["When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden. For three years you are to consider it forbidden; it must not be eaten. In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, an offering of praise to the Lord. But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way your harvest will be increased. I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 19: 23-25)]

Praise Devotionals- 5

"When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden. For three years you are to consider it forbidden; it must not be eaten. In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, an offering of praise to the Lord. But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way your harvest will be increased. I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 19: 23-25)

This was one of the laws that were given by God to the Israelites to obey in the Old Testament. Imagine planting a fruit tree and then waiting for 5 years to eat its fruit. That would surely test our patience. The first three years the fruit was to be considered forbidden. Then in the fourth year the fruit became holy, an offering of praise to the Lord. Finally the fruit was ready to be eaten in the fifth year. A tedious process, but one that God planned for blessing them. For he said, “In this way your harvest will be increased.” He would be checking their obedience.

If believers today were called to obey the laws given to Moses and the Israelites, there would be few to run the race. Thanks be to Jesus that he came and fulfilled the law for us, setting us free and giving us freedom. But should we use this freedom to sin? No, never. Instead we should be always grateful and thankful to God that he has set us apart for himself, paying a heavy price wherein his only begotten son had to cry out to his father, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me.”

The Bible says, “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.”(Galatians 5:13)

It also says, “You were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”(1 Corinthians 6:20)

May the Holy Spirit help us all to be obedient and faithful to God and his Word. God bless.

Praise God Using His Word- 2-Praise God for his faithfulness

1.I thank you and praise you Jesus because you are the Rock, your works are perfect, and all your ways are just. You are a faithful God who does no wrong; you are upright and just. (Based on Deuteronomy 32: 7)

2.I thank you and praise you Jesus because to the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless. (Based on 2 Samuel 22: 26)

3.I thank you and praise you Jesus because all your ways are loving and faithful to those who keep the demands of your covenant. (Based on Psalms 25: 10)

4.I thank you and praise you Jesus because your word is right and true; you are faithful in all you do. (Based on Psalms 33: 4)

5.I thank you and praise you Jesus because you love the just and will not forsake your faithful ones. They will be protected forever. (Based on Psalms 37: 28)

6.I thank you and praise you Jesus because your faithful love will be with me and through your name my horn will be exalted. (Based on Psalms 89: 24)

7.I thank you and praise you Jesus because you guard the lives of your faithful ones and deliver them from the hand of the wicked. (Based on Psalms 97: 10)

8.I thank you and praise you Jesus because your eyes are on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with you. (Based on Psalms 101: 6)

9.I thank you and praise you Jesus because the works of your hands are faithful and just; your precepts are trustworthy. (Based on Psalms 111: 7)

10.I thank you and praise you Jesus because your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. You are faithful to all your promises and loving toward all you have made (Based on Psalms 145: 13)

11.I thank you and praise you Jesus because you are the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them, the LORD, who remains faithful forever. (Based on Psalms 146: 6)

12.I thank you and praise you Jesus because you guard the course of the just and protect the way of your faithful ones. (Based on Proverbs 2:

13.I thank you and praise you Jesus because according to your word, a faithful man will be richly blessed. (Based on Proverbs 28: 20)


14.I thank you and praise you God because you who have called us into fellowship with your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. (Based on 1 Corinthians 1: 9)

15.I thank you and praise you Jesus because you are faithful, and you will strengthen and protect me from the evil one. (Based on 2 Thessalonians 3: 3)

16.I thank you and praise you Jesus because even though we are often faithless, you remain faithful, for you cannot disown yourself. (Based on 2 Timothy 2: 13)

17.I thank you and praise you Jesus because you were made like your brothers in every way, in order that you might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that you might make atonement for the sins of the people (Based on Hebrews 2: 17)

18.I thank you and praise you Jesus because you were faithful to the one who appointed you just as Moses was faithful in all God's house. (Based on Hebrews 3: 2)

19.I thank you and praise you Jesus because you are faithful as a son over God's house. And we are your house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast. (Based on Hebrews 3: 6)

20.I thank you and praise you Jesus because if we confess our sins, you are faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (Based on 1 John 1:9)

21.I thank you and praise you Jesus because you reward every man for his righteousness and faithfulness. (Based on 1 Samuel 26: 23)

22.I thank you and praise you Jesus because your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies (Based on Psalms36: 5)

23.I thank you and praise you Jesus because I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and salvation. I do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly. (Based on Psalms 40: 10)

24.I thank you and praise you Jesus because you send from heaven and save me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me; you send your love and your faithfulness. (Based on Psalms 57: 3)

25.I thank you and praise you Jesus because great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. (Based on Psalms 57: 10)

26.I thank you and praise you Jesus because in you, love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. (Based on Psalms 85: 10)

