'praise God' Tagged Posts
Daily Devotions
I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence.” vss. 12-13a 1 Timothy 1:12-14 Because the Pastoral Epistles (1 and 2 Timothy and Titus) differ in both style and substance from other Pauline letters, some have presumed that they come from an anonymous hand later in the first century. While it’s impossible…
Daily Devotions
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” vs. 34 John 13:33-35 As it began to be obvious to the disciples that Jesus was going to be leaving them, there was undoubtedly anxiety in their hearts. How could they possibly get along without him? He was their glue. It was because of him that they had come together. Without him wouldn’t they separate and…
Daily Devotions
“…they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” vss. 3b-4 Revelation 21:1-6 As John comes to the close of his vision, he leaves us with words that resonate with every person who has ever walked the face of the earth. In the new creation, he boldly asserts,…
Daily Devotions
“Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds! Young men and women alike, old and young together! Let them praise the name of the Lord…” vss. 9, 10, 12, 13a Psalm 148:7-14 Having covered the heavens, the psalmist still wasn’t done! Echoing Genesis 1 he credits the Lord with all that has been brought forth upon the earth, and nothing is excluded. Even snowstorms, mountains, sea monsters, creeping things…
Daily Devotions
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars!” vss. 1-3 Psalm 148:1-6 Humans have always been fascinated by the skies and we’ve spent thousands of years observing both day and night, recording the movements of stars and planets, and tracking the paths of the sun and moon. They certainly aren’t static, and it…
Daily Devotions
Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the LORD, ‘You are my Lord;I have no good apart from you.’” vss. 1-2 Psalm 16:1-6 There are times in life when it’s good to just take stock of who we are, and perhaps more importantly, whose we are. The psalmist is doing just that. There doesn’t seem to be any particular crisis and he’s not pleading with the Lord to do an intervention. In fact, he’s…
Daily Devotions
O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground.” vss. 24, 30 Psalm 104:24-34, 35b The psalmist understood the basics! All things have come into existence through the Lord and all things are sustained by the Lord. There is nothing whose source of being is not the Lord! For that reason,…
Daily Devotions
And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer.” vss. 17-18 Acts 3:16-19 By the time Luke wrote his gospel and the book of Acts, the community of believers had figured things out. Initially the disciples had been puzzled by the crucifixion of Jesus. Since they had believed him to be the messiah, they didn’t understand…
Daily Devotions
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever.” vs. 10 Psalm 111:5-10 Wisdom was a major concern of those who wrote our scriptures. There’s a whole category of writing that is known as “Wisdom Literature,” and that includes books like Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. Often we see it contrasted with foolishness, as in the teachings of Jesus where he speaks of wise maidens who brought extra…
Daily Devotions
Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages, but is now disclosed,” vss. 25-26a Romans 16:25-27 Paul must have breathed a sigh of relief as he completed his letter to the Romans. He’d laid everything on the line and believed that he had successfully revealed the essence of the gospel. He hadn’t invented anything new,…
Daily Devotions
When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground.” vs. 30 Psalm 104:24-30 The psalmist likely had a different worldview than most of us, but he believed with all his heart that the fingerprints of the Lord were everywhere and were quite obvious to discerning eyes. All things from great sea monsters to tiny hummingbirds owed their existence to the breath of God. And year after year, as one season rolled into…
Daily Devotions
Bless our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard, who has kept us among the living, and has not let our feet slip.” vss. 8-9 Psalm 66:1-9 From a practical or realistic standpoint, Israel’s survival as a people didn’t make much sense to the psalmist. They weren’t a powerful nation and had somehow managed to survive through the succeeding reigns of a series of superpowers. For him there was only one logical answer: their God had…
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