Praise God

Verses: Psalms 96: 1 - 13

Song inspired by the chapter:  Song has been uploaded from YouTube.com and is not my original.

My thoughts about the verses:

Simply put we need to praise God.  Praising God is a simple act that you can do throughout your day.  Every time you have a small miracle happen thank God.  Every time you have a prayer answered thank God. 

One of the ways you can worship God is to set up a certain time each day when you read the scriptures.  In that time you can pray to God not only asking for things but also thanking God.  You can also add music to this time of worship.  Take time to meditate about the day and preparing yourself for all that you will face.

As you go throughout the day live your life with Christ in mind.  This lets the light of Jesus shine through you.  When the light shines through you people are able to experience Jesus.  We need to know that this is a great way to praise God.  When you allow God to shine you are saying Jesus use me as an instrument of your grace. 

Most people do not realize that one of the best ways to worship God is taking in the beauty of all the things God has created.  The beautiful blue skies that allow God sun to shine bright reminding us to allow the love of Jesus to shine through us.  The clouds that bring us rain to cleanse the earth and bring refreshing water reminding us to help those that need help.  The flowers that bloom to remind us how precious each life is.  The trees that grow strong and each year shed their leaves reminding us to give back to God a part of everything God has given to us. 

Above all things we need to remember to praise God.  Praising God for not only what we receive but the fact that God is Holy.  We need to remember that our life becomes complete when we give our lives over to God.  In this we need to praise God.

Prayer:

We thank you God for all that you have done in our life.  We praise you God for you are holy.  We worship you God for all the beauty that you show us in Earth.  Help us to always remember your love.  Help us allow your light to shine through us.  We ask you Dear God to remind us to lift our voices to you each day.  In the name of the Holy One we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you accepted God’s gift of salvation?  Have you thanked God for the blessings that come your way each day?  Have you taken the time to worship God today?  Have you given your life over to God so that the light of God can shine through you?  

Worship God All the Time

Verses: Psalms 95: 1 - 11

Song inspired by the chapter:  Song has been uploaded from YouTube.com and is not my original.

My thoughts about the verses:

Our God is an awesome and wonderful.  God has done so much for all of us.  God gives us love.  God fulfills the needs that we have.

There is no doubt that our God deserves to be worshiped.  We need to give God all the praise.  Both day and night we need to lift our voices up in praise to the One that is wonderful.  We need to thank God for all that is done in our life.

God is the very essence of Love.  The Messiah came to guarantee us all a place in the Heavenly Realm.  God is the rock of our life.  We have a strong foundation for God blesses each day with safety and peace.

Yet, God is also the judge.  We need to realize that we need to live with a pure heart.  We need to treat each other with respect.  We need to keep our eyes on God all the time. 

We need to remember the past. We need to remember those times in which God let us face the consequences of our action.  We need to remember that even though we were chastised for our actions God did not leave us.  We often feel that God leaves us in those hard times.  Yet, the fact is that God is there with us.  God can help us if we give it over to God.

We need to look at what we have done in our life and see the times that God was there.  We need to remember the times that we turned our eyes of God.  We need to remember what happened when we turned back to God.  Let us always sing praises for God is good.

Prayer:

We love you dear Holy One.  We praise you for all that you have done in our life.  Help us to always remember your salvation.  Help us to always keep our eyes focused on you.  Help us to remember the eyes that we turned away from you.  Help us to remember the feeling that we had when we turned back to you.  In the name of the Heavenly Parent we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you praised God today for the entire gift God has given to you?  Have you turned over your struggles to God?  Have you turned away from God?  Do you need to refocus your life?  What do you need to thank God for today?

Justice will Return to the Righteous

Verses: Psalms 94: 1 - 23

Song inspired by the chapter:  Song has been uploaded from YouTube.com and is not my original.

My thoughts about the verses:

We all go through times of great struggle.  We all face people who do not believe in God.  There are many people who are in roles of leadership that have not accepted the gift of freedom from God.  Their hearts and heavy and they rule with iron fists.  They do not ear God and therefor they treat people unfairly. 

