shouts out from His holy mountain and calls out to man to the farthest reaches. He extends His hand to all who dwell upon this earth

What a friend we have in Christ Jesus. Our savior, filled with love; He will dwell with us forever and lift us up on that final day

Seek Him, for He can be found. Look unto His glory. For He can be seen from every place we go

Call out to Him and listen, because He has been calling out to you. Give your life as an offering unto Him, for He has bestowed the gift of life to you

When you do, He will surely come, and will fill your life with joy and gladness

For through Him, we have eternal life and friendship, forever

9/13/2007