Praise

Good Morning,

In our culture, men get a lot of praise.  They throw a ball, build a business, or play an instrument, but who deserves the praise?

Judges 5:3 “Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel.”

In Chronicles there were thousands of people whose job it was to praise God.  It is easy to neglect praise so they made it someone's job.  

1 Chronicles 23:5 “Moreover four thousand were porters; and four thousand praised the LORD with the instruments which I made, said David, to praise therewith.”

We stand and applaud for a touchdown, stadiums resound with shouts and cheering for a great concert or athletic event, but Who made them? Who made the hands, the eyes, the minds, and enabled the coordination? When does He get the praise He deserves?  

1 Chronicles 29:13 “Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.”

Psalm 22:23 “Ye that fear the LORD, praise him.”

May we praise to the One Who deserves the praise.  Praise the Creator who made a man so agile that he can run, jump, catch, throw, or play an instrument. Praise the God Who made a brain so spectacular that the five year old can speak in several languages.  

We clap for everybody, but there ought to be some praising of God.

Americans will clap after a song or a touchdown, but look at those stars and lift up your hands toward heaven with adoration and worship, and shout out "What a God!"   I know, we are a more sedate congregation, but seriously, we are not sedate at a ball game.  Folks in our church get a little awkward when people are expressive.  I know, it needs to be well-timed to not distract from the message, but really, how hard is it to say, "Amen?"   What about this uncomfortable verse: Psalms, 47:1 “O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.  Maybe He means in private, or outside, but wherever and whenever, he said it, "clap your hands.”

I am not turning Pentecostal, but I am getting sick of all the praise going to some fornicating gorilla out in the pasture, who can run or block or catch. I am tired of folks becoming famous because they make a lot of money when they do not know the Creator. The fact is, the beginning of wisdom and knowledge is the fear of the Lord.  (Proverbs 1:7, 9:10)  Who cares what the Hollywood star or the inventor of a car thinks about politics.  Let us praise the God Who holds our lives in His hands and give respect and honor to those who love and fear Him. 


Let us remember to give praise and honor to God. The Bible says God wants that praise to come from our mouths – out loud! 

Hebrews 13:15 “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”

Pastor