Praise Devotionals..1,2,3,4..

[jeremiah7]

Praise Devotionals- 16

Then he said: "Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who with his own hand has fulfilled what he promised with his own mouth to my father David. (1 Kings 8:15)

The project that Solomon set out to complete i.e. building a temple for the Lord, was a mammoth one and in the process he realized that it was not his hands that had worked out the whole thing but the hand of God. Thus he praised the Lord for the same and also proclaimed that God had fulfilled his promise to his father, David.

Sometimes people think it is their education or skill or talent that has made them what they are; as some say, “He’s a self made man” meaning, “worked it out all on his own.” Yet, we must never forget that it’s all the grace of God that has made us what we are.

God reminded the Israelites of this before they entered Canaan. He said, “You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. (Deuteronomy 8:17, 18)

God also advised them saying, “Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you. (Deuteronomy 8:11-16)

Never forget the beginnings dear friend. Always give the glory to God for all things achieved, for without him, we are nothing. Always be bold and humble enough to say, “It’s all the grace of God.”

[jeremiah7]

Praise Devotionals- 17

When David was old and full of years, he made his son Solomon king over Israel. He also gathered together all the leaders of Israel, as well as the priests and Levites. The Levites thirty years old or more were counted and the total number of men was thirty-eight thousand. David said, "Of these, twenty-four thousand are to supervise the work of the temple of the Lord and six thousand are to be officials and judges. Four thousand are to be gatekeepers and four thousand are to praise the Lord with the musical instruments I have provided for that purpose." (1 Chronicles 23:1-5)

Towards the end of the above passage we read that David set apart 4000 Levites for worship. They were supposed to praise the Lord with musical instruments that David had provided for this purpose.

That must have been a sizable crowd at every worship session not counting the commoners.

Worship has great importance in God’s presence if offered with a pure heart. The psalmist sang:” Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. (Psalm 33:1)Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. (Psalm 33:2)Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. (Psalm 33:3)

3 exhortations are given in the above verses: 1) If we worship God, it must be with a pure heart.2) Let the worship be accompanied with musical instruments.3) Let the worship be fresh and strong.

It doesn’t mean that worship without instruments is not pleasing to the Lord. Neither does it mean that singing old songs make the worship dull. It’s all a matter of the heart. God looks at our hearts while we lift his name with praises. If our hearts are pure, our worship is acceptable. If we are not right with God or we live in disobedience to his Word, the worship becomes meaningless.

Yet, it is remarkable that David should set apart 4000 Levites for this purpose. God inhabits the praises of his people, so shouldn’t we praise him all the more? Yes, we should.

[jeremiah7]

Praise Devotionals- 18

David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, "Praise be to you, O LORD, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. (1 Chronicles 29:10-13)

One of the great assets in the life of David was his zeal to praise the Lord and glorify him whenever the opportunity arose. Not that one needs an opportunity to praise God. He is worthy to be praised at all times and in all seasons. Not climatic seasons, but seasons of joy, seasons of grief, some good seasons when praise comes spontaneously while some bad seasons when we may not even feel like praising him because of adverse circumstances in our life.

One of the phrases we read here is “everlasting to everlasting” i.e. David acknowledges the eternal nature of God. In the few verses of praise above David acknowledges his God to be omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. Yes, our Lord is all in all, yet he loves his creation and has mercy and compassion on them. David also acknowledges God as the great giver here..the giver of wealth, honor, strength and exaltation.

David was never ashamed to glorify God publicly. In fact his zeal for worshipping and glorifying God brought some adverse comments from his own wife. All to her loss, because she remained childless all her life. We read in the 2nd book of Samuel;
“David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets. As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart. (2 Samuel 6:14-16)

When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!" David said to Michal, "It was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD's people Israel - I will celebrate before the LORD. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor." And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death. (2 Samuel 6:20-23)

Notable here is David’s decision despite the insult: “I will celebrate before the LORD.”

Some people may make a hue and cry when you set out to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth. Most of the objections come from close family and friends. Let your decision be firm and always be bold enough to say like David said, “I will celebrate before the LORD.”

[jeremiah7]

Praise Devotionals- 19

And Hiram added: "Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth! He has given King David a wise son, endowed with intelligence and discernment, who will build a temple for the LORD and a palace for himself. (2 Chronicles 2:12)

Hiram, king of Tyre had earlier built a palace for King David. When he heard that Solomon had been anointed king to succeed his father David, he sent his envoys to Solomon, because he had always been on friendly terms with David. When Solomon set out to build a temple for the Lord, he asked for help from Hiram.

