365 Days of Praise
Thank You, SUN of RIGHTEOUSNESS!
“But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings;”
Charles Spurgeon wrote these word in 1871 about the Sun of Righteousness: “Jesus, like the sun, is the center and soul of all things, the fullness of all good, the lamp that lights us, the fire that warms us, the magnet that guides and controls us; he is the source and fountain of all life, beauty, fruitfulness, and strength; he is the fosterer of tender herbs of penitence, the quickener of the vital sap of grace, the ripener of fruits of holiness, and the life of everything that grows within the garden of the Lord. Whereas to adore the sun would be idolatry; it were treason not to worship ardently the divine Sun of Righteousness.”* Does that add to your understanding of why Jesus is referred to as the Sun of Righteousness? With which of the descriptions do you most relate to Jesus as the Sun of Righteousness?
We praise You, SUN of RIGHTEOUSNESS, and look to You to enlighten, control, quicken, grow, and ripen us to holy surrender and fruitfulness.
*http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/1020.htm
*Debbie Taylor Williams.
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Praise to Christ, who is SUFFICIENT
“He has said to me, ‘My grace is SUFFICIENT for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’”
An AT&T commercial once asked a group of children, “Who thinks more is better than less?” A little girl quickly responded, “We want more. We want more.” We can identify with her when we are going through a difficult time. What do we want? We want more of God’s grace. We want more of His power. God hears and responds, “My grace is SUFFICIENT for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” What does SUFFICIENT mean? Does it mean barely enough? No. Rather, the Hebrew word means, “to be possessed of unfailing strength, to be strong, to suffice, to be enough.”* God Himself is the answer to our cry for more.
Heavenly Father, thank You that in our weakness, You respond to our cry assuring us that Your grace is SUFFICIENT (unfailing strength).
*http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G714&t=NASB
Praise to the Lord, Who is SUBMISSIVE to the Father
“He went a little beyond them and fell on His face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.’”
There are times when we are called to do something that isn’t pleasant. We would prefer not to do it. Perhaps for you, it’s a medical procedure. For a tired mom, it may be changing another diaper. A worker may long to stay in bed rather than go to work. Then, there are those excruciatingly painful occasions when we may be called to help with an intervention, or change the lock on a door to keep an abusive person out of the home. Or…die on the cross so that mankind can be saved. Jesus knew the suffering that was before Him. He didn’t want to go through it. He asked His Father for another way. But, in the end, He was submissive to Him. Does that not scream of the Father’s love for us? How are we giving back to Him? How are we showing Jesus that we appreciate Him?
Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus Christ, thank You! For all You’ve done and all You’ve sacrificed, we give You praise!
Praise to the Lord, a STRONG TOWER
“The name of the Lord is a STRONG TOWER;
The righteous runs into it and is safe.”
Perspective. It’s everything. Recently our nation has suffered terrible tragedies from hurricanes, flooding, fires, and mass shootings. We can look around and feel hopeless and vulnerable; wondering why God has abandoned us. Or, we can scale the heights of heaven and see what God has done, who He is, and what He will do. In other words, He is not uncaring and inactive. He has seen evil and death and sent Jesus to overcome it. He gave us His Spirit to be with us to strengthen and comfort us. He’s creating a new world in which there is no evil where we will live with Him. From the perspective of heaven’s heights, I’d say our God is wonderful, loving, and faithful to we who are often not faithful towards Him. I’d say He’s a God of grace. What say you? That God has abandoned us and doesn’t care? Or, that God is the STRONG TOWER to whom we can run; that He loves us and is acting on our behalf?
Heavenly Father, You are a loving, good, faithful STRONG TOWER. We praise Your name and run to Your arms.
Praise to the Lord, my STRONGHOLD
“My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my STRONGHOLD and my refuge;”
The words in 2 Samuel 22:3 are taken from a song David wrote to the Lord when He delivered him from Saul, who had been trying to kill him. In 1 Samuel 24:22 after an encounter with Saul, we’re told Saul went home, but David went “up to the STRONGHOLD.” A stronghold was a high place, a refuge, a place of retreat, and for many years, it was David’s safe house. In his song, he praises God for being a STRONGHOLD; a high place and refuge to which he could return and find safety. Do we know God as our stronghold? If not, He invites us to come to Him. He is high and lifted up. He is safe. We can retreat to Him in prayer and find safety from our fears, our wayward thoughts, and from the fiery darts of the enemy.
Lord God, we praise You, our STRONGHOLD. Thank You that no matter the time or day, we can retreat into Your presence.
