WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2019.
SUBJECT: PRAISE AND THANK GOD CONTINUALLY
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Memory verse: "So we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture, will give You thanks forever; We will show forth Your praise to all generations." (Psalm 79 vs 13.)
READ: Psalm 69 vs 30 - 31; 92 vs 1 - 6:
69:30: I will praise the name of God with song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. 69:31: This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bull, which have horns and hooves.
92:2: To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night,
92:3: On an instrument of ten strings, on the lute, and on the harp, with harmonious sound.
92:4: For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work:p; I will triumph in the works of Your hands.
92:5: O LORD, how great are Your works! Your thoughts are very deep.
92:6: A senseless man does not know, nor does a fool understand this.
INTIMATION:
Praise is an act of worship, commending or given honor to; when you express yourself in such manner, it is praise. Thanksgiving is acknowledging a goodness. We can count the few things that make us feel better than receiving heartfelt praise and appreciation from someone else. God loves it, too. He is pleased when we express our adoration and gratitude to Him. We praise God for who He is, and thank Him for what he has done. We acknowledge God when we shout our praises, appreciate His status as our Creator, accept His authority in every detail of life, enthusiastically agree with the guidance He gives us, and express our thanks for His unfailing love.
Praise and thanksgiving are forms of sacrifice to God. The Bible in Hebrews 13 vs 15 says, "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name." These sacrifices are ever pleasing to God. Our lips should confess God’s name in praise. It is a sacrifice that can be offered anywhere and anytime. A “sacrifice of our lips” today would include thanking Christ for His sacrifice on the cross and telling others about it. Offer Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise. Acts of kindness and sharing are particularly pleasing to God, even when they go unnoticed by others.
The psalmist, in Psalm 30 vs 12, says, "To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God. I will give thanks to You forever." "I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth." (Psalm 34 vs 1.) In the Bible, praise and thanksgiving to God is emphasized over 350 times, to indicate their usefulness in our relationship with our Maker.
Amazing things happens when we offer praise and thanksgiving to God. When we give God enjoyment, our own hearts are filled with joy! The Lord inhabits the praises of His children (Psalm 22 vs 3). God comes in His might to answer to our prayers when we worship Him in praise and thanksgiving. For instance, the apostle Paul and Silas suffered persecution, and were imprisoned in Philippi. The Bible recorded in Acts 16 vs 25 - 26: "But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed." The praises of Paul and Silas brought God to the scene in His might and power. The earth quaked at His presence, and the foundation of the prison was greatly shaken. The prison doors were opened. Can anything resist the Almighty? Certainly not.
Thanks should be on our lips every day. We can never say thank you enough to our parents, friends, leaders, and especially to God. When thanksgiving becomes an integral part of your life, you will find that your attitude toward life will change. You will become more positive, gracious, loving, and humble. Have you worshipped God in all other forms and nothing seem to happen? Praise Him, and He will personally come in His might and power to attend to your prayers. No matter our circumstances, we should praise God.
Those you praise God always are assured of enjoying His presence at all times, and consequently the fullness of joy! We enjoy what God has done for us, and when we express that enjoyment to God, it brings Him joy and also increases our joy. Yet, in your typical day, how many times do you hear God’s name used profanely? Christians should turn the frequency of the use of His name toward praise! Praise God early in the day before the rush, then again in the hurried middle, and at the end as business winds down. It is pleasing to Him.
Prayer: Abba Father, engrace me to continually offer the sacrifice of my lips to You, and thank You for Your ever unchanging faithfulness in my life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.
PRAISE THE LORD!
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