Posts Tagged ‘praise’

The Word 6.5.11

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Comments Posted on Jun 05, 2011 Last Updated Jun 05, 2011 Posted by Jeff Lash

I love the first two verses of this psalm.  Let them be true of our lives. Let them be our prayer to God each and every day.

Psalm 9:1-20 (ESV)

1 I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

3 When my enemies turn back,
they stumble and perish before your presence.
4 For you have maintained my just cause;
you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.

5 You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish;
you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
6 The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins;
their cities you rooted out;
the very memory of them has perished.

7 But the Lord sits enthroned forever;
he has established his throne for justice,
8 and he judges the world with righteousness;
he judges the peoples with uprightness.

9 The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

11 Sing praises to the Lord, who sits enthroned in Zion!
Tell among the peoples his deeds!
12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;
he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

13 Be gracious to me, O Lord!
See my affliction from those who hate me,
O you who lift me up from the gates of death,
14 that I may recount all your praises,
that in the gates of the daughter of Zion
I may rejoice in your salvation.

15 The nations have sunk in the pit that they made;
in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.
16 The Lord has made himself known; he has executed judgment;
the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah

17 The wicked shall return to Sheol,
all the nations that forget God.

18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.

19 Arise, O Lord! Let not man prevail;
let the nations be judged before you!
20 Put them in fear, O Lord!
Let the nations know that they are but men!

The Word 5.29.11

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Comments Posted on May 29, 2011 Last Updated May 28, 2011 Posted by Jeff Lash

I read Psalm 8 over a week ago and it has stuck with me ever since. It says so many things for such a short passage. Who is God? He is the Creator. Like an artist on a blank canvas, God painted the heavens and the earth into existence with beauty and purpose. Who are human beings in comparison to such a God? We may think that the world revolves around us. Some men or women have the power to do mighty things on the earth. Yet, who can say that they created everything that exists?

Humility is the proper attitude for men and women who were created by God, given power by God, and owe everything to Him. God needs nothing and therefore he did not have to create us. However, he not only created us but he gave us a seat of honor. Humanity is the crown jewel of creation. We are stewards over the earth and representatives of God to everything in it. It is a blessing that elicits praise when considered daily. Thank you God for blessing me when I do not deserve to be blessed. Thank you for making me in your image so that I might know you. And thank you for reminding me of the reality of my place in this world and your goodness toward man.

Psalm 8:1-9 (ESV)

8:1 O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
to still the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?

5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,
7 all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

9 O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

The Word 11.22.09

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Comments Posted on Nov 22, 2009 Last Updated Nov 22, 2009 Posted by Jeff Lash

It is that time of year again. During Thanksgiving we all try to pause from the craziness of everyday life and reflect on all the things we have to be thankful for. I think my pastor put it well this morning when he said that it often brings to mind the fact that I should be doing more of this type of reflection all throughout the year. As Christians, our thankfulness should have no limits. We have been given the greatest gift of all. Jesus Christ died so that we might live forever. He has given us new life and qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints. That’s something worth expressing gratitude for every day. Paul’s opening words in his letter to the Colossians expresses this truth beautifully. Reflect on his words this week (and beyond) and offer up praise to God for the glorious salvation he has freely given us.

Colossians 1:1-14 (ESV)

1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit. behalf

9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The Word 1.25.09

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Comments Posted on Jan 26, 2009 Last Updated Jan 26, 2009 Posted by Jeff Lash

Matthew 6:1-4 (ESV)

6:1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

It is so easy for us to fall into the trap of seeking the praise of others and a pat on the back for serving God. We can even illicit a response of sympathy for how much time we spend serving our Lord. We might might speak about our many commitments and how much time we sacrifice to keep them. People are impressed with our balancing act and yet feel bad for how much we’ve taken on. We thrive on the attention. More often that not, this attitude happens subtly.

Yet we are called by Jesus to follow and serve him without seeking the applause of others. We shall love our neighbor secretly so that the attention is not drawn to ourselves but to God. This is a difficult task but one we must work toward more intentionally. Think how you can love your neighbor in secret this week. Maybe a friend or co-worker is struggling financially. Maybe someone you know needs an encouraging word or continual prayer. What you do in secret will be a blessing to someone and honoring to the Lord.

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