365 Days of Praise
Praise CHRIST, the Son of God
“Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.’ He *said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the CHRIST, the Son of the living God.’”
Maybe they were walking and talking. Maybe they were resting under a tree or sharing a meal. And Jesus asks, “Who do people say I am?”
Then, He asked, “Who do you say I am?”
Isn’t that always the ultimate question? It’s not who other people say Jesus is. It’s who you say He is. It’s who I say He is.
We will each stand before our Heavenly Father one day and give an account for our lives. So, today, right now, who do you say Jesus is?
Lord, You are the CHRIST, the Son of the Living God. We worship, adore, and praise You.
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Praise the BELOVED SON
“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the ONLY BEGOTTEN from the Father, full of grace and truth,”
“After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; …and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is my BELOVED SON, in whom I am well-pleased.”
I remember the moment our son, Taylor, was born. No words adequately describe giving birth…to your firstborn, to your beloved child. Miracle. Joy. Love. Gratefulness. He had my heart from the moment he was conceived. Jesus, our Heavenly Father’s ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, had His Daddy’s heart from the moment Mary conceived Him by the Holy Spirit. Jesus, God’s BELOVED SON.
The incarnation of Jesus, God the Son being born and fleshed out to live and die among us, is the greatest of all mysteries and wonders. And, we’re the recipients of God’s grace.
That the ONLY BEGOTTEN SON would come to earth and live and die for you and me is beyond comprehension.
Heavenly Father, thank You for sharing Your Only Begotten Beloved Son with us so that we might become Your adopted children. We adore, worship, and praise You, Jesus, Only Begotten of the Father, His Beloved Son.
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Praise Jesus, the APPOINTED SON
“For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, APPOINTS A SON, made perfect forever.”
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Praise the Lord, Who REWARDS Us
“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a REWARDER of those who seek Him.”
Do you ever think about pleasing God? Did you know it’s possible to please God? Hebrews 11:5 states that Enoch was “pleasing to God.” I can’t think of a more admirable thing to be said about someone than they please God. And, when we live by faith in Him, it pleases God and He rewards us.
How does God reward us? I don’t know all the ways, but I do that when I’m anxious or afraid and I bow before Him and thumb through my journal where I’ve listed all His attributes, my faith is increased. “He is able. He is almighty. Nothing is impossible to Him,” I read. As I call on Him in faith to help me or I intercede for my family and friends, I believe that He is who the Bible reveals God to be. No, I don’t know what all rewards the verse is talking about. But, the reward of His peace, the reward of relationships being miraculously restored, the reward of Him quickening my thoughts is reward enough.
The reward? For me, it’s His presence. His wonderful, guiding presence.
What a blessed relationship we have with our Heavenly Father.
Lord, REWARDER OF THOSE WHO SEEK YOU, You amaze us as we meditate on who You are and the relationship You invite us to enjoy with You. Help us please You more each day as we exercise our faith in You.
Praise to the Lord who PRESERVES the Simple
“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. He is the ONE we can praise for being the PRESERVER of our soul!
Lord, we praise You, the Only One to whom we can look to PRESERVE our life, our soul!
The Spirit Is A PLEDGE of Our Inheritance
“Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God; who gave to us the Spirit as a PLEDGE.”
2 Corinthians 5:5
God’s eternal purpose is for us to live with Him in glory. We won’t see the fulness of His glory until we close our eyes on earth and open them in heaven. But in the meantime, we have God’s Spirit with us, in us, as a pledge that we are His; that our inheritance awaits us.
Today, we may be gathering with family or friends. Or, we may be alone, heartbroken, or struggling. Even if we can’t think of one other thing for which to be thankful, we can think on this: God gave us HIS SPIRIT as a PLEDGE. Everything on earth will one day be gone. God’s Spirit, given to you, is eternal and of more value than anything or any person. If you are a believer, there is reason to be thankful. Abundant reason.
Lord God, thank You for giving us the Spirit as a PLEDGE. Help us think on how incredible the gift of Your Spirit is and let those thoughts fill us with joy.
Would you like to know more about the Spirit, God’s PLEDGE to you? My Listen UP! DVD is filled with 31 Points about the Holy Spirit every Christian should know. Listen in the car, watch in the privacy of your home or with a group. God’s gift of His Spirit is a PLEDGE and so much more.
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Praise to the HONORED CHRIST
How much honor do we have for Jesus? Here’s a test to help us answer that question.
Do we ever use Jesus’s name in vain?
Does Jesus ever prompt us to do something and we ignore Him?
Do we ever read Jesus’s teachings and we close our Bible and go on living like we want rather than according to His commands?
How often do we prayerfully invite Jesus into our decisions?
HONOR surrounds Christ’s throne. He is honored by His Father. Are we in the circle of those who honor Him?
Lord Jesus, You are HONORED in heaven and by Our Father. We pray our lives show that we honor You.
Praise to God, ENTHRONED ON HIGH
“Who is like the LORD our GOD, who is ENTHRONED ON HIGH,”
Where is God? People often ask that question. Where is He? He is ENTHRONED ON HIGH.
Yet, Jesus lowered Himself to come down to earth to live as our example; to die for our sins.
Where is the LORD our God? He is risen from the dead and ascended to the right hand of God where He lives to make intercession for us.
Looking for God? Look UP.
Lord, You are ENTHRONED ON HIGH! We praise You!
Praise to CHRIST, GOD’S SERVANT
“Behold, My SERVANT whom I have chosen;…”
God describes Jesus as His SERVANT. Whom did Jesus serve besides His Father? He served the disciples, washing their feet; explaining, “I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.” John 13:15.
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Jesus served us in the ultimate way…washing our souls.
Now, He commands us to serve others. The ultimate service we can give to another? Share the life giving water; the message of salvation in Jesus; that what Jesus did externally when He washed the disciples’ feet, He does internally to the repentant sinner’s soul.
Whose soul are we serving today?
Lord Jesus, our souls need to be washed of the power and presence of sin. Only You can do that. Thank You, pure and holy Servant of the Living God, for washing us so we can stand before You, cleansed and robed in Your righteousness. May we be faithful to follow Your example and serve others.
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Praise to Our WONDROUS Lord
“You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied
And praise the name of the LORD your God,
Who has dealt WONDROUSLY with you;
Then My people will never be put to shame.”
Joel 2:26 is filled with promises and praise. But if you read Joel 1, you’ll find stripping locusts, weeping drunkards, ruined fields, earthquakes, and weeping priests. The Bible is honest. It tells us like it is… or like it will be one day. But then, when we wonder, “Where is God,” we read in Joel 2…
“The Lord will answer and say to His people…” (v19) “Do not fear, O land, rejoice and be glad, for the Lord has done great things.” (v21) “Then I will make up to you for the years that the swarming locusts has eaten…” (v25)
“You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied and praise the name of the LORD your God, Who has dealt WONDROUSLY with you; Then My people will never be put to shame.” (v26)
God is WONDROUS and deals wondrously with His people. “Wondrously” means “separate by distinguishing action, to do an extraordinary thing.” If we ever start to doubt God’s goodness, we need only look at the cross. It was terrible…but God was doing a wondrous and redemptive work. He is still doing wondrous work all around us. For that, we can be thankful!
Lord God, You are WONDROUS and redemptive. May we worship You in sincerity of heart and mind for all You’ve done, for all You do for us everyday, and for the wondrous eternity to which we look.
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