27.I thank you and praise you Jesus because you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. (Based on Psalms86: 15)

28.I thank you and praise you Jesus because the heavens praise your wonders, O LORD, your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy. (Based on Psalms89: 5)

29.I thank you and praise you Jesus because you are mighty, O LORD, and your faithfulness surrounds you. (Based on Psalms 89:

30.I thank you and praise you Jesus because righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. (Based on Psalms 89: 14)

31.I thank you and praise you Jesus because will not take my love from me, nor will you ever betray your faithfulness. (Based on Psalms 89: 33)

32.I thank you and praise you Jesus because you will cover me with your feathers, and under your wings I will find refuge; your faithfulness will be my shield and rampart. (Based on Psalms 91: 4)

33.I thank you and praise you Jesus because you give me grace to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night (Based on Psalms 92: 2)

34.I thank you and praise you Jesus because you have remembered your love and your faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth see the salvation of God. (Based on Psalms 98: 3)

35.I thank you and praise you Jesus because you are good and your love endures forever; your faithfulness continues through all generations. (Based on Psalms100: 5)

36.I thank you and praise you Jesus because great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. (Based on Psalms 108: 4)

37.I thank you and praise you Jesus because your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures. (Based on Psalms119: 90)

38.I thank you and praise you Jesus because righteousness is your belt and faithfulness the sash around your waist. (Based on Isaiah 11: 5)

39.I thank you and praise you Jesus because in love a throne has been established; in faithfulness you sit on it, you who while judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness. (Based on Isaiah 16: 5)

40.I thank you and praise you Jesus because you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago. (Based on Isaiah 25: 1)

41.I thank you and praise you Jesus because a bruised reed you do not break, and a smoldering wick you do not snuff out. In faithfulness you bring forth justice; (Based on Isaiah 42: 3)

42.I thank you and praise you Jesus because in my faithfulness you reward me and make an everlasting covenant with me. (Based on Isaiah 61:

43.I thank you and praise you Jesus that because of your great love we are not consumed, your compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Based on Lamentations 3: 22, 23)

[Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians. He said, "Praise be to the Lord, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly." Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law in the presence of God. (Exodus 18: 9-12)]

Praise Devotionals- 4

Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians. He said, "Praise be to the Lord, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly." Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law in the presence of God. (Exodus 18: 9-12)

Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law or Zipporah’s father praises the Almighty God for his mighty acts in saving Moses and the Israelites from Pharaoh and his army. He has come to a realization here that Moses’ God is greater than all other gods. This happened because of Moses giving his testimony to Jethro. In v. 8 of the same chapter, we read, “Moses told his father-in-law about everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel's sake and about all the hardships they had met along the way and how the Lord had saved them.”

Our testimony can work wonders in the lives of people who are yet to know the Lord as we have known. A few words of how the Lord has taken charge of our lives after we have given ourselves to him can sow a seed of the gospel in the hearts of many. Not all may respond positively but we are all called to sow the seed and God will work in his own way in his own time to work out his purposes in that person. Maybe we are the 1st or 15th or 50th person to sow the seed in a person’s heart regarding the agape love of Jesus but it is all very important for God to work in that person’s life. So let’s not shrink back in testifying regarding the wondrous acts of God in our life and let many more praise God and accept Jesus as Savior when they realize the great works of God in our lives. God bless.

[The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him. (Exodus 15:2)]

Praise Devotionals- 3

The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him. (Exodus 15:2)

After witnessing  great miracles (the parting of the red sea, the Israelites walking through the sea on dry ground and Pharaoh and his armies being drowned in the sea while pursuing the Israelites) , Moses here exalts the Lord saying that God is his strength and his song and that God has become his salvation.

Has God become your song??
Young men and women often tend to sing about their love, when in love. Where do they find the words? Where do they find the praise? It just flows out of their heart.

When you delight in someone, words come flowing from the depths of the heart.
Moses, here is rejoicing because he and the Israelites had come out victorious from a seemingly impossible situation. The Red sea in front of them and Pharaoh and his armies behind.

God can do the impossible even when all doors seem closed. He’s the one who opened a way in the sea; a way which none of  them (the Israelites) saw until it was in front of their eyes. A way in which they were already walking before they realized it. A way that closed as soon as they (the Israelites) had crossed over.
A way that was opened only for them.

Search the Red Sea and you wouldn’t find the path the Israelites trod on, because it was just for them. And so it will be for you. A path through the sea (your problem) in front of you. Please expect the unexpected to happen (for your good) because your God is the one who does not change and rejoice like Moses and the Israelites did when you experience the deliverance you longed for so long. Give your God praise. God bless you.

