Preventing the Problems and Pitfalls of Prasie (Part I)

Let Everything Praise the LORD 

"Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness? Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!” (Psalm 150, ESV) 

Many people, including believers, talk about praising God. In reality, very few people actually accomplish it. I think many fail to actually praise God due to ignorance than for any other reason.  

There seems be at least three (3) probabilities that hinder real or true praise to God. It is my personal belief that honest and sincere believers truly desire to praise God. I do not believe that they enter into or become trapped by one of these three (3) probabilities or realities purposefully. I believe we do not edify or educate new believers about what it means to praise God. As new believers are allowed to remain with bad habits, those bad habits continue to grow.  

First – believers have developed a sort of language that is all their own. Some have come to call it “Christianeese.” We acquire or develop pet words or phrases that we repeat easily and almost mindlessly. 

As an example, when we realize a prayer has been answered, or a “good” thing has happened to us, or even when we hear good things from the Word of God our tendency is to say, “Praise God.” This phrase is sometimes accompanied by a “Hallelujah” or two or maybe a “Praise be to God," or "Praise the Lord! 

We even write songs or sing hymns either commanding or cheering us on to praise God. Hymns such as “Praise Him, Praise Him” or “Praise Ye the Lord” and many choruses utilize those exact words. Many people come to believe that if they say, shout, or sing “Praise the Lord” or “Praise God” that they have actually given praise to our glorious and majestic God. 

A number of Psalms begin with the command to Praise God – such as 111, 112, 113, 117, 135, 146, 147, 148, 149, and 150 (just to mention a few) Many other Psalms are riddled from beginning to end with the command to praise God. 

Simply saying the words, “Praise God,” especially from rote habit or mindless repetition does not qualify. 

Second – believers have a tendency to miss the actual meaning of the command to praise God. They do this when their “praise” is more about them and what they did than about the works of God. Believers have a tendency to begin by saying “Praise God,” He did this and I was able to this, that, and the other thing. Unfortunately many times praise for God becomes a praise of us. 

For example, we might begin praising God for an opportunity to share the gospel, but our sharing becomes an accounting of what we thought, said, or did. Our words shift from what God did, or opened, or worked, or caused, or made happen, to “…and then I said this, or I thought of this, or I was able to do this…” We need to be careful when we desire to offer praise to God that it does not end up as a “boasting session” on ourselves. 

Third – we fail to understand exactly what praise really or of what it consist. What actually constitutes “praise” to or of God? What is missing from our praise? 

Hopefully, I can pick this up and somewhat adequately answer this question in part two of our discussion. Join us tomorrow, where, Lord willing, I hope to conclude this two part article on “Preventing the Problems and Pitfalls of Praise.”

 

What is Your Occupation?

Over the last forty (40) years I have written a number of quotes, comments, pithy sayings, and poems in the fly-leafs of my bibles. Each Tuesday I am going to share those various entries from my bibles with you. I hope they will be as much of blessing to you as they have been to me. Sometimes I will be able to give credit where credit is due and sometimes I won’t be able to credit the source. I apologize for this to each one who contributed these gems over the last forty (40) years.

TODAY'S TREASURE:

"May delighting in God be the work of my life."

Hope in Our Hurt

Today In Church History

1779 English founder of Methodism John Wesley wrote in a letter: 'Chance has no share in the government of the world. The Lord reigns, and disposes all things, strongly and sweetly, for the good of them that love him.'

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28, ESV)

This is the comfort and hope of a true child of God. Our confidence and comfort does not lie in the belief that Christians are exempt from sorrow or suffering. Pain remains a glaring reality in the life of God’s children.

Our hope and confidence comes from the fact that our God is too wise to make a mistake, too loving to be unkind, and is too omnipotent to be thwarted. Our God weaves everything that transpires in our lives together for our ultimate good.  

The “good” in this verse does not mean that everything that happens to you once you become a Christian is going to be comfortable, pleasurable, or profitable. It refers to the on-going conformity to Christ-likeness. It is referencing a closer fellowship with God and the accomplishment of God’s eternal purpose.

