365 Days of Praise

 “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”

1 Timothy 1:17

“I can’t see God, so how do you know He’s there?” people sometimes ask. I think one of the best responses is found in Romans 1:19-20. “because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His INVISIBLE attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” In other words, look at the glory of the heavens. Look at the glory of the flowers and trees. Look at the wonder of the human body. God may be invisible, but His presence is clearly seen.

King eternal, immortal, INVISIBLE God, we praise You and thank You for the glory of Your creation and for making Yourself clearly seen through Your handiwork. 

“The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is INSCRUTABLE.”

 The word “INSCRUTABLE” comes from two Hebrew words that describe God’s understanding. The New International Version of the Bible uses the word “fathom.” “His understanding no one can fathom.” The New King James Version states it: “His understanding is unsearchable.” In other words, when we pray and receive God’s answer and it’s not the answer we wanted, it helps to remember that His understanding of our situation is better than our understanding. His understanding of us and those involved is better than our understanding. Trust and faith are essential elements of not only our profession of faith; but also of our daily walk. We can trust our God, whose understanding is INSCRUTABLE.

Lord, Your understanding is INSCRUTABLE.  We look to You in praise and trust!

“For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, INNOCENT, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens;”

Have you ever felt guilty? Isn’t it a horrible feeling? What do you do with guilt? You can’t hide it, shake it, or bury it. It clings to you like a cat. Nails dug in, it’s determined to not turn loose of your heart. However, there is One who never experienced guilt. Until…our guilt was placed upon Him.  Can you imagine being holy and INNOCENT one moment and the next moment experiencing the guilt of the world?  Jesus did that for us. Never question His love…”while we were yet sinners, He died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

Wonderful, Savior, INNOCENT ONE, thank You for taking our shame and guilt so that we might be declared innocent.

“The Lord is the portion of my INHERITANCE and my cup; You support my lot.”

 Can you imagine being told that a relative you barely knew had passed away and left you all his money? “That’s nice of Uncle Fred,” you might say, thinking of the last time you’d seen him with his common clothing and car. But then, the executor of the estate continues, “Congratulations! You’re a billionaire!” Stunned, you realize that you never knew all that Uncle Fred possessed. Psalm 16:5 is such a comment to the Christian. “Congratulations! You’ve inherited Christ, His Holy Spirit, divine nature, mind, power, and heaven!” Friends, that ought to set our feet to dancing and put a smile on our face. Do we realize all we have in Christ? Or, are we bemoaning what we don’t have? Today, we can rejoice in CHRIST – our INHERITANCE! 

Lord, You are our INHERITANCE; what more could we want? We love You, praise You, and rejoice in YOU!

“for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.”

 Have you ever let something spoil in the refrigerator? You meant to eat it, but didn’t. Later, you discovered the leftovers behind the milk and orange juice, opened the lid, and whew – it stunk!  It had perished. It was ruined. Not so with God and His Word. They’re IMPERISHABLE! They’re always good. And, the great news is that Christ is “planted” in believers. Christ lives in us. He won’t die. We won’t die. We’re indwelt by the IMPERISHABLE Jesus through the living and enduring word of God. Hallelujah! Celebrate!

Lord, we celebrate YOU! You are IMPERISHABLE. Your word is enduring. We’ve been born of Your imperishable seed. Thank You! We praise You!

“For there is no partiality with God.”

One of the ways Hill Country Ministries fulfills our mission to spread the Word and love of Jesus is by taking God’s Word to inmates at Lockhart Prison. Most of them are mothers and their hearts are weighted with guilt; especially on days like Mother’s Day. They feel badly that they aren’t with their children, taking care of them. They feel badly about the kind of mother they’ve been. Yet many of them have learned that God is IMPARTIAL. They have turned to Jesus and found forgiveness. They’re mindful of God’s impariatlity; that He hears the church member’s plea for forgiveness and He hears the prisoner’s plea for forgiveness.

Heavenly Father, we praise You that You do not show partiality. Rather, You IMPARTIALLY judge us in light of our response to Your Son. Stir our hearts to a greater passion to follow Jesus and to raise faithful children who love and follow Christ.