When Hiram heard Solomon's message, he was greatly pleased and said, "Praise be to the LORD today, for he has given David a wise son to rule over this great nation." So Hiram sent word to Solomon: "I have received the message you sent me and will do all you want in providing the cedar and pine logs. My men will haul them down from Lebanon to the sea, and I will float them in rafts by sea to the place you specify. There I will separate them and you can take them away. And you are to grant my wish by providing food for my royal household." (1 Kings 5:7-9)

In this way Hiram kept Solomon supplied with all the cedar and pine logs he wanted, and Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand cors of wheat as food for his household, in addition to twenty thousand baths of pressed olive oil. Solomon continued to do this for Hiram year after year.

Hiram took great interest in this project that Solomon had undertaken and on Solomon’s request sent him Huram-Abi, a man who was highly skilled and experienced in all kinds of gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone and wood work. He worked with the craftsmen of Solomon and was a great help in building the temple.

In the title verse, we read of how Hiram praised the Lord of Israel, though he was a gentile king. The awesome power with which the God of Israel had delivered his children time and again was well known among the nations and Hiram did not hide his admiration for the God of Israel. He acknowledges that the God of Israel is the maker of heaven and earth. He praised God for giving David a wise son and for having endowed him with intelligence and discernment.

The praises of our God, the great “I am” flows out from all corners of the earth from the mouths of people of all nations, literate and illiterate and it will continue forever and ever. Let’s continue to praise him all the more as we see our redemption drawing near.

[jeremiah7]

I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. (Psalm 18:3)

Is the Lord worthy of praise? Yes, he is! The psalmists definitely thought so. That's why they sang,
Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain. (Psalm 48:1)
For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. (Psalm 96:4)
Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. (Psalm 145:3)

They affirmed that God was not only worthy, but most worthy.

The writer of Hebrews says, Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. (Hebrews 3:3)

Why? Because "He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house. (Hebrews 3:2)Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house, testifying to what would be said in the future. But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. (Hebrews 3:5, 6a)

And then this beautiful part in the book of Revelation;
And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. (Revelation 5:2,4,6,7)

And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" (Revelation 5:9,12)

He truly is worthy of praise, your praise. Yes; your praise will bring him glory. So do not keep silent.

[jeremiah7]

Praise Devotionals- 21

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD. (Psalm 150:6)

Lot's of exhortations in this psalm. The final one being, "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord."

Many things to be noticed here in this psalm and all about praise.
1. Praise God in....verse 1...Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. (Psalm 150:1)

2. Praise God for....verse 2...Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. (Psalm 150:2)

3. Praise God with....verses 3-5...Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. (Psalm 150:3-5)

The "Praise God with.." part is the largest in this series. The psalmist is considering maximizing his praise and worship with the use of all kinds of musical instruments and with dancing. He intends to be loud with his praise and worship and also is exhorting others to do the same.

"Praise him with resounding cymbals" he says.
Worship is something personal to each of us. Some like to quietly worship the Lord while others like to make much noise. The psalmist here seems to be in the second category. He likes to enjoy his worship by making it lively with the use of many instruments and also by dancing to the tune. He seems to be delighting in the Lord.

Do you delight in the Lord while you praise and worship him? Try it, it can bring you a joy that you may have never experienced.

 

[jeremiah7]

Praise Devotionals- 22

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. (Romans 15:7)

Can we accept each other as our brothers and sisters in Christ? There may be differences in our doctrines even when they may seem sound to each of us (not talking about false doctrines--which we all must abhor) and differences in the way of worship and lots of other differences, but we should be able to accept one another because we all have the same factor that will give us eternal life- Jesus.

The New Testament is believing in what Jesus did by offering himself as a perfect sacrifice for our sins and the resulting eternal life with him if we live for him after accepting him as Savior.

Perhaps you may never have spoken in tongues or do not believe that that gift exists or any other gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12 exists; still you should accept others who do believe in and exercise these gifts.

You may be a pre-tribulationist and you are sure that that is the right doctrine; still you should accept others who are post-tribulationists or mid-tribulationists for that matter because Jesus does not despise them because they believe so.

You may believe that your church or denomination has the perfect worship; still you should accept others from other denominations or churches despite their imperfections because Jesus still loves them.

You may have faith to move mountains; still you should not look down upon some other believer who cannot exercise as much faith as you.

Christ has accepted us with all our imperfections and he has given us the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to cleanse ourselves. We all are imperfect in one way or the other and so we should be able to accept one another as Christ accepted us. That will bring praise to God.

