His Praise, Our Joy
God calls sinners into His holy family through the completed work of His Son Jesus. Being a part of God’s family requires duty on behalf of the believer. These duties build on one another and as they do, they lead the believer to be further sanctified into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. The first of these duties is submission to the will of God (James 4:7). The second duty requires getting to know God through His word (Jeremiah 9:23-24). The third duty is birthed from the previous two and leads us into a life of praise toward God (Psalm 63:3). The fourth duty is a culmination of the previous three and is, ascribing to God the glory due Him throughout our life (Psalm 86:12).
This week, I think it would be spiritually beneficial to our walk with Christ to focus on our understanding of praise toward God. But before we go to the Scriptures, I think it’s equally important to keep the following thoughts on our minds as we go throughout this week – The natural response to a life changed by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is praise toward God. Stated another way, the primary ambition and principal desire of every believer, every disciple of Christ, should be rendering to God the praise due His name. Furthermore, it is the praise of God that inflames our love and adoration of God and leads to the glorification of Him.
If you find this devotion motivating and edifying, please leave a comment below so that others who read this may be encouraged.
Monday – The call to praise is for every living being, but especially for the believer in Christ.
Psalm 150 ends with the words, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!”. This psalm and particularly this verse, shows us that it is the duty of every living being to praise God. This is not a request, nor is it a suggestion. No, the command is clear, we are to Praise the Lord throughout out our lives. Yet many people find it difficult to read about God, or even acknowledge Him. How much more difficult is it therefore to praise Him? But this should not be the case for confessing believers in Christ. We are to be a people of praise. The praise of God should be in our mind continually and it should manifest itself in many different ways throughout our lives. Read Psalm 150 and take time to notice how the Psalmist is calling for a celebration of praise toward God.
Tuesday – As we encounter God through His word and in prayer, His praise should be our motivation.
It’s one thing to just read God’s word and quite another to be so moved by it that you find cause to praise Him, even in the midst’s of troubled times. Psalm 56 is a psalm of king David. This psalm is considered a maskil of David, or a meditation of David written down for our benefit. It is believed that king David wrote this psalm when the Philistines seized him in Gath. How interesting and at the same time, humanly illogical is this? David, in the midst’s of a life-threatening situation, finds it in his mind and soul to glorify God for His word and through His word. Read Psalm 56 and think about how you could apply this motivation to your heart and mind.
Wednesday – Our response toward the gospel should be the praise of God.
Praising God for the gospel of Jesus Christ is a blessing toward God in that it is an act of gratitude. For this reason, the apostles stated, “Blessed be our God and Father”. Through this, they were acknowledging their gratitude toward God and in doing so, calling believers to do the same. So, the question is then, how grateful are you to the Triune God for creating us, saving us and sanctifying us? Contemplate this as you read 1 Peter 1:3-9 and my hope is that you will acknowledge your gratitude through praise.
Thursday – The praise of God should flow from our hearts and through our lips daily.
Psalm 34:1 states, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” This verse shows us that a life changed by the saving work of God is a life of daily praise. In verse 2 it is written, “My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad.” Through this verse we can rightly understand that the daily praise of God emerges from the depths of one’s soul. So, I ask you this day, what is stirring in your soul? As you think about these two verses, draw your attention to Hebrews 13:15. As you do this, pray to God and ask Him to open your heart to a deeper contemplation and desire to praise Him.
Friday – We are called to encourage others to know and praise God.
I have stated may times that God’s intention is that those who come to a saving knowledge of Christ must lead others to know Christ. Through this act of submissive evangelism, the believer is also called to encourage others to praise and glorify God. This is our call and privilege in this life. Let us, therefore, take hold of the mandate with joy and ambition. Read 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 and pray about how God will use you to lead others to Him through Christ Jesus for the praise of His name.