365 Days of Praise
Praise to the Lord, the PROPITIATION for Our SINS
“He Himself is the PROPITIATION FOR OUR SINS; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.”
PROPITIATION. That’s a mouthful! And, it’s probably not the first word you think of when you’re praising God. “Lord, You are love, joy, peace” rolls off our tongues easier than “Lord, You are the PROPITIATION FOR MY SINS.” But, that IS who HE IS. What does propitiation mean? It means “satisfaction.” In contrast to the Rolling Stones hit song, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” Christians sing a different tune. When Christ offered His life as a sacrifice for our sins, God was satisfied. The payment for sin and guilt were satisfied, paid fully once and for all with Christ’s blood. Yes, we sing a song of praise to Jesus – for settling our sin debt with God.
Lord, thank You for being the PROPITIATION for our sins and the sins of the world!
Praise to the PROPHET
“…Jesus the Nazarene, who was a PROPHET mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people.”
Do you wish you knew the answer to your problems? Have you ever prayed, “Lord, direct me!” Or prayed, “Show me what to do.” What if you were a prophet who could foretell the future. Jesus is a PROPHET. He knew what was coming down the road. And, although the Bible doesn’t always outline the specifics of our day, Jesus used the Scriptures to point out present and future events. (a good reason to read what our Prophet said) Reading the Bible and Jesus’s words will prepare us for today and for our tomorrows. It will help answer our questions.
Jesus, You are a PROPHET mighty in deed and word. We praise You!
Praise to the PRINCE of PEACE
“His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, PRINCE OF PEACE.”
Praise to the PRINCE OF LIFE
“…you put to death the PRINCE OF LIFE, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses.”
Can you imagine the conversations that took place after God raised Jesus from the dead? Some didn’t believe it at first. Others couldn’t help but acknowledge it when they saw Jesus, touched Him, and observed Him eating fish. He wasn’t a ghost. He wasn’t a figment of their imagination. Five hundred people witnessed seeing the resurrected PRINCE OF LIFE. In other words, they couldn’t “kill Him dead” forever. Jesus walked right back into life. Why? How? Because Jesus is the PRINCE of LIFE. What’s more – He is your PRINCE OF LIFE. He won’t let you stay dead. He’s waiting on the other side when you walk the corridor of death. You need not fear.
Lord Jesus, we praise You, the PRINCE of LIFE.
Praise the PRINCE of KINGS
“And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first begotten of the dead, and the PRINCE of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood,”
One day, Jesus is returning and it will be a glorious day. Mouths who have cursed Him will be closed. Skeptics who have mocked Him will be shamed. Rulers who ignored Him will bow low. Today is a day of prayer. I invite you to take a few moments to worship Jesus, the Prince of the kings of the earth.
Heavenly Father and Prince Jesus Christ, ruler of the kings of earth, we smile in celebration of You. We glory in You. We anticipate Your return with joy. Our hearts overflow in praise. We ask for Your tender mercy on all who are alone, cold, hungry, and suffering. Thank You for the day You will restore the world in righteousness; for the glorious day of Your return.
Praise to Our PRIEST
“Therefore, He (Jesus) had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high PRIEST in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”
Have you ever longed for a way to be exonerated and released from your sin; rather than it weigh you down as if you were carrying a corpse of guilt on your back? If so, please recognize that Jesus is more than our friend. He is our high PRIEST. That means that when He died, He entered the holiest of holies – God’s presence – and offered the sacrifice of His blood to atone for and cover our sins. There is no need for us to carry our guilt. Jesus, our high priest carried it to the cross and died on our behalf. We are no longer shackled with sin and guilt. Run free to Christ and ask how you might serve Him!
Lord Jesus, we praise You, our Lord and high PRIEST! Thank You for absolving us of our sin and removing the guilt of our sin. How can we serve You?
Praise to God Our PRESERVER
Friends, the attributes and names of God that you receive every morning were scheduled before Hurricane Harvey. As I have reviewed them prior to them going out, I’ve been shocked by the images and attributes that were pre-selected. We can’t help but recognize that God’s nature speaks of more than the temporal. God is eternal, and His nature reflects His eternal perspective and promises.