The one character in the Bible that seems to have grasped this truth and illustrated this truth was Joseph. When confronting his brothers after having been abused by them and then sold in to slavery by them, and having experienced slavery, prison, and false accusations said this, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” (Genesis 50:20, ESV)

When suffering, sorrow, pain, disappointment, and/or evil befall you, do not despair. Remember that a very loving and very wise God permitted or directed those things to take place. Your confidence and hope is in His glorious and majestic character and nature. Look for the big orange and black sign that says “Caution: God is at Work! God is at work using the pain and suffering in your life for your benefit and to further His eternal purpose.

We may not see those benefits or recognize His purpose immediately. Several years passed from the time Joseph’s brothers treacherous actions until his appointment and actions secured the salvation of his family and the land of Egypt. Joseph trusted His God.

How about you? Will you (not can you) as a born from above child of God trust your God? Where is your confidence and hope? Is it in the philosophy of this darkened and deceived world that promise and promotes a utopia? Or is your confidence in the living omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent God of our Fathers?

Collecting Confidence Part II

Series:  Profiting From Peter

A Challenge to Joyful Steadfastness

Review

Any good introduction will have at least seven (7) elements that help with interpretation and application. Last week we began with the first of those seven elements, the Authenticity of the epistle.

When we consider the authenticity of any portion of Scripture we have to ask ourselves several key questions:

• Why was this epistle included in the New Testament Canon?
• Why did the early church consider this epistle as authentic?
• What evidence is available that testifies to authenticity?

A.  Authenticity

1.  Traditional Evidence

2.  Internal Evidence

3.  External Attacks

Do You Know Where Your Church Is?

The church is always to be under the Word; she must be; we must keep her there. You must not assume that because the church started correctly, she will continue so. She did not do so in the New Testament times; she has not done so since. Without being constantly reformed by the Word the church becomes something very different. We must always keep the church under the Word.

Topics: Church
Source: What is an Evangelical? The Banner of Truth Trust, 1992, p. 30.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1:1-2, ESV)

Meditate (הגה hagah) 

The Hebrew word from which we translate as “meditate” is found primarily in Hebrew poetry. It appears frequently in the collection of Psalms. 

The basic meaning of haga is a “low sound.” The best way to describe it is the “moaning made by a dove” or the “low growling of a lion as it stands over its kill.” It is used a few times in relationship to “mourning.” It is used at least once in reference to the “whispering” of Israel’s enemies when Jerusalem collapsed. 

It seems that those who meditated read the Scripture out loud but in a very low voice or whisper. They may have “repeated” the passage and/or in a soft whisper like voice mused over it. 

The purpose of mediation was to gain the meaning of a particular Scripture or passage. Meditation was thinking and musing on a passage until the meaning and application was discerned. 

Mediation is not indicative of a trance or non-lucid state generated in order to “hear a voice from God, nor a special word from God.” Meditation is not repeating the same words or phrases in order to achieve a spiritual status. 

The blessed man, the man who is truly blessed of God is the man (woman) who does not spend time in the company of sinners nor follows the philosophy of this world, but is the man who delights in God’s word. This blessed or happy man also murmurs, mutters, or muses over God’s word until the meaning and application has been discerned.  

After selecting a passage of scripture to read employ the following guidelines: 

• Read the passage at a normal speed

• Re-read the passage a little slower, observing and absorbing

• Re-read the passage again, lingering on words and phrases

• Re-read the passage again praying over words and phrases

Speak your thoughts and ideas about what the passage says and what it means. Ask and answer the following questions (out loud)” 

• Who is speaking?

• Who is being spoken to?

• What is being said?

• Why is being said?

• Why is being said in the manner in which it is being said?

• What does it mean?

• What benefit is derived from what is being said?

• What negative is noted from what it is being sad?

• Where is the action taking place or to take place?

• When is the action to take place?

It is from these questions that you are able to determine or discern the meaning and/or application of a passage. Naturally these questions are not exhaustive. What other questions can you think of?

The Glorification Barometer

Over the last forty (40) years I have written a number of quotes, comments, pithy sayings, and poems in the fly-leafs of my bibles. Each Tuesday I am going to share those various entries from my bibles with you. I hope they will be as much of blessing to you as they have been to me. Sometimes I will be able to give credit where credit is due and sometimes I won’t be able to credit the source. I apologize for this to each one who contributed these gems over the last forty (40) years.

TODAY'S TREASURE:

God is most glorified in me,
when I am most satisfied in him.

--John Piper