Good for Dancing

Psalm 149:1-3 (ESV)

1 Praise the Lord!

Sing to the Lord a new song,

    his praise in the assembly of the godly!

2 Let Israel be glad in his Maker;

    let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!

3 Let them praise his name with dancing,

    making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!

The two-year-old accompanied her mom to the home that would soon be theirs. The paperwork had been signed, and it was just a matter of time before the moving van would arrive with the household belongings.

They walked through each room, and finally her mom showed the little girl the room that would be hers. As soon as she crossed the threshold, she began to twirl around with her arms outstretched. After three revolutions, she stopped and announced to Mom, “This room is good for dancing!”

Are you able to find a place in your life that is “good for dancing”? A place where you find joy and peace? A place where you overflow with praise to God? God created you to rejoice and to praise him, and it is possible your joy could take the form of dancing.

Dear Lord, help us to find a place where we find peace and joy. Help our praise for You to overflow out of us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

The weather

Hosea 6:3 (ESV)

Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord;

    his going out is sure as the dawn;

he will come to us as the showers,

    as the spring rains that water the earth.”

One of my hobbies is to follow the weather. I have one of those personal weather stations and like to follow the temperatures, wind speed and rain.  Today as I thought about weather it got me to thinking. 

Wherever you live, rain is a big deal.  If we have little rain or a lot of rain within the year, the weather makes a huge impact on us.  The weather conditions command our daily attention as we graph and chart the amount of rain. We have entire television stations dedicated to the weather around the world. When a natural weather disaster hits, all other news stops to report the extent of the damage. We pay a lot of attention to the weather as we depend on this information to plan our day.

There is nothing wrong with following the weather patterns, but Hosea is stating that as surely as we acknowledge the sun and rain coming, we need to acknowledge the coming of the Lord. Jesus rebuked the people for acknowledging the signs of the weather but not acknowledging the signs of the Lord. In Luke 12:54-56, Jesus said to the crowd: "When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, 'It's going to rain,' and it does. And when the south wind blows, you say, 'It's going to be hot,' and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don't know how to interpret this present time?"

Are we sensitive to His ways? Are we in tune with His will? Do we study His Word daily for direction and guidance in our day as much as we tune into the weather? Could Jesus rebuke us today for the same things? Even though the rain seems to be later than expected some years, we do get rain. We might think that Jesus is late in His coming too. But surely He will come. If we are not acknowledging Him, He may not acknowledge us. And even if Jesus doesn't come here during our life time, it is inevitable that we will go to Him some day.

Who do you worship? Who do you serve? Just by examining your need to know the weather in comparison to your need to know the Lord should shed some light on what your priorities are. When we acknowledge the Lord in everything, we are able to interpret His signs because we become sensitive to His ways over our own. We give so much attention to the weather but Jesus truly is the ultimate Weather Man, whether we acknowledge Him or not.

Dear Lord, we thank You for all that You do for us. Help us to always take the time to acknowledge You for all the things You do for us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Is your reaction to praise the Lord when troubles come?

Psalm 43:5 (NIV)

Why, my soul, are you downcast?

    Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

    for I will yet praise him,

    my Savior and my God.

On February 9, 1709, the parsonage at Epworth, England was discovered to be on fire at midnight and in midwinter. The father of the Wesley's was awakened out of sleep by a cry of "fire, fire," from the street. He quickly directed his wife and two girls to arise and flee for their lives, she bursting open the door of the nursery, where the maid was sleeping with five children. She took up the youngest, and bade the others to follow her. The three eldest did so, but John, who was then six years old, was not awakened, and in the alarm and confusion was forgotten.

Meanwhile, John had been awakened by the light and noise, and finding it impossible to escape by the door, climbed upon a chest that stood near the window, and he was then seen from the door from the yard. It was a critical moment. There was no time for procuring a ladder; but one man was hoisted on the shoulders of another, and thus he was rescued from the flames. A moment more and it would have been too late, for the roof fell in with a tremendous crash.

When the father saw that John was safe, with a heart overflowing with gratitude, he exclaimed: "Come, neighbors, let us kneel down; let us give thanks to God! He has given me all my eight children. Let the house go, I am rich enough." The next day Samuel Wesley, as he was walking in his garden surveying the ruins of his house, found a part of a leaf of his Polyglot Bible, on which these were the only legible words: "Go sell all that thou hast, and take up thy cross and follow me." (Matthew 19:21)

Is your reaction to praise the Lord when troubles come?

Dear Lord , help us give thanks and praise to You and thank You when difficult times come our way. Help our trust in You be strong. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

Praise God in the worst of times.

Psalm 103:2 (NIV)

 Praise the Lord, my soul,

    and forget not all his benefits—

There is a plaque on a wall at Staunton Harold Chapel in Leicestershire, England that reads: "In the year 1653, when all things sacred throughout the land were either demolished or profaned, Sir Robert Shirley built this church. His singular praise is this: To have done the best of things in the worst of times."

In 17th century England it was the worst of times. King Charles I had been tried for treason and been beheaded. Injustice was reigning throughout the England. The churches were harassed and many were closed.

Sir Robert was a traveler and adventurer. As he traveled to Persia and throughout Europe, he understood that the world was a dark place. But on the edge of a beautiful lake, Sir Robert decided to build a church to bring praise and glory to God. The building is remarkable for being one of the few churches built in, and surviving from, the Commonwealth Period. It is decorated with brass candlesticks and beautiful, purple velvet cushions.

What is more remarkable is that this beautiful building was built as Sir Robert while he languished in prison in the Tower of London. It was during his own “worst of times” that Robert desired to bring praise and glory to God. He died in prison three years after the beginning of the church, never seeing its completion.

