365 Days of Praise
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.
Praise to Our Heavenly JOY
You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of JOY; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.
I’m dancing! Are you? Twirling in my Father’s arms. Placing my hand in His. Smiling at the future. Why? Because He knows the path before me. He is the path.
So we twirl as the music of heaven accompanies us in this great dance of life.
Sometimes He holds me closely as we slow dance through dark nights and lonely days.
Sometimes we skip through meadow flowers laughing as sun rays dance on dewdrops.
Every day we take a needed time off the dance floor to talk quietly in hushed voices – me to Him and Him to me. No one else can hear our sacred conversation. It’s just between us. And, then, as the day and household awakens, we dance. To the kitchen, to pay the bills, to gas up the car, to work, to the laundry room.
He’s with me. And, the fact is, the more I pay attention to His presence, the more joy filled I am. The more I choose to be consciously aware that He’s holding me, guiding me through my sometimes backward, sometimes circling, sometimes dizzying days, the more I smile…at Him, at life, at others, at myself.
In our Father’s presence is fullness of joy.
Heavenly Joy, we praise You, for tightly holding us…along the Path of Life to heaven.
Praise to JESUS
Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, …this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. But God raised Him up again, putting an end to they agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.
He had a name- Jesus. How would you decide what to name God’s manifestation of Himself when He came to earth?
God the Father chose God the Son’s name to be Jesus. Why? It means “Jehovah is salvation.” In other words, look no further, seeker. If you want to be saved from your worst self, Jesus is your Savior. And, when you turn to Him for salvation, you’ll discover your best self: “God performing through you;” doing in and through you what you can’t do apart from His indwelling divine nature. God the Father will give you a new name: Saved Child of the Most High God. Whew Hoo! Incredible!
JESUS, JESUS, JESUS, there’s just something about that name. Savior, JESUS, we praise You with hallelujahs from our innermost being.
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.
Photograph copyrighted www.LumoProject.com
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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