Did you know that simply praising the Lord is one of the best way to glorify Jesus. We read in (Psalm 50:23): “Whoever offers praise glorifies Me…” I don’t know about you but having a constant attitude of gratitude, a heart full of thanksgiving, and a lifestyle of praise to our God are all simple things that glorify the Creator of the universe.
Too often Christians complain and murmur about what is wrong with society rather than focus on what is right about Jesus. While society is in a mess complaining about it won’t change things. But spending more time in praising our Lord will change our attitude about life and focus it more on the goodness of Jesus and not on the badness of our world. If more Christians would have a passion for praise our God would be glorified more and we would spend less time focusing on Satan’s power over the lost souls on planet earth.
I believe it is time for all Christians to have a (Psalm 100) frame of mind. Perhaps you might even want to memorize this incredible psalm and use it as a template for your life. (Psalm 100) reads as follows:
1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
And the great thing about praise is that it isn’t based on our feelings, which change with the circumstances, but on the goodness of God – which never changes. (Psalm 150:2) says: “Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!” We don’t praise God based on how we feel, but based on who He is – and He is always worthy to be praised. Knowing this, I believe, is the secret that will allow us to praise God in both the good and bad times.
When we realize that our circumstances don’t have to determine our praises we can focus on what should determine our praises – and that’s God’s goodness. As a result, we can echo what King David proclaimed in (Psalm 9:1-2): “I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.” This is the mindset that all Christians should have when it comes to thinking about God. We should realize just how special we are to God and how good Jesus always is. This is summed up so beautifully in (1 Peter 2:9): “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
This awesome verse has fueled my passion for praise for two main reasons. First, it tells me how special I am to God. And second, this verse lets me know that I am no longer living in darkness but in the marvelous light of Christ. I challenge you to meditate on (1 Peter 2:9) and (Psalm 150:2) and see if you don’t get excited about praising Jesus at all times. I believe if you let these two special verses sink deep into your soul then praise will bubble up to overflowing in your heart!
Yes, Praise HIM…especially in this day and age!