[She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children. (Genesis 29:35)]

Praise Devotionals- 2


She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children. (Genesis 29:35)

Every time that Leah bore a son on the previous three occasions, she had a great expectation that at least then her husband would love her. When she bore the first child to Jacob she named him Reuben saying, “It is because the Lord has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.” When she gave birth to a son again, she said, “Because the Lord heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too and she named him Simeon.” When she gave birth to yet another son, her expectations were very high. She said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me because I have borne him three sons. So he was named Levi.

But things did not work out for Leah as she expected. Though Jacob had bodily union with Leah, he did not love her or perhaps his love for Rachel was greater and it was evident to all including Leah.

She finally seems to have accepted her (unloved by husband) situation and so when the fourth son was born, she did not expect Jacob to love her any more than he actually was loving her, but she took a decision to praise the Lord instead.

If some situations in your life are seemingly impossible, it is better to concentrate on the Lord and focus upon his goodness and blessings and praise him rather than grumble/worry unduly about things that have not yet worked out. God can do the impossible, but sometimes we have to wait.

["Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey to the house of my master's relatives." (Genesis 24:27)]

Praise Devotionals- 1

"Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey to the house of my master's relatives." (Genesis 24:27)

Eleazer here is praising God for helping him in his journey and leading him to the house of Abraham's relatives. Abraham had specifically told him, " go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac. (Genesis 24:4)"

"God hears and answers prayer" is very evident in the situation here and Eleazer first mentions God not abandoning his kindness and faithfulness to Abraham even in his old age.

God is faithful; whatever be your age, trust in him. He will be with you till the end, never leaving you nor forsaking you.

1.I thank you and praise you Jesus because you say, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." (Based on Exodus 33:14)

2.I thank you and praise you Jesus because you say that I will be secure, that there is hope and that I will look about me and take my rest in safety. (Based on Job 11:18)

3.I thank you and praise you Jesus because my soul finds rest in you alone; my salvation comes from you. (Based on Psalm 62:1)

4.I thank you and praise you Jesus because my soul is at rest once more, for you have been good to me. (Based on Psalm 116:7)

5.I thank you and praise you Jesus because you say that we, your people, will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest. (Based on Isaiah 32:18)

6.I thank you and praise you Jesus because your word says that ‘like cattle that go down to the plain’, we will be given rest by the Spirit of the LORD.(Based on Isaiah 63:14)

7.I thank you and praise you Jesus because You, Our Redeemer are strong; LORD Almighty is your name. You will vigorously defend our cause so that you may bring rest to our land.(Based on Jeremiah 50:34)

8.I thank you and praise you Jesus because you say, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Based on Matthew 11:28,29)

9.I thank you and praise you Jesus because your word says, “For anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his.” (Based on Hebrews 4:10)

10.I thank you and praise you Jesus because you make me lie down in green pastures, you lead me beside quiet waters. (Based on Psalm 23:2)

11.I thank you and praise you Jesus because you are with me, you are mighty to save. you take great delight in me, you will quiet me with your love, you will rejoice over me with singing." (Based on Zephaniah 3:17)

12.I thank you and praise you Jesus because I lie down and sleep and I wake again, because you O Lord sustain me. (Based on Psalm 3:5)

13.I thank you and praise you Jesus because I can lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. (Based on Psalm 5:

14.I thank you and praise you Jesus because your word says that when I lie down, I will not be afraid; when I lie down, my sleep will be sweet.(Based on Proverbs 3:24)


 
 

 
   

O Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. (Psalm 30:2)

A few days back I suddenly had pain in my neck and shoulders. It was very distressing and I wondered what the cause could be. I took pain killers for a couple of days but the pain remained and it troubled me when I moved my neck. It was really painful when I woke up in the mornings.Prayer didn't seem to decrease it any.

I usually fast on Sunday mornings and we went as a family to our church to conduct the worship. After the worship, we were back home and relaxing after lunch when my wife casually asked, "So how's your neck pain?" It was then that I realized that I was free from the pain and that the Lord had healed my during the worship.

Yes, Jesus heals. All Glory to my Master & King.

[Proverbs - 7A good man obtains favor from the Lord, but the Lord condemns a crafty man. (Proverbs 12:2)]

Proverbs - 7

A good man obtains favor from the Lord, but the Lord condemns a crafty man. (Proverbs 12:2)

Ever seen crafty believers? If you have been a believer for quite a while, it's possible that you have encountered many.

It's true that they are saved and are worshipping the Lord but some of their older traits have yet to leave them. Not really a new creature yet. The old things have not passed away.
In Psalm 18 we read the following:

To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. (Psalm 18:25, 26)

Truly, the Lord deals shrewdly with the crooked.
In the book of Acts, we read of a man named Simon who had practiced sorcery in Samaria, but when he saw the miracles that God performed through Phillip, he himself believed and was baptized. He even joined Phillip in his ministry, so as to say. But later on when he saw believer's receiving the Holy Spirit when Peter and John placed their hands on them, he offered them money to get the power. He was sternly rebuked by Peter who said,
"May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. (Acts 8:20,21)

Sadly these days, this is what many who are in the ministry are trying to do. Trying to buy the power of God with money and when they do not succeed, they settle for counterfiet powers which seal their fate.