“The LORD preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.,”
Have you ever thought of God in terms of being your Life PRESERVER? The Hebrew word, “preserve,” means keep, guard, protect, saves life. A PRESERVER is “someone who keeps safe from harm or danger.”** No doubt, our Lord fits the description. Satan has a domain of darkness. (Colossians 1:13) God has a domain of light where Jesus reigns in love. God rescues every single person who calls out to Him. He transfers the repentant to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:13-14)
We understand the need for someone to come and save us from raging waters. Do we understand the need for Jesus to come and save us from raging sin? God sent Jesus to earth to save us from drowning and dying in sin as assuredly as rescuers were sent to save those dying in flooding waters.
We understand the need for being saved from physical death. Do we understand the need for being saved from spiritual death? Who do we know who needs to be saved? Will we go to them and tell them about Jesus?
Lord, we praise You, the Only One to whom we can look to PRESERVE our life, our soul!
**http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=preserver
DO OVER: Praise to the ONE Who IMPARTIALLY JUDGES
The following is a “Do Over” of the “365 Days of Praise” post “God who IMPARTIALLY JUDGES.” I wanted to do it over to make a more accurate, complete application of the Scripture.
If (since) you address as Father the one who IMPARTIALLY JUDGES according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth;”
Are you aware that the Bible describes different kinds of judgments? The one to which Peter is referring is the judgment of believers’ works. Although we’re not saved by works, after we’re saved, God takes note of how we conduct ourselves. Peter reminds us that God is an IMPARTIAL JUDGE and that we should conduct ourselves in fear during our stay on earth. “Conducting ourselves in fear” means we live in way that shows reverence for and Christ. Peter gives examples of what this looks like.
- We are holy in all our behavior, like the Holy One who called us, 1:15
- We fervently love one another from the heart, 1:22
- We proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called us our of darkness into His marvelous light, 2:9
- We abstain from fleshly lusts that wage war against our soul, 2:11
- We keep our behavior excellent, 2:12
In the first draft of this post, my application of the Scripture asked if we were sloppy, half-hearted, and lazy. But, those negative applications to our homes, work places, and ministries don’t touch our high calling in Christ. An unbeliever can be tidy, whole-hearted, and diligent. In our own strength, we can “self-improve.” The believer’s high calling in Christ and for which we’ll be rewarded is beyond earthly standards. It’s a life infused and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Our calling is to represent the excellencies of Christ. When we do, we show reverence for Him.
Heavenly Father, thank You for being an impartial Judge. Help us conduct ourselves in reverence to You.
Praise to the ONE Who IMPARTIALLY JUDGES
“If (since) you address as Father the one who IMPARTIALLY JUDGES according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth;”
Are you aware that the Bible describes different kinds of judgments? The one to which Peter is referring is the judgment of believers’ works. Although we’re not saved by works, after we’re saved, God takes note of how we conduct ourselves. Peter reminds us that God is an IMPARTIAL JUDGE and that we should conduct ourselves in fear during our stay on earth. “Conducting ourselves in fear” means our actions should be done in reverence to Christ, in a way that honors Him. Are we sloppy at home, halfhearted at work, or lazy in ministry? Or, are we diligent and honoring Christ? If Jesus were to drop by our homes, work places, and ministries, what would be His verdict?
Heavenly Father, You are ONE WHO IMPARTIALLY JUDGES. Thank You that You are impartial, and each of us has the opportunity to serve You well.
Praise to the LORD
“‘I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.’”
As we’ve studied, there are times when God announces, “This is who I am. This is my name.” Such is the case in Isaiah 42:8, when God announced, “I am the LORD, that is My name.” In the same breath, He explains what it means that His name is LORD. It means He will not give His glory to another. It means that our praise is to be given to Him and Him alone. His pronouncement should cause us to ponder, “Have I given my praise to anything or anyone besides Him?” If so, we must bow before the LORD in repentance and profess Him LORD of all.
Heavenly Father, You alone are LORD. Forgive us for putting anything or anyone before You. We bow in humble reverence and praise.