[David_james]

Amen Brother

[nChrist]

Praise Devotionals- 22

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. (Romans 15:7)

Can we accept each other as our brothers and sisters in Christ? There may be differences in our doctrines even when they may seem sound to each of us (not talking about false doctrines--which we all must abhor) and differences in the way of worship and lots of other differences, but we should be able to accept one another because we all have the same factor that will give us eternal life- Jesus.

The New Testament is believing in what Jesus did by offering himself as a perfect sacrifice for our sins and the resulting eternal life with him if we live for him after accepting him as Savior.

Perhaps you may never have spoken in tongues or do not believe that that gift exists or any other gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12 exists; still you should accept others who do believe in and exercise these gifts.

You may be a pre-tribulationist and you are sure that that is the right doctrine; still you should accept others who are post-tribulationists or mid-tribulationists for that matter because Jesus does not despise them because they believe so.

You may believe that your church or denomination has the perfect worship; still you should accept others from other denominations or churches despite their imperfections because Jesus still loves them.

You may have faith to move mountains; still you should not look down upon some other believer who cannot exercise as much faith as you.

Christ has accepted us with all our imperfections and he has given us the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to cleanse ourselves. We all are imperfect in one way or the other and so we should be able to accept one another as Christ accepted us. That will bring praise to God.

I can and do accept all Born-Again Christians as Brothers and Sisters in Christ.

On the other side of the coin, I do NOT accept the FALSE teaching of speaking in tongues --  name it and claim it doctrines --  health and wealth doctrines  -- and any other doctrine that is completely contrary to God's Word. These doctrines are NOT taught here, and they won't be taught here.

Our Fellowship Here is not based on denominations, rather the GOSPEL OF THE GRACE OF GOD, JESUS CHRIST and the CROSS, THE GOOD NEWS. The Statement of Faith for those who pay the bills on Christians Unite is prominently posted, and the rules for the use of the forum are also prominently posted. There are NO pulpits here for false religions or false teaching, and we make no apology for that. We are NOT ashamed of the GOSPEL OF THE GRACE OF GOD.

If someone posts false teaching here, we won't be bashful about it. There isn't any choice on the user's part of whether false teaching will be posted here or not. We give warnings that are impossible to misunderstand, and it then becomes a choice for the user to either abide by our rules and stay OR leave or be banned if they wish to continue posting false teaching. There are no other choices regarding the use of the forum outside of the forum rules.

I already know that you want to teach some things you've already been warned about numerous times. The answer is still NO. If you want to teach these things, it will have to be elsewhere.

Moderator

cc:  Other Moderators

[jeremiah7]

I can and do accept all Born-Again Christians as Brothers and Sisters in Christ.

On the other side of the coin, I do NOT accept the FALSE teaching of speaking in tongues --  name it and claim it doctrines --  health and wealth doctrines  -- and any other doctrine that is completely contrary to God's Word. These doctrines are NOT taught here, and they won't be taught here.

Our Fellowship Here is not based on denominations, rather the GOSPEL OF THE GRACE OF GOD, JESUS CHRIST and the CROSS, THE GOOD NEWS. The Statement of Faith for those who pay the bills on Christians Unite is prominently posted, and the rules for the use of the forum are also prominently posted. There are NO pulpits here for false religions or false teaching, and we make no apology for that. We are NOT ashamed of the GOSPEL OF THE GRACE OF GOD.

If someone posts false teaching here, we won't be bashful about it. There isn't any choice on the user's part of whether false teaching will be posted here or not. We give warnings that are impossible to misunderstand, and it then becomes a choice for the user to either abide by our rules and stay OR leave or be banned if they wish to continue posting false teaching. There are no other choices regarding the use of the forum outside of the forum rules.

I already know that you want to teach some things you've already been warned about numerous times. The answer is still NO. If you want to teach these things, it will have to be elsewhere.

Moderator

cc:  Other Moderators

Brother Tom, what false teaching is there in this post of mine? Why are you so angry?

[Soldier4Christ]

There is no anger displayed here by Brother Tom. Just a simple statement of the truth. He clearly told you what was false teachings in your post. I will try to simplify it though in words that perhaps you can more readily understand. The teaching of accepting speaking in tongues, health and wealth, name it and claim or any other such thing that is associated to that is not allowed here and will not be done here. You have been given more than sufficient warnings on this subject. There will be no more warnings.

[nChrist]

Hell Jeremiah7 and All,

I'm not angry about anything. In fact, I'm having a wonderful day studying God's Word and reflecting on the wondrous Riches of CHRIST!