These are the ones, who will in the end tell the Lord,
'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' (Matthew 7:22)

But the Lord will have only one answer for them and that is:
'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' (Matthew 7:23)

Better be faithful and blameless and try to keep ourselves pure, for that is what God desires from us.

[Proverbs- 6As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed. (Proverbs 26:14)]

Proverbs- 6

As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed. (Proverbs 26:14)

Ever heard of Christian sluggards? Well, they are a class of their own.
Sluggard is defined as a slothful person. "Slothful" perhaps is related to "Sloth" (anyone remember Sid the sloth from Ice Age)(my kids loved part 1........No, we are not into movies if you thought so, except the rare clean ones). Sloth is a very slow paced animal.

There are many churches where some believers just never get there on time for the service. Not it's not the travel or any other hindrance, plain laziness and tardiness of believers that often drives the minister crazy, especially if it is a small congregation.

In the book of Joshua, we read a very salient point regarding the life of Joshua.
Early in the morning Joshua ....... (Joshua 3:1)

Joshua got up early the next morning ......... (Joshua 6:12)

Early the next morning Joshua ....... (Joshua 7:16)

Early the next morning Joshua ........ (Joshua 8:10)

He had a very different lifestyle. And that's why he was so successful.

Unless a believer is working nights or is too sick, it is good if he/she is in the presence of the Lord early in the morning. Quite time can be quite a time if we have quiet around us. Just us (you) and the Lord.

It is said of Jesus in the Word,
....for zeal for your house consumes me (Psalm 69:9)

How about you brother, how about you sister. How's your zeal for the Lord and for his house?

I have asked my congregation in the past when I have seen regular late-comers whether they would do the same if they were to catch a flight!
Would they wait for you?

Reporting time -3 hours prior to the flight.

I think if the same were put in Church manuals, many would plan to cancel their membership.

Speaking about sluggards, the writer of Proverbs puts down some interesting thoughts. Let's end with that.

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! (Proverbs 6:6)

How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? (Proverbs 6:9)

As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is a sluggard to those who send him. (Proverbs 10:26)

The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied. (Proverbs 13:4)

The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway. (Proverbs 15:19)

The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth! (Proverbs 19:24)

A sluggard does not plow in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing. (Proverbs 20:4)

The sluggard says, "There is a lion outside!" or, "I will be murdered in the streets!" (Proverbs 22:13)

I went past the field of the sluggard, past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment; thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. (Proverbs 24:30, 31)

The sluggard says, "There is a lion in the road, a fierce lion roaming the streets!" (Proverbs 26:13)

As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed. (Proverbs 26:14)

The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth. (Proverbs 26:15)

The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer discreetly. (Proverbs 26:16)

[The Ant and the Contact LensA True Story by Josh and Karen Zarandona]

The Ant and the Contact Lens
A True Story by Josh and Karen Zarandona


Brenda was a young woman who was invited to go rock climbing. Although she was very scared, she went with her group to a tremendous granite cliff. In spite of her fear, she put on the gear, took hold of the rope, and started up the face of that rock. Well, she got to a ledge where she could take a breather. As she was hanging on there, the safety rope snapped against Brenda's eye and knocked out her contact lens.

Well, here she is, on a rock ledge, with hundreds of feet below her and hundreds of feet above her. Of course, she looked and looked and looked, hoping it had landed on the ledge, but it just wasn't there.

Here she was, far from home, her sight now blurry. She was desperate and began to get upset, so she prayed to the Lord to help her to find it.
When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but there was no contact lens to be found. She sat down, despondent, with the rest of the party, waiting for the rest of them to make it up the face of the cliff.

She looked out across range after range of mountains, thinking of that verse that says, "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth." She thought, "Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me."

Finally, they walked down the trail to the bottom. At the bottom there was a new party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, "Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?"

Well, that would be startling enough, but you know why the climber saw it? An ant was moving slowly across the face of the rock, carrying it on it's back.

Brenda told me that her father is a cartoonist. When she told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a picture of an ant lugging that contact lens with the words, "Lord, I don't know why You want me to carry this thing. I can't eat it, and it's awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I'll carry it for You."


-----------------------------------Sometimes we as believer's also wonder why we are carrying crosses that never should have been ours. Perhaps this testimony can put things in the right perspective. Christ carried a cross and died on it to set us free. Perhaps we can carry others burdens and bring deliverance for them....................jeremiah7