We who believe in God are promised the protection of God.  Even though we may face hard times God is there helping us.  Even though we may be surrounded by people who do not believe in God we are protected.  Our life may seem full of heavy burden.  Yet, we need to realize that when we have God in our life our burden is lighter.

God is the refuge of the people who trust in Jesus.  Those that give their life to God will be able to survive for they are guaranteed eternal life.  They will leave this world with hope and security.  Their gift will come and they will find the justice that they have searched for on this Earth.

God has not promised a bed of roses for his followers here on Earth.  We will have struggles and times that we feel like the whole world is against us.  Yet, we are always accompanied in our good and bad times by God.  When we celebrate God celebrates.  When we struggle God carries the heaviest part of our burden.

The psalmist makes it clear that the people of God have their helpmate in all times.  We have to remember that when people who are in power are against God they will face the consequences for their decisions  We have to make sure that we continue to worship God in all our times of need.  When people are striking against us we must continue to offer our praises to God.  We need to always remember that the only judge that we have is God.  With that in mind we have to live our life with a pure heart.

There will be times that we too will slip and fall.  Times that we will do things against God.  Yet, when we do this we need to ask God for forgiveness.  We need to turn back to God and ask for peace for anyone that we have hurt.  God is a fair judge and will bring judgment the same on all people.  Yet, those that have Jesus in their life will get their reward in the end.  Yet, you have to remember that we are to live as holy a life as we can.  When we live like Christ we will see that our faith is stronger.  We may go through hard times, but we will feel the power and security of God.  We need to always remember that people are looking at us and we should do our best to serve God with all of our heart all of the time.

Prayer:

We praise you dear Holy One.  We thank you for your love.  We exalt you for the free gift of salvation.  Help us to always live with a pure heart.  We ask for forgiveness for the times that we have turned away and hurt others.  We thank you for your presence in our life.  In the name of the Almighty we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you asked Jesus into your heart?  Are you facing situations where you are surrounded by people who do not trust God?  Have you turned over you troubles to God?  Have you prayed for those that you have hurt in your life?  Have you prayed for those that have hurt you?

God is the Mighty Ruler

Verses: Psalms 93: 1 - 5

Song inspired by the chapter:  Song has been uploaded from YouTube.com and is not my original.

My thoughts about the verses:

God is the ruler of the world.  The very Earth sings praises to God.  The wind and rain are ruled by the One on High.  The waves no matter how big or small are all small in their power compared to God.

Throughout time we as humans have looked at the elements in awe.  We have learned how to harvest the very things that God has created.  We have learned how to make fires.  We have learned how to collect water from the rain.  We have learned to predict the weather.  We have learned the times to fish based on tides.

All that we have learned was created by the Most High.  God gave us all of the elements so that we could have our needs met.  God has granted us all that we need to survive.  There is nothing that we need that God hasn’t already given to us.

In this knowledge we need to sing of Gods greatness.  We need to offer our praises out of respect for the one that has made us whole.  We need to offer our lives to God to be instruments of peace and love.  We need to praise God for God is the ruler of all.

People have a hard time letting go of their destiny.  They attempt to try to control the environment around them.  They believe that they can accomplish things on their own.  They feel that they are the rulers of the world.

Yet, none is greater than God.  God on High is the one and only one that truly rules the world.  Yet, God does not rule with an hour fist.  Instead God rules with love.  God’s power is stronger than any ruler in the world.

Our governments do not have the ultimate power that they declare.  Governments are only as strong as the people that they govern.  People will only accept so much from the ruling class for the revolt.  Look at history and you will see the multitude of times that one group of people has taken over ruling another group of people. 

We try our best to be the ultimate rulers.  Yet, God is the only one that succeeds at this goal.  Only God rules with love and peace.  When we give our lives over to God we become a warrior for God.  We are not to be warriors that take guns and fight others for our religious views.  Instead we are to gird ourselves with love so that we can teach compassion.  We need to understand that what God wants for the Church is the love of others.  Those that are different from us need the same love that God has given to us. 

