PRAISE: The Hebrew words translated are enlightening ”halal” is used almost 100 times in the Old Testament it literally means to laud, to celebrate, or to boast. The second most common word translated “praise” is “yadah” meaning to worship with extended hands. God desires our praise to be with extended hands because the extended hand is the expression of friendship, surrender, and need. Parents, think back to the first time your kids reached out to you. So too, our heavenly Father loves to see us reach out to Him.
A third word translated praise is “barak” which means ” to declare God as the origin of power for success, and victory.” The forth most common translation is “shabach“, to shout or commend loudly.
We can witness the Angels shouting joy of praise in Job 38:
Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together
and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
Repentance says, I change my mind about who Jesus is. Repentance is a return to the Lord, a change of thinking, and a change of direction, which results in a change of heart. If you have been resisting the Spirit’s tug at your heart, change your mind about who you think Jesus Christ is, and give your life to Him. If you have been grieving the Spirit, change direction and deal directly with the sin you know He is speaking to you about. If you have been quenching the Spirit, change direction and pursue Him instead of being apathetic toward Him.
Then we can experience times of refreshing in our lives. Remember David when he finally dealt with the issue of his sin. Nathan the prophet came to David and said, David we have a problem. Within your kingdom, there’s a rich man who owns many sheep. Wanting to give a visitor a leg of lamb, he went to his next door neighbor’s house. Now, his neighbor was so poor that he had only one little lamb that he treated as a pet. But the rich man took the poor man’s single lamb and fed it to his guest. What? thundered David. The rich man ripped off the poor man? He shall surely die! Nathan then said, David you are the man. It’s you. The story relates to your sin–you will always know your in sin when your harsh with other people. Stealing a lamb was not a capitol offense, yet David was treating it that way. Sin– its a funny thing, it allows us to find fault with others making us feel a little better about our own sin. You might say didn’t David sin against Bathsheba and Uriah but the psalmist rightly declared that he had sinned against God. Sin is always only against God because no matter what we do to someone else, and no matter what someone else does to us, its less than what we or they deserve. Were all sinners and we all deserve to be wiped out, destroyed, and consumed. But God? He is perfect and holy, loving and gracious, patient and kind. He is the only One unfairly hurt by the consequences of our sin.
David went on to say “Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach sinners your ways and sinners will return to you.” I have learned my lesson Father–Restore me.
God has clearly said that the one who is meditating in the word will bring forth fruit,will never shrivel up, and will prosper in all he does. The Scriptures are all-sufficient, for they speak of Christ, point to Christ, and bring us to Christ. Stay in the Scriptures. Read your Bible. Lets look at Psalm 19 six descriptions and six effects of the Word of God in one’s life:
The Law of the Lord is perfect, converting or restoring the soul. The law speaks of totality of the Word. From where does emotional or mental restoration come?
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The word sure means solid. The word simple means open-minded. Thus the Word of God gives solid footing to those who would otherwise sink in sand of open minded innocence. How solid is the Word? Peter declares it is even more sure, more solid than the voice of God
The Statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. Studying the Word of God will make your heart happy. Jeremiah said, Your words were found, and I ate them and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart.
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The commandments are pure–without flaw. They are workable, understandable, and powerful. How does one see clearly? Through Gods word
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The Word of God is not based upon a passing fad or humanistic understanding. It is clean-pure, easy to grasp and last forever.
The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous. We know in our heart of hearts that the Word is true. Our spirit confirms its accuracy.
My mother in law died today at 1:05 pm. It was the first person I have ever actually seen die. She was surrounded by family and friends–Death itself is an amazing process. The thing I noticed most or will remember about this experience –My wife’s comment– Did you noticed the room change. With her last breath it was as if a vacuum had removed something from the room. This was a saved women who loved the lord very much.
God declares that “all souls are Mine.” “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you”. For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. God says, All souls are Mine and I am able to make them stand. God looks at death entirely differently than we do. We look at death as the absence of brain waves or heartbeat, separation of soul and body. God sees death only as the separation of a soul from Him (i.e when that soul has rejected him.) To the believer there will never be the separation of a soul from God. In other words, people can live their lives as dead people. God has no pleasure in death. That is why He sent His son to give us the gift of eternal life.
God bless you Bonnie and happy death day. Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise, He will wipe every tear from your eyes, and death will be no more, neither shall there be mourning, crying, or pain.
You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess. (Deuteronomy 5) I want to bless you. I want it to go well with you. I want your days to be prolonged in the land I’m giving you. I want you to live–really live, “God declares.
Jesus said the same thing when He said, “I have come that you might have life abundantly.” (John 10). God’s plan and desire is not abundant life only presently–but on into eternity. In Genesis 5, we see the story of a man who walked with God quite literally.When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. Enochwalked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Enochwalked with God, and he was not,for God took him. (ESV)
At age 65, Enoch began walking with God. For three hundred years, he walked so closely with the Lord that it was if one day, the Lord looked at him and said, “Enoch, we’re closer to My house than yours, so why don’t you just come on up and stay with Me? Enoch never died. He was just raptured, translated, and snatached up into heaven, where he is living to this day.
You see, walking with God has benefits not only in this life but in heaven–where all things will be right, where every tear will be dried, where every question will be answered, where every problem be solved.
And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wifehid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. (Genesis 3 ESV) God not only declares that man should walk with Him, but He desires that man would walk with Him. That is, our walking with God is not only for our benefit but for His enjoyment. We see this in Genesis 3, a story we know well. After Adam and Eve rebelled against the Lord in the Garden of Eden, when Adam heard God walking in the cool of the day, he hid himself because evidently, God and Adam had a habit of walking together at that time. God showed up for His appointment, but Adam hid because now they were no longer in agreement.
God desired that man would walk with with Him. But man started doing His own thing–even though sin entered us, God did not give up on us. God sent His Son to be slain for our sin, to take away the disharmony, the disagreement, the barrier between us and God.
Jesus walked in perfect harmony with the Father. As people watched Him walk, as they listened to the words He spoke, as they saw the deeds He did, they followed Him. Why? He lived life the way it was meant to be lived. There was a quality, a vitality, an attractiveness about Him that caused people to want to know what He said, to travel where He was going. Jesus asks the question that needs to be asked of every individual who has ever lived: what are you seeking? What are you really after?