Praise to the Lord, my Strength
“Blessed be the Lord,
Because He has heard the voice of my supplication.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped” (Psalm 28:6-7).
Do you ever feel weak or like you can’t go on? Psalm 28:6-7 reminds us that we’re not alone. We don’t have to do this thing called life, death, being a spouse, parent, widow, single person, or bread winner alone. We may be weak but God is our strength.
Does your heart trust in God? If so, you can say with the psalmist, “The Lord is my strength. My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.” A trusting heart is a heart that may not know how they can get through their day or night; but they know Christ will be with them and give them the strength.
Heavenly Father, thank You that You are always there and no matter how weak we feel, You are our STRENGTH. We love You and praise You!
Praise to the SPIRIT who Searches All Things
“For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.”
Do you know all that God has prepared for you in eternity? The answer is “no, we don’t know.” 1 Corinthians 2:9 explains, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.” Then Paul continues talking about the Spirit and how the Spirit of God searches all things, even the depths of God. He explains that the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Then, he goes on to explain in verses 12-13,
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
Do Paul’s words about the Spirit confuse you or would you like to have a deeper understanding of the Holy Spirit in your life? If so, I’d love to share with you my “Listen UP! When the Spirit Speaks” conference on DVD. It includes 31 points about the Holy Spirit every Christian should know. It’s my gift to you for any donation of $25 or more. You can watch or listen to it. The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to every Christian. Know Him. Listen to Him. Love and adore Him, for He is the Spirit of Christ abiding in you.
Heavenly Father, Your gift to us of the SPIRIT who SEARCHES ALL THINGS, is the most amazing gift. Thank You! Help us learn more about Your Spirit and how to honor You by listening to Him.
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Praise to SPIRIT OF TRUTH
“When He, the SPIRIT of TRUTH, comes, He will guide you into all the truth;…”
The TRUTH. When listening to the news, do you ever long for the truth? When questioning your child have you ever doubted their words and said, “Tell me the truth”? If you’ve been lied to, do you question if the person is telling you the truth? How refreshing that God is the SPIRIT OF TRUTH. So when we question if we should do things our way or God’s, we have the answer. Follow the SPIRIT OF TRUTH. When society tells us one thing, but it doesn’t line up with the Bible, who do we believe? God’s Word, for His voice is the SPIRIT OF TRUTH.
Lord God, how refreshing that we can wholeheartedly trust You, the SPIRIT of TRUTH!
Praise to God who SPEAKS RIGHTEOUSNESS
“‘I have not spoken in secret, in some dark land…I, the Lord, SPEAK RIGHTEOUSNESS,
Declaring things that are upright.’”
Do you realize that the Bible is filled with the righteous counsel of God? His voice pours forth verse after verse. We are wise to read, meditate on, and practice what God tells us. There is no other place we’ll find such wise counsel. The SPEAKER OF RIGHTEOUSNESS has spoken. Are we listening? Are sharing His Words with others? One of the ways my ministry shares what God has spoken is through my ministry page on Facebook. It is a “highway” we use to “go out into the world.” When you “Like” the page, it increases our reach even if you don’t get on Facebook or use it often. So, if you want to get God’s truths “out there” simply click HERE and check “LIKE.” We’re reaching those who might not walk into a church or who may not have a Bible. Thank you.
We praise You, LORD, SPEAKER of RIGHTEOUSNESS. Quicken our ears to hear and our hearts to respond.
Praise to the only SOVEREIGN
“I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, …that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time – He who is the blessed and only SOVEREIGN, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.
It’s interesting, and I’d love to know your take on this. I hear some people say that since Jesus came, we’re free of the Law and commandments. We live in the era of grace. I’ll jump in here – I’m a firm believer that we live in a time of God’s grace extended to us in Christ Jesus. But, what about Paul’s “charge in the presence of God” – for Timothy to “keep the commandment”? And, “without stain or reproach” until Jesus comes back? That has me squirming a bit. Does it you? What does it mean? Could it actually mean that although we’re saved by grace, God expects us to act like His children; not like the world? In the same breathe, Paul spills forth language that could only come from one who is intimately in love with and in awe of the One they’ve seen, referring to Christ as the only Sovereign; which means a royal minister of great authority. Paul can’t stop praising the Lord Jesus Christ by His words …and life. What about you? What’s your take on this?
Lord Jesus Christ, the blessed and only SOVEREIGN, we worship You. May our lives match our lips.