Are you remembering to praise Christ even during your “worst of times?”

Dear Lord, no matter what circumstance we find our self in help us praise You. Help us not get wrapped up in the bad but always look to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Lip Service

 Psalm 34:1 (NIV) 

I will extol the Lord at all times;

    His praise will always be on my lips.

Oh, the pressures that a lip-conscious girl has to deal with! First of all, you have to have lipstick in shades to match every outfit. On top of that, for some reason no one really understands, all those colors are required to have names that make you feel really ridiculous. Like "Passion Perky Pink," "Vixen Tart Wine," "Mysteriously Misty Mauve"--you have to hide the label while you're putting them on. You don’t want to be caught rubbing "Vixen Tart Wine" on your lips, even if it is the only shade that goes with your purple suit.

On top of it all, you have to be careful that you never pull out the wrong thing to put on your lips. For example you reach for Chapstick and accidentally grabbed a GLUE STICK instead. Maybe that would be the answer for gossip? Your lips would be sealed, just thinking.

God gives us lip instruction that doesn't involve color. Or glue. These lips were made for praising him and for building up the people he loves. When we're using our lips in the right way, it's really the very best 'lip service"--whether you're bare-lipped or covered with Passion Perky Pink.

Dear Lord, help us use our lips in a way that brings honor and praise to You. Bring somebody into my path today that I can build up and share Your love with. I Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Praise the Lord Throughout the Day

Psalm 40:3 (NIV)

He put a new song in my mouth,

    a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear the Lord

    and put their trust in him.

Ole Bull was born in 1810 in Bergen, Norway. At an early age he became known as a first class violinist. His solo performance with the great orchestra of the Paris Opera at the age of 25 marked the beginning of a series of concert tours that took him over the whole of Europe and America. In 1850, Bull founded the first Norwegian national theater. A celebrated composer, and an international ambassador for Norwegian culture, Bull also oversaw a line of fine violins named after himself. Bull had a friend Leif who claimed he didn't have an ear for music and he refused to go to Bull's concerts. The fact that his friend was world-renowned musician made no difference to Leif. However, Bull won him in the end. Ole didn't chastise his friend or belittle him. He didn't lecture him. He simply went to Leif's place of work and played for him. Leif heard the sweet sounds of Ole's violin and it melted his heart. Leif's rough, cold heart was transformed by the charm of the music.   

Jesus Christ has put a new song into our lives, a song of praise to Him. We need to praise our God and as we do, others will put their trust in Him. Are you praising the Lord throughout your day?

Dear Lord, we give thanks to the You. Give us the chance through our praises to share the good news of Your love today.  Help the hearts be warmed and ready to hear about Your love.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

Shout and be Glad

Zechariah 2:10 (NIV)

“Shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,” declares the Lord.

Billy Bray of Cornwall, England was a coal miner who lived a depraved life before his conversion in November 1832. After his remarkable salvation experience, Billy Bray was so happy — he shouted all the time. It bothered some people that he had so much joy.

One day, somebody said to him: “Billy Bray, why don’t you tone down some? You’re just too happy. You've got too much joy all the time.”

Billy replied: “I can’t help it. God saved me and I can’t help it. When I put down one foot it says hallelujah, and when I put down the other foot it says glory to God.”

Another said: “Billy, suppose you’re mistaken? Suppose when you die you find out that you’re not going to Heaven after all, you’re going to Hell.”

Old Billy said, “Praise God, I've been having a wonderful time in the Lord all through the years. Jesus has been good to me and if I die and go down to Hell, then I’ll be thankful for the joy Jesus brought me in life. I’ll shout all over Hell and they’ll have to send me up to Heaven because they can’t stand that kind of joy down there.”

Are you joyful in the Lord? Well then show it!

Dear Lord, help us shout today with joy for You. Thanks for all the things You have done for us and for the joy it brings to our life. Help us not take it for granted. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Are You Praising God?

What do you have that will last? Not much -- the love you have for God and his children, the praise you offer him, and the Word he has spoken to us through his Spirit, the prophets, and his Son Jesus. Invest in these things and you will never be without lasting truth, blessing, and hope!

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. (Spoken by Jesus.)

— Matthew 24:35 (NIV)

Dear Lord and Heavenly Father, give us wisdom to discern what is truly lasting and invest our life in them. We want our life built on things that will never suffer decay. Thank you for sending Jesus to teach us truth that will last. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Love songs to God

Isn't it great to know that we can sing alone and know God loves our song! Isn't it even better that we can join others in songs of praise and lose ourselves in wonder, love, and praise! Let's spend today finding other believers and praising God together. All around the world, hundreds of thousands strong, let's reach out to other believers and ask them to join us in glorifying our Lord!

Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.
— Psalm 34:3

Dear Lord, please be pleased with our praise and our attempts to join others in bringing you glory. Forgive us for sins, slips, and slights. Empower us to be a living witness to your magnificent grace. In Jesus' name. Amen

Praise God continually

One way to keep our life on track and our hearts surrendered to the will and work of God is to praise our glorious LORD continually. Let's put our praise for God on our lips with song and memorized Scripture. Let's tell his wonderful and great deeds to our children, grandchildren, and friends. Let's give Him thanks for all that He has done for us. Just as surely as He is with us always let's praise Him always.

I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.
— Psalm 34:1

Dear Lord, we praise you for your great might and incredible creativity displayed in your creation. I marvel at your vastness of your glory revealed in the great expanse of the heavens. Thank you for your power, mercy, faithfulness, and grace demonstrated by your care for your people and the sending of your Son as you promised. You are wonderful. You are awesome. You are majestic. Thank you for loving us. In Jesus' name. Amen.