Showing posts with label Praise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Praise. Show all posts

Friday, March 27, 2020

PRAISE GOD, PRAISE GOD, PRAISE GOD


Pardon me if I brake stride a little on this post today.
But you see, yesterday afternoon I was simply 
overwhelmed by the mercy and goodness of God.
You know, when something good happens you just
want to share it with somebody.  And, you are the
somebody.

Yesterday morning I had gone into town for a routine
check up at the oncologist.  Yep, even if we are under
quarantine.   It was hard to understand all the nurses with
their masks on.  But all was well.

Then I came home to an annual "honey do".  That is
a lot of work.  You see, my wife has this area she calls
her yard.  It extends from the house out to the retaining
wall.  You guys will understand this.  It is an area that 
needs to be mowed, but being a woman she makes it
into an obstacle course filled with all these plants that
have to be mowed around, trimmed around and weeded.
Then to add to it, years ago she planted a lot of clusters
of pampas grass around the retaining wall.  At least 
that helps keep you from falling off over the wall and
breaking your neck.

Now more to the point.  As you understand every spring
all the dead growth in the pampas grass has to be cut off
back to the new growth.  Over the years the pampas grass
has grown bigger and bigger - and I have grown older and
tireder and tireder.

After all the pampas grass was cut back and the old growth
raked up and hauled away to be burned the wife made me 
sit down and rest.  Yes I was ready.

But after a short rest, I was ready to go again and went
down to the shop and was loading up a bunch of scrap
wood on the truck to be hauled off.  When it hit me.
Here I was eighty six years old working along and enjoying
it and I should have been dead about seven years ago.
I began to realize how good God had been to me and 
it was almost more than I could take.

You see, back probably the last week of July in 2014
I ended up in the Emergency room at the local hospital.
The cause was my body had quit making blood.  A man
is suppose to have a blood count of 15.  But my blood 
count was only 5.  Try working with only 1/3 of the blood
you need and you will understand my problem.

From that day until October 25, 2015 I have been in 
one hospital or another four times.  And of course a time
or two a week hooked up to a machine living on other 
peoples blood.

This is not the point here.  But for a year I lived on other
peoples blood.  And it calls to mind another principle.
If we are going to avoid the fires of and eternal hell, 
we need to appropriate the blood of Jesus Christ for 
our selves and have the life of God himself instilled
in us.

Back to my point.
I am throughly convinced that all the serums and things
that the doctors gave me are not what healed me.
But that is was the answer of prayer to God almighty.
And God leading me in a different direction than the 
doctors were taking me.  I have proven this to myself
several times.

But what ever the cause I want to,

Praise God.







Tuesday, July 16, 2019

TODAY'S QUOTE


Image courtesy of: www.Pixabay.com.    


"If anyone would tell you the shortest,
surest way to all happiness and all perfection,
he must tell you to make it a rule to yourself
to thank and praise God for everything that
happens to you."

- William Law

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

A SHORT MEDITATION





"Nevertheless many even of the authorities believed
in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not 
confess it, lest they should be put out out the 
synagogue: for they loved the praise of men
more than the praise of God."
(John 12:42,43 RSV)


OUCH!

Am I more concerned about the opinions of my 
fellow men than of God who made me, gives me
life and loved me enough to die for me?

Sunday, December 9, 2012

OUR TRUE PURPOSE IN LIFE


"I will exalt you, my God,
O king; and I will bless your name
for ever and ever.
Every day will I bless you;
and I will praise your name for ever and ever.
Great is the LORD, 
and greatly to be praised;
and his greatness is unsearchable."
(Psalms 145:1-3 AKJV)

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

THINKING ABOUT PRAISE


Photo courtesy of: www.bigfoto.com

"Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed
on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess
him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:
For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God."
(John 12:42,43 KJV)

Here are believers in Christ.  But they are more concerned about
what their fellowman thinks of them, than what God thinks of them.

Am I that way?
Am I more concerned about the opinion of my fellow church
members or traditions than the opinion of God?
Or even worse, the opinion of the world?

George Muller relates an incident that was an encouragement to me.
He had gone to Teignmouth to preach.  And of that sermon he says,

"One young woman came to know Jesus Christ as her Savior 
that first evening.  This blessed me because none of the
resident ministers liked the sermon.  The Lord judges so
differently from man!"
(The Autobiography of George Muller, p.30)

Sunday, September 23, 2012

TRUE WORSHIP


"Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the lands.
Serve the LORD with gladness:
come before his presence with singing.
Know that the LORD is God;
it is he that has made us,
and not we ourselves;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,
and into his courts with praise:
be thankful to him and bless his name.
For the LORD is good;
his mercy is everlasting;
and his truth endures to all generations."
(Psalms 100 AKJV)


Image courtesy of: pixabay.com



Friday, August 24, 2012

GOD'S BEGGARS

Photo courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

Yes, yes, yes.
From Genesis to Revelation
God asks his children to come to him about everything.
God almost begs us to ask him and depend on him.
We are instructed to ask, seek and knock.
He wants our life to be one of total dependance on him.

But in the process have we become habitual
perpetual beggars?
Have we become like those people you only 
see when they want something?
Does God only hear from us when we want something?

There is another side to the coin.
Consider.

"Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness,
and for his wonderful works to the children of men.
And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving
and declare his works with rejoicing."
(Psalms 107:21,22)

"... therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise
to God continually, that is,
the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name."
(Hebrews 13:15)

Of course we thank God for what he does for us.
God does something for us and we rejoice.
Like the lame man that was healed at the gate
beautiful.  He ran and leaped and praised God.
And when God does something to please us we 
 rejoice too.

But is that "sacrifice"?
NO.
It comes easy.  It is spontaneous.  It comes
naturally.    It comes without effort or cost.

That is not sacrifice.
Sacrifice is when it costs us something.
When it is an effort.  When it hurts.

How about:
When we do not get our way.
When the tears are flowing.
When the heart is broken.
When the body hurts.
?
Do we still praise and thank him?



Photo courtesy of iblog.evertonanthony.com







Thursday, October 6, 2011

WANTING THE HONOR

The company I worked for was bought by a new owner and we moved into different facilities. I do not know why, but I was anxious to see the new business cards.
No, I was not going to have any. My position did not require business cards, but most of my coworkers did.

The day the new cards came I grabbed one of my manager's cards. At first glance of the new card something went all over me. Like a chill, a premonition or a scare.

It was obvious. The pride of the new owner overshadowed everything else. Clearly the business would fail. Why?

The Scriptures say, "Pride leads to destruction, and arrogance to downfall." - Proverbs 16:18 (GNB)
The business started with a bang. Perhaps it would be better to say a big splash. And as you already guessed, a few years latter ended with an unpretentious end.

God hates pride and arrogance. See Proverbs 8:13 and other Scriptures.
The Scriptures teach us, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." - James 4:6,10 (GNB)

If we want to be lifted up, exalted, honored, praised, we have to humble ourselves before God. He will lift us up in his own time and way.

The loftiest position a human can attain on earth, is flat on their face in humble submission to God our creator.