The perfect ruler has made it possible for us all to be united.  It is up to each individual to accept the fight of love.  Whosoever accepts that love is part of the family that God has chosen?  They are ruled by the perfect ruler.  God leads them in love and peace. 

Every day of your life you need to look at the One that has made you and accept the gift that is freely given.  We need to offer praises to God for that gift.  We need to spread love and compassion to the rest of the world.  In that manner all people are given the opportunity to hear of the love of God.  When we worship God with loving hearts people are able to see God’s love through us.  We can be Jesus for someone every day if we allow God to rule us and lead us in peace and love.

Prayer:

O Holy God we praise you for you are worthy of praise.  We worship you for the love that you spread throughout the nations.  We offer up thanksgiving for all that you have done for us.  We thank you for loving us.  God use us today to show your love to others.  In the name of the Almighty God we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you accepted God’s love?  Have you accepted the call placed on your life?  Are you willing to follow the ruler of the world?  What do you need to do today to show Jesus love to someone today?

Declare God’s Love in the Morning and Faithfulness at Night

Verses: Psalms 92: 1 - 15

Song inspired by the chapter:  Song has been uploaded from YouTube.com and is not my original.

My thoughts about the verses:

Simply put this is a song of praise.  A time of rejoicing for all the things God has done in our lives.  A time of praising God for the things that has been done for those that we love.  A time of worshipping God for the gift of love that has been given to the church.

We need to remember that there will be hardships.  Yet, no matter how hard life gets God is our strength.  We should rejoice for each new day.  We should praise God for the little gifts.  We need to offer our voices up in praise for God is worthy of all the praise.

The Church survives because it is protected by God.  Many people have tried to destroy it over time yet none have succeeded.  The question is why they haven’t succeeded.  Simply God loves the Church and ensures that it will last because of the love and promises that is given to the Church.

Again the question comes up who makes up the Church.  People are always trying to fit the Church into a tiny shoebox.  We try to say this group of people is the only ones worthy enough to be part of the Church.  Yet, is that what God teaches us?

God teaches us that all who love God are part of the family of God.  Therefor we should love our neighbors.  We should wish the best for those around the world that are struggling today.  We should offer praises up for all the little miracles that happen each and every day in people’s life.

Worshipping God doesn’t have to be a complicated set of rituals.  Worshipping God can be as simple as thank God for the blessings of the day.  We can praise God through our gifts of love that we show others.  We need to offer up everyday blessings to the one that has kept us safe.  We need to thank God for the gift of everlasting life.  Our voices need to lift up in a great multitude thanking God for the precious gift of life that we each have.  No matter what your situation you have reasons to show God love.

Prayer:

We praise you dear Holy One for all that you has given us.  We offer thanksgiving to you for your gift of eternal life.  We worship you with hearts filled with gladness.  We praise you God for you alone are worthy of all our praise.  In the name of the Holy One we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you accepted the gift of eternal life?  Have you offered praises to the Holy One?  Are you thankful for the day that God has given you?  Are you willing to accept that there will be hard times yet with God in your life you will never be alone?

God is Our Refuge and Hiding Place

Verses: Psalms 91: 1 - 16

Song inspired by the chapter:  Song has been uploaded from YouTube.com and is not my original.

My thoughts about the verses:

This is a beautiful Psalm that teaches us the love of God.  We are taught the simple fact that those that love God are safe from all harm.  Those that love God will find their salvation in God.  You will be protected against those that desire to harm you.

This verse is a good example of taking something very literal from the Bible.  We know that we all face hard times.  We know that there are illnesses and struggles that plague us through our life.  How can it be that God is our refuge and hiding place if we face hardships?  How can innocent people be harmed if God is protecting them?

Humankind has asked these questions over and over again.  Every time something happens in our life or someone that we love we question the love of God.  We wonder if God is really standing beside us as we face hardships.  We question the peace and salvation that is promised us.

