365 Days of Praise
Praise to Jesus, the GUILT OFFERING
“But the Lord was pleased To crush Him (Jesus), putting Him to grief;
If He would render Himself as a GUILT OFFERING…“
Did you know that God distinguishes between when we sin unintentionally and when we intentionally sin? Yes, He notices. Yet, regardless of whether we were aware or unaware that our behavior was unholy and wrong, God still forgives us. Christ was willing to lay down His life as a GUILT OFFERING for our sin. What a great and wonderful God the Father and Son!
Lord Jesus, we praise You for willingly laying down Your life as a GUILT OFFERING so that we might be forgiven.
Praise to GOD, OUR GUIDE
“I will lead the blind by a way they do not know, In paths they do not know I will GUIDE them.”
Can you imagine being blind and not having anyone to guide you? As difficult as it would be to be physically blind, so it is to be spiritually blind. But God does not leave us groping in spiritual darkness. Rather, He provides Himself as our GUIDE. He GUIDES us on paths of righteousness. He GUIDES us on paths of light toward heaven.
We praise You, our Lord and our GUIDE!
Praise to the GUARDIAN OF OUR SOUL
“…you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and
Guardian of your souls.”
Of the many ways God is described, I love Peter’s description of Him as the Guardian of your souls. What more could any of us want than to have God be the guardian of our souls? When writing about this attribute in Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion, I discovered that the word “guardian” is translated from the Greek word episkopos and means an “overseer, a man charged with the duty of seeing that things done by another are done rightly.” (page 98) I’m glad God is the Guardian of my soul. Aren’t you glad He’s the Guardian of your soul?
LORD, thank You for being the GUARDIAN OF OUR SOULS.
Thank You, GOD, for Your GREAT LOVINGKINDNESS
“The Lord is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and GREAT IN LOVINGKINDNESS.”
Many people have never felt that they were the object of someone’s love; and especially of their great love. But if we’re Christians, we must recognize that we are. God showed great lovingkindness toward us in sending Jesus to rescue us from hell. We’re the recipients of God’s GREAT LOVINGKINDNESS. That’s a reason to praise Him!
LORD, we rejoice and praise You who are GREAT in LOVINGKINDNESS! Thank You for Your love. Thank You for Your kindness. Thank You for Your GREAT LOVINGKINDNESS!
You can record your thankfulness to God for His GREAT LOVINGKINDNESS in the Meditations, Notes, and Prayers section of Prayers of My Heart.
Praise to GOD Who is GREAT
“You are GREAT and do wondrous deeds; You alone are God.”
Are you hurting, struggling, or stressed? If so, are you crying out to God? That’s what David did; as recorded in Psalm 86. His accolade to God in which he praises Him for being great is not a mindless platitude. Rather, his words are framed in the midst of his afflictions and needs; of him crying out to God. When David states, “You are GREAT and do wondrous deeds;” David is professing his trust in God’s GREATNESS. He is looking at the heavens and saying, “You alone are God. I know nothing is too difficult for You. I know You can help me, so do it!” Do you need to affirm your faith in God’s GREATNESS today? Do you need to say those words?
LORD, You are GREAT and do wondrous deeds! We’re so thankful to have You in our life and look forward to seeing how You work things out.
Praise to God Who is Gracious
“Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and GRACIOUS, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth;”
God led the enslaved Israelites out of Egyptian bondage. Moses ascended the mountain where God wrote the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone. Moses came down the mountain to find the people playing like harlots. They danced around a golden calf and worshiped it. God’s anger burned. Moses’s anger burned. Moses threw the tablets; shattering them. Fast forward. The people repented. God called Moses to return to Him on the mountain top and to bring two more tablets of stone. Then the Lord passed in front of Moses and proclaimed His graciousness. Are you grateful for God’s graciousness toward you? If so, praise Him now.
Lord, You are GRACIOUS toward us; not holding our sins against us; but rather, giving us new days and new opportunities. We are thankful beyond words for You. Thank You, Lord God, for being so graciousness.
Thank You, GOOD SHEPHERD
“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”
David describes God as the Good Shepherd. In other words, we don’t have to be afraid of Him. We can trust ourselves to His care. Are you worried about your future? God is good. Jesus is the good shepherd. Feast your eyes on what He says in the Bible. Follow Jesus, the good shepherd. “Good” awaits you.
Christ Jesus, You are the GOOD SHEPHERD who has laid down Your life for us. Thank You! We love You.
Praise to GOD Who is GOOD
“O taste and see that the Lord is GOOD; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!”
Many people have never “tasted” the Lord. Some don’t even know about Jesus. They’ve been raised in homes where Sunday is just another day. They don’t own a Bible. Jesus’s name may only be a cuss word to them. They’ve never “tasted” and seen that God is good. Yet, they’re starving for something good in their lives. We can tell them. How? Following are resources to help you share Christ with others:
Discovering His Passion shows us how Christ opened conversations about Himself, the Spirit, and eternal life. By studying how He gently engaged others, we can learn to engage others in spiritual conversations.
Taste and See that the Lord is Good cookbook is filled with tried and true recipes. More importantly, it has a Bible verse on every recipe page, how someone can come to know Christ as Savior, and “Blessings and Graces” to say at mealtime. This is a great gift for Mother’s Day, Graduation, or just to say “I care;” an easy way to share God’s GOODNESS with others.
Know Jesus as Savior is a link you can copy and paste in an email or text message when talking with someone about Christ.
God is GOOD. Let’s share the good news of His GOODNESS with others.
LORD, You are GOOD! Help us share Your NAME and spread Your LOVE to those who don’t know You.
Praise to God Who SEES Our Tears
“…‘Thus says the Lord, the God of your father David, “I have heard your prayer, I have SEEN YOUR TEARS;”
One of the many things that amazes me in the Bible is that God SEES and addresses individuals. I suppose because God is enthroned in heaven, I sometimes forget that His eye is also on you and me. Are you crying? Are you sad? Are you grieved beyond the point of crying? God SEES YOUR TEARS. He hears your prayers.
Lord God, You who are enthroned on high are also compassionate toward us. You SEE OUR TEARS. You hear our prayers. Thank You for Your compassion.
Praise God of the COVENANT
“And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.'”
Do you ever hurriedly read through familiar passages in the Bible? I often have to remind myself to slow down so I grasp the intensity of God’s words to me. Such is the case with Matthew 26:27-28; which is often read during Communion. When we slow down to read this passage, we realize that Jesus identifies Himself as the Covenant Maker. He makes a covenant with us and seals it with His blood. He literally dies for us, and His covenant with us is forever binding.
Lord Jesus, COVENANT MAKER, You not only made a covenant with us, but You sealed it with Your blood. We worship, praise, and adore You, our Lord and God.