365 Days of Praise

“…walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects…”

Colossians 1:10

Have you thought about the fact that you can please God? We please God when we’re filled with the knowledge of His will with all spiritual wisdom and discernment and walk in a manner worthy of Him. In other words, we please God when we know what He wants us to do and we do it! Perhaps if I’m frustrated with life or filled with disappointment, it’s because I’ve been more interested in pleasing myself than God. Or, I may want to please God, but don’t make the effort to learn how to live in a manner that pleases Him. Today, though, I can read my Bible. I can think on Him. I can please God.

Lord, it is a wonderful thing to know that I can please You. Please help me better know You and walk in Your ways so that I please You in all respects. 

 from If God is In Control, Why Am I a Basket Case? 

“…we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His (God’s) will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,”

Colossians 1:9

Last year we looked at who God is. This year we’re looking at who we are in Christ.Today, we’re considering the gift of “understanding.” Understanding “is what the Greeks sometimes described as critical knowledge, meaning the ability to apply first principles to any given situation which may arise in life.” When Paul prays for believers to have wisdom and understanding, he’s praying we not only understand the great truths of Christianity, but we also apply them to everyday living. In other words, it’s not enough to have head knowledge of God’s Word. We must take the great teachings of the Bible and apply them to our hearts and daily lives. We must connect the dotes between what the Bible teaches about child rearing and how we actually raise our children. We must connect the dots between what the Bible teaches about marriage and how we treat our spouse; between what the Bible teaches about difficult people and how we handle relationships.

Perhaps we’re sometimes “basket cases” because we fill our minds with spiritual teachings, but leave them at the church door rather than apply them when our child is upset, we’re under financial pressure, our spouse angers us, we’re at wits end with a co-worker, or despair looms like a black cloud. But, we have a choice! We can choose to live filled with God’s gift of understanding.

Lord, thank You that You not only supply Biblical truths, but through the filling and empowerment of the Holy Spirit, I can apply Your teachings to my life. 

from If God is In Control, Why Am I a Basket Case? 

“…we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His (God’s) will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,”

Colossians 1:9

Paul prayed for believers to be overflowing with spiritual wisdom. The word spiritual is significant. If defines the kind of wisdom we should seek. We can be street wise, money wise, smart in business. However, the wisdom for which Paul prays is divine wisdom. Think about that. Do you have spiritual wisdom? Do you know individuals whose intimacy with God enhances their ability to determine His will? Do you know those who are so intimate with God that their thoughts reflect His? This is the divine wisdom Paul prays we have. Is his prayer being answered in us?

Lord, the fact that You created me with the capacity to have spiritual wisdom is incredible! Please help me not live the rest of my life with only earthly wisdom, but rather seek the wisdom from above.

from If God is In Control, Why Am I a Basket Case? 

“Since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His (God’s) will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,”

Colossians 1:9

How often do we say, “I just don’t know what to do,” regarding our marriage , children, finances, career, or church situation? God has a will for our lives and Paul prays we be filled to the brim with it. In other words, God isn’t asking us to play “hide-and-see” with His will. Rather, God has provided both a general will, given through biblical principles, and a specific will for us as individuals. The Bible and Holy Spirit work hand in hand to guide us into both. One will never negate the other. The more we know the Bible, the more the Holy Spirit can lead us in both God’s general and specific will. Sometimes I wonder if God doesn’t reveal more of His specific will because I’m not obeying His general will, which He’s already given in the Bible. Might that be true of you?

Lord, thank You for the opportunity to not only know You, but to also live according to Your will. Forgive me when I ask for more knowledge; yet I’m not acting according to the knowledge You’ve already given me. Today, may I be a better steward of what I know so that I am increasing filled with the knowledge of Your will for my life. 

from If God is In Control, Why Am I a Basket Case? 

“because of the hope laid up for you in heaven,”

Colossians 1:5

Today many of us may be facing a difficult time. Physical, emotional, or financial problems may loom before us. However, this world is not all there is. Rather than focus on our dismal conditions or think if only…we can choose to focus our hearts on the hope laid up for us in heaven. Is the hope a prize for which we must work? No. It’s “laid up” for us. Have you ever put something in layaway? If so, you understand what Paul is talking about. Christ paid for our salvation in full. He secured our heavenly hope when He died on the Cross for our sins. Our hope of heaven is in layaway for us. If you’re going through a discouraging time, I pray you’re encouraged as you focus the eyes of your heart on heaven. God’s blessing for you is His present help and the hope of heaven laid up for you.

