Praising the Lord God makes Him our number one priority. In essence, it puts Him in first place in your life. Praise always turns our attention from ourselves to the Lord God. It takes us from selfish to selfless. In today's narcissistic world, overflowing with "selfies" and social media, that is a major accomplishment! Praising the Lord is about remembering and recounting who He is and what He has done, rather than wallowing in the mire of self-absorption. You put your trust in Him rather than yourself. Our human nature is to be self-centered. That is why our nature has to be changed with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Ambassador Paul made it very clear here in Romans: And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. You must change the way you think in order to truly praise the Lord Jesus and His Father.
Praise turns your eyes from yourself to the Lord God. It focuses your thoughts on His majesty and power and invites those around you to do the same. Remember, you are to be the example as a Kingdom citizen. Do you recall what ambassador Paul said in his letter to brother Timothy? Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. Do you remember what our Lord and King stated while He was here on the earth? “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." NKJV Glorify! "Let your life be so that others may notice it and glorify the Father who is in heaven." That's right! Without even saying a word, when your life reflects life God's Kingdom and the attributes of the King, you are praising Him! The Lord God gets the glory, not you. In essence, praise is bragging about the Lord God instead of about yourself or the idols of this present world. It is celebrating who He is and how He relates to us as an individual. Remember, you are His temple and you should always have the attitude of praising the King.
Keep in mind, those who have been saved should be of the same mindset. Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. NKJV You must be of one mindset, focused on the King and believing the same thing. But we know that is not the norm in most churches today. Denominations show that believers in Jesus the Christ are not like-minded! It is even difficult to find people within a denomination who are like-minded! The very concept of denominational churches is the antithesis of His church being like-minded! One mind, one accord? Sadly no! It is because they have become more focused on their rules, regulations, traditions, bylaws, leadership positions, bank accounts and membership numbers! How can we truly be focused on the King and praising Him for who He is when we know more about our bylaws than Him?
I will stop at this point and continue this next time. But this week, take a self-evaluation. Where is your focus? Are you able to freely focus on His goodness and praise His name for who He is and all He has done? What are you distracted by? What has your attention and your time? Take a moment to write down things you are thankful for. Then praise Him!
Romans 12:1-2 1 Timothy 4:12 Matthew 5:14-16 Romans 15:5-6
All NLT except where noted
W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed. Thank you
Praise turns your eyes from yourself to the Lord God. It focuses your thoughts on His majesty and power and invites those around you to do the same. Remember, you are to be the example as a Kingdom citizen. Do you recall what ambassador Paul said in his letter to brother Timothy? Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. Do you remember what our Lord and King stated while He was here on the earth? “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." NKJV Glorify! "Let your life be so that others may notice it and glorify the Father who is in heaven." That's right! Without even saying a word, when your life reflects life God's Kingdom and the attributes of the King, you are praising Him! The Lord God gets the glory, not you. In essence, praise is bragging about the Lord God instead of about yourself or the idols of this present world. It is celebrating who He is and how He relates to us as an individual. Remember, you are His temple and you should always have the attitude of praising the King.
Keep in mind, those who have been saved should be of the same mindset. Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. NKJV You must be of one mindset, focused on the King and believing the same thing. But we know that is not the norm in most churches today. Denominations show that believers in Jesus the Christ are not like-minded! It is even difficult to find people within a denomination who are like-minded! The very concept of denominational churches is the antithesis of His church being like-minded! One mind, one accord? Sadly no! It is because they have become more focused on their rules, regulations, traditions, bylaws, leadership positions, bank accounts and membership numbers! How can we truly be focused on the King and praising Him for who He is when we know more about our bylaws than Him?
I will stop at this point and continue this next time. But this week, take a self-evaluation. Where is your focus? Are you able to freely focus on His goodness and praise His name for who He is and all He has done? What are you distracted by? What has your attention and your time? Take a moment to write down things you are thankful for. Then praise Him!
Romans 12:1-2 1 Timothy 4:12 Matthew 5:14-16 Romans 15:5-6
All NLT except where noted
W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed. Thank you