Further, I've been trying to concentrate this morning on the Christian's Citizenship in Heaven. That's what I was busy doing when you made your post. Further, I was also busy praising God for His countless blessings to me and my family.

I am RICH beyond measure and human imagination, but I'm not talking about the gold and earthly possessions that the world covets.

My SPIRIT is healthy because of the Grace of God and the Righteousness of CHRIST! However, the temporary body that I'm in that God compares to a "tent" is ill and broken. BUT, I give thanks for it and know it's all I need until GOD takes me HOME. I give thanks that my citizenship is in Heaven, and I give thanks that GOD has promised me a Glorified BODY like the one CHRIST has. I will spend eternity with JESUS CHRIST in a BODY without illness or pain. I don't have illness and pain because of a lack of faith in GOD. I have illness and pain because I'm a human being, and I'm still present in this short life. I certainly don't blame GOD for my pain and illness. GOD has given me all good things according to HIS PERFECT WILL. As a result, I am happy and give THANKS!

Love In Christ,
Tom

Philippians 3:7-21 NASB  But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.  8  More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,  9  and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,  10  that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;  11  in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.  12  Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.  13  Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,  14  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  15  Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you;  16  however, let us keep living by that same  standard to which we have attained.  17  Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.  18  For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ,  19  whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.  20  For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;  21  who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.


2 Corinthians 1:1-11 NASB  Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth with all the saints who are throughout Achaia:  2  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,  4  who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.  5  For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.  6  But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer;  7  and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.  8  For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life;  9  indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead;  10  who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us,  11  you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.


Romans 8:16-28 NASB  The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,  17  and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.  18  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.  19  For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.  20  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope  21  that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.  22  For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.  23  And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.  24  For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?  25  But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.  26  In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;  27  and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.  28  And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.


2 Corinthians 5:1-21 NASB  For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.  2  For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven,  3  inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked.  4  For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.  5  Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.  6  Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord--  7  for we walk by faith, not by sight--  8  we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.  9  Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.  10  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.  11  Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences.  12  We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart.  13  For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.  14  For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;  15  and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.  16  Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer.  17  Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.  18  Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,  19  namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.  20  Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  21  He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

[Soldier4Christ]

Amen! Those are indeed beautiful portions of scripture and wondrous statements of the true Gospel of Salvation. Salvation does not bring us health, wealth or anything else of this world. Such teachings that do include worldly things is nothing but a teaching of a false salvation. Salvation does bring us riches untold and perfect health eternal but not in this world. Just to be in the presence of Jesus, to be able to bow at His feet and praise Him in person eternally is all the riches that a person needs.

[jeremiah7]

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:9)

The Apostle Peter sums up why God transformed 'some' according to his liking to become a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation & a people belonging to God- To declare the praises of the one who called them out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Is praising God justified? Yes it is. John the Apostle tells us why.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,
and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father - to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. (Revelation 1:5, 6)

Because of his great love for us, he freed us from our sins by shedding his blood on the cross. And why did he do it? To make us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father.

The love that Jesus showed has no comparisons except what the Father also did. About the love of Jesus the Bible says,
"Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:6-8)

And about the love of the Father the Bible says,
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

We who were once "not a people" have now become "the people of God". And having become "the people of God", our aim in life should be to sing the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Praise be to the Lord now and forever.

[jeremiah7]

Praise Devotionals- 25

With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the LORD: "He is good; his love to Israel endures forever." And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. (Ezra 3:11)

After 70 years of Babylonian exile, the Israelites were back in their land, but without a temple, for the earlier temple had been destroyed and Jerusalem burnt with fire by King Nebuchadnezzar during his 3 invasions of the land.

The elders who had witnessed the glory of the former temple built by Solomon wept and the younger generation rejoiced that the new temple foundation was being laid.

When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise the LORD, as prescribed by David king of Israel. (Ezra 3:10)

They were starting the new project by praising God, trusting that he would help them complete.

Who would have ever thought that the wonderful temple built by Solomon would be laid waste? It had taken 7 years to build and it was a magnificient monument. Nothing could match it's grandeur in that era.  But King Solomon  married foriegn women who worshipped idols and he was no longer faithful to God who had given him everything from knowledge and wisdom to riches and fame. Of the kings that followed Solomon's reign, only a few were faithful to the Lord.

Sin had led to punishment- an exile and now they were being restored by God himself. Joy and sorrow were both witnessed at this solemn occasion.

Many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away. (Ezra 3:12, 13)

They praised God vociferously hoping and trusting that what they were starting would be brought into completion by God. And God was faithful. He did not leave them nor forsake them. The temple was built. Praise the Lord.