Yet, what we need to know is that the salvation talked about is much bigger than the biggest struggle you will face on earth.  The salvation that is promised us is that of an eternal peace and completeness.  The protection that we are guaranteed comes from God's love for us.  God protects all that will follow by ensuring that they have a place prepared for them in the next life. 

We are not guaranteed a bed of roses without thorns.  We are guaranteed an afterlife filled with peace if we only accept the free gift.  God is reaching out trying to bring us into the fold.  Yet, the final decision to love God is our own.  The decision to allow God to be our refuge and hiding l=place in the next life is a choice that we make.

God wants us to accept the love.  Yet, we often accept it on conditional bases.  God’s love for us is unconditional.  We will have the love no matter how much we try to push it away.  All we have to do is to love God and to accept the love God has for us.

In the end, those that accept the gift will have all the protection that they will ever need.  They have the assurance that no matter what happens here on Earth their peace in Heaven is guaranteed.  We simply need to believe in this love for it to be ours.

Prayer:

We worship you precious God.  We thank you for loving us.  We thank you for being our place of peace and protection.  We ask you today God come into our life and help us feel the peace that you want to give us.  Help us to remember that even though we may have hard times here on Earth you are our hiding place.  You shield us from an eternity without peace.  In the name of the Messiah we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you accepted Jesus into your life?  Do you know the peace that comes from God’s love?  Are you willing to trust n the one that can protect you no matter the situation?

Though Our Days May Be Numbered God Is With Us

Verses: Psalms 90: 1 - 17

Song inspired by the chapter:  Song has been uploaded from YouTube.com and is not my original.

My thoughts about the verses:

We all have a limited number of days on this Earth.  The fact is that only those that are here at the time of tribulation will not experience death.  Jesus himself went to the cross and died.  We all try to postpone that moment.  We attempt to live forever.

We mourn when our family members pass away.  Our hearts feel betrayed when someone close to us takes their last breath.  We weep because of the lost we feel deep in our hearts.  Yet, I say this should be a time of rejoicing.

God is our salvation.  We that call upon God will have a home that is brighter than today.  We will have a place without pain and grief.  We will live a life that is full of freedom.  The Heavenly Realm is waiting for all to come and to find peace at last.

The Psalm is attributed to Moses as the Israelites walked in the desert.  They had chosen to disobey God.  They had turned away and became disobedient to the one that had saved them from captivity in Egypt.  Yet, again God was just.

Their children would enter the promise land.  They would find a home that they could dwell in for all time.  The gift was given to them by God.  Yet, they did not learn from the mistakes of their ancestors.

The children would again turn away from God.  They would become disobedient once again.  Their freedom would be taken because they forgot who had saved them.  They would face exile from their promised land because of their disobedience.  Just like their ancestors they would learn that God needed to be the focal point of their life.

Even though they would once again face exile God was with them.  God would one day restore their nation.  God would bring them back to freedom and peace.  Yet, their ancestors would face the same hardship.  They too would one day turn away from God. 

Throughout history the people of God have lost their focus.  They begin concentrating on worshipping other items instead of worshipping God.  They lose their freedom and peace.  This not only happens to entire nations, but to individuals.  We as a people have to decide to stay focused on God.  As you read the Bible you will see so many that stood up for their love of God.  They did not follow the populace instead they kept focused on God.

We need to evaluate our own life.  We need to make sure that our center focus is on the One that can make us free.  We need to worship God even when others turn away.  Each one of us can make the decision to follow God throughout our lifetime.  Think back to Moses he did not enter the promise land even though he had been chosen by god to free the people.  Yet, he continued to the end worshipping God and praising God for all that had been done for him.

Prayer:

We praise you God for your unconditional love.  We thank you for never leaving us even when we turn away.  Help us today to put you before all other things.  Help us to learn from the experiences of the past so that we do not repeat it.  Help your children show love and compassion to the world.  Lord we know that you are our freedom and for that we say thank you.  In the name of the holy One we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you accepted the peace of God?  Is God the center of your life?  What do you need to learn about your past so that you will not repeat it in the future?  Is there something that you need to give over to God?  Is today the day that you give your life completely to the One that can save you?