Meant to Praise

"Praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD from the heavens;

praise him in the heights above.

Praise him, all his angels;

praise him, all his heavenly hosts.

Praise him, sun and moon;

praise him, all you shining stars.

Praise him, you highest heavens 

and you waters above the skies.

Let them praise the name of the LORD,

for at his command they were created. . ."

Psalm 148:1-5

God spoke the world into existence.  Without Him, nothing would be present:  no heaven, no earth, no angels, no sun or moon or stars above, no water or land, no sky dotted with fluffy clouds, no creatures, no me, no you.  What is the response of His creation to such a revelation?  What is the fitting reaction when realizing we owe our very existence to this Creator-God?  Praise.

As God's creation, we are meant to give Him adoration and honor.  This is what we can give to the the God who has everything, and this is how we can honor and thank Him for our life: praise.  

All of creation is meant to praise Him.

Word.  It is said humans use an average of about 16,000 words per day*.  If I were to take inventory of how often I use my tongue to give God praise it would probably be a small percentage of the total.

It's time to start intentionally using my words to honor God and make Him look good (Colossians 3:17).  I can give glory to God in the way I build others up with my words, not tearing down or looking for ways to criticize (1 Thessalonians 5:11).  May I make it my mission to find the good that others are doing and point it out to them.  I can also use my words to direct the attention of others to God where they will find healing and purpose, and to turn all compliments and congratulations back to Him, giving God credit as the ultimate source of what is needed for me to do well in life.  It's also wise for me to use my tongue to show respect for all of His creation, realizing He made it all so it is worthy of my esteem, especially in regard to His image-bearers.

Since I'm created by God and thus meant to praise Him, I can use my tongue to honor and give glory to Him.

Attitude.  The heart is so important to God (1 Samuel 16:7).  Why I do the things I do is more significant than what I actually do.  He cares about my attitude while going about my day not just how I conduct myself.  Is my motivation to bring glory to God, to make Him look good, to give honor to Him, or am I focused mostly on my own reputation, on getting what I want, or meeting my expectations?  

As I grow closer to Jesus, He continues to transform my inner-self (Romans 12:2).  As I submit myself to Him, He goes through the process of opening the eyes of my heart where I start to understand His purposes for me (Ephesians 1:18).  Instead of only looking out for myself, I begin to look out for the welfare of others first.  While I tend to be plagued with doubt and insecurities, He grows my faith until He takes up more of my vision so that I'm unable to notice that which used to scare me or cause me to not believe.  Even though I'm naturally negative, noticing all the ugly stuff, the suffering and the pain, He changes me so I think positively, seeing all the good He is always busy doing (John 5:17).

Since I'm created by God and thus meant to praise Him, I will find my attitude changing in ways that bring honor and glory to Him.

Deed.  I'm task and performance driven.  I tend to live according to my to-do-list and judge the worth of my life according to how much I've accomplished.  God is working on me in this wrong way of thinking. He is teaching me to focus more on Him and my relationship with Him as my highest concern.

As I walk in this new way I learn that I am already valuable to Him, apart from anything I do.  I don't have to earn my keep, prove my worth, or work my way into His good graces.  Through Christ, I already am securely placed in His kingdom, worth more than all the gold in the world, and swimming in His grace and mercy.  There is nothing I can do to improve His love for me, thanks to Christ (Romans 8:38).

Thus I am free to simply follow Him, no longer bound to ambitiously work to make my presence necessary.  My work is to obey Him, doing what He places on my heart to do and going where He points me to go.  No matter how small the request, when I obey, I am bringing honor to Him.

Since I'm created by God and thus meant to praise Him, I can bring honor and glory to Him when I follow Him in obedience.

As part of God's wonderful creation, I am meant to give Him praise.  I can do so by using my tongue in ways that will make Him look good, by cooperating with His mission to align my attitude with His, and to learn to follow Him exclusively.  In these ways I will bring glory to God in word, attitude and deed:  What better way to honor God in the way I was meant to praise?

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can pay attention to how He is working to transform the way I look at things.

When do I get stuck in a rut, keeping to the same old negative attitudes?

How do my words fail to bring God glory?   

*http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/women-talk-more-than-men/

A Good Practice

"Praise the LORD.

How good it is to sing praises to our God,

how pleasant and fitting to praise him!"

Psalm 147:1

There are some things I do that are good for me but I don't enjoy them so much:  Eating veggies, doing an extra set of punishing exercises, enduring dental visits or eye exams.  I know these practices are vital to my good health but it's not on my list of favorite things to do.

There is a good practice, however, that I won't have to grit my teeth and bear.  Singing praises to my God is a worthy habit to perform.

Good.  I sometimes have a problem with giving praise to people.  I like to encourage others and lift them up, but I often worry that I am entering into the realm of flattery, giving empty compliments just to win their esteem.  It's not that I want to butter people up and manipulate them, but my fleshly people-pleasing tendencies often rear their ugly head tempting me to go overboard with the kudos.

Thankfully, I don't have to worry about over doing it when it comes to praising God.  It is always a good thing to give Him praise.  When I sing praises to Him, even if it's only in my head as I go about my day, I am participating in a beneficial practice.  It's not just that it pleases God to be acknowledged and given credit for all His magnificence, but it also is a positive practice that will bring about valuable benefits for me.

It is good to get into the practice of praising God for all He is and does.

Pleasant.  There are some things I do that are just plain enjoyable.  Since my life is often filled with things I must do, I'm required to accomplish, or I'm obligated to participate in, it's nice to do something simply for pleasure.  It could be a walk in the park, a leisurely sit on the porch or a visit with a friend.  Whatever it is, these pleasant activities refresh my soul.

It's the same as when I lift my praises up to God.  The more I participate in such a practice, the more pleasurable it will become to me until I find myself looking forward to such times.  Whether its a planned time of singing His praises as I enjoy the beauty of His creation, or an impromptu session as I lift my voice in harmony with the song on the radio, I'll find that it feels good to praise the Lord in song.  

If music is the soundtrack of my life, giving me pleasure as I go through my day, how much more will it make my Father's heart sing when I use the gift of music to honor and adore Him?  I imagine it must bring great delight to Him, the creator of song, melody and harmony.  How precious it is to use what He created to sing praises to Him!

It is pleasant, both to me and God, when I get into the practice of praising God with music.

Fitting.  I couldn't imagine waking up in the morning to silence.  The sound of singing birds busily going about their routine outside my window seems like a fitting way to start my day.  It would be mighty dull without their cheerful voices singing God's praises each morning.

It's the same with me.  There is no better way for me to return the goodness He has lavished upon me than to sing His praises.  He isn't listening to my skill level or ability to harmonize.  Instead, He is only interested in my heart as I lift my voice in adoration.  Therefore, I need not worry about whether I sound good or not, but that I'm desiring to worship and honor Him.

It is fitting to sing praises to a God who has given me so many good things.

While there are some practices that are good for me but not something I like to do, singing praises to God is not one of them.  Lifting my voice in adoration to Him is a good thing that is pleasant and fitting.  So, what am I waiting for?  It's time to begin the good practice of singing praises to my God!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can take the time to sing to my Father.

When do I feel self-conscious singing to God?

How do I avoid singing because I can't carry a tune?  Would it make a difference to know that my voice lifted in praise to Him is music to His ears?