Lord, I’ve never thought of myself as rich. But, now I realize that I am. I’m among the richest of rich. You have written me into Your will! The riches of heaven await me! All praise to You for making me a recipient of heaven’s hope!  

from If God is In Control, Why Am I a Basket Case? 

“since we heard of your faith in Christ and the love which you have for all the saints.”

Colossians 1:4

Have you ever noticed how there is a special bond between Christians? Or, saints, as Paul call us? 🙂 When we are filled with Christ’s Spirit, we love as He loved us. God is love, so it’s natural for Christians to love other Christians. I experience this all the time when I travel to teach at conferences. I may not know one soul when I arrive. But, immediately upon meeting other believers, I sense a swelling up of love inside of me for them. Maybe we aren’t loving by our own nature. But remember, saint, you have the bonus of a new nature – Christ’s! Let His love flow in and through you!

Lord God, You who are LOVE, swell up in me and fill me with Your love so that I love others as You do. 

from If God is In Control, Why Am I a Basket Case? 

“We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,”

Colossians 1:3

Paul was under house arrest when he wrote to the Christians in Collosae. What does he mean when he said, “praying always for you”? I don’t believe Paul woke in the mornings, said, “Bless all those you love, Lord,” and went about his day with a furrowed brow and a worrisome gnawing in his stomach. “Praying always for you” does not mean Paul literally verbalized prayer every moment of his day. Rather, he is stating that he lived in a state of communing with God. He managed his stress by going to God in prayer. In prayer, he voiced his concerns to the Father. In addition, he listened to God. Does “unmanaged stress” or “prayerful” better describe us?

Lord, Thank You that with my citizenship in heaven comes the open door to go to You in prayer. I pray that in 2014 “prayerful” increasingly describes me. 

from If God is In Control, Why Am I a Basket Case? 

“To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ …”

Colossians 1:2

Before you jump ship and wonder how many days we’re going to stay on Colossians 1:2, hang in here with me one more day as we consider our identity in Christ. “Faithful,” Although this can be a general term for believers, Paul uses it as a description of those being faithful to their heavenly calling. Yes, we may fall under the category of faithful. The big question is: Are we being faithful day by day, not only on Sundays? It’s something to think about.

Lord, You are faithful to me. Help me be faithful to You and my heavenly calling. 

from If God is In Control, Why Am I a Basket Case? 

“To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae…”

Colossians 1:1-2

Have you ever thought of yourself as a saint? According to God, you are! “Saint” isn’t a term for only the “most holy” of believers. Rather, it is what each of us are in Christ. It means holy, separated to God. Later, in Colossians 3:12, Paul reminds us that, because we’re holy, we should behave in ways that reflect God’s holiness. In other words, as those separated to God, we can respond differently to situations than those who don’t know Christ. Our calling allows us to see our circumstances as opportunities to glory God in a holy way.

Lord, thank You for providing a way for me to live that allows me to respond to life’s circumstances differently than those who don’t know You. Help me be mindful that I am a saint – holy and separated to You. 

from If God is In Control, Why Am I a Basket Case? 

Friends, many of you have replied that you miss the morning praise, so….how about we continue a few times a week and also look at who we are in Christ and God’s calling on our lives? And, thank you for your patience when you get a double email, as you did Saturday. I’m trying to fix a timing “bug.” Please don’t give up on me in the next day or two if you get duplicates. We WILL figure this out! 🙂 And, now, from Colossians….

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.”

Colossians 1:1-2

“In Christ.”  The wording must have baffled the Christians in Colossae to which Paul wrote. Think about it. You would never say you were “in” your pastor. Yet, Paul wrote that believers are “in Christ.” What does he mean? We are more than residents “in” the city in which we live. We also reside “in Christ;” in the blessing of His holiness, His eternity, His grace, His favor, His empowering. Our praise extends beyond who God is, but also to what He has done for us.

Lord God, to be securely “in Christ” is an overwhelmingly grand thought. But it is more than a thought. It is a truth on which I can stand and for which I praise YOU!

from If God is In Control, Why Am I a Basket Case?