In His Praise

“All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalms 139:16b Decisions are difficult to make sometimes. Questions concerning our future direction in life often give us much thought and consideration. When a young person is planning to attend college, he or she may spend months researching different schools, trying to find the one that has the best curriculum fit for them. As adults, as we begin a work career, we search for those jobs that seem interesting to us or that have the best benefits for income and security. Most people take time to think about large purchases too, like automobiles or houses. These are major choices in life and will influence our future in a big way. It can…

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” Matthew 5:13 Salt is one of the oldest and maybe the most used seasoning around. It is used to enhance flavor and, sometimes, as a preservative. Salt is a staple in most kitchens. So what did Jesus mean when He said that we (His children) are the salt of the earth? Why are we compared to seasoning? Jesus, of course, is speaking of our Christian witness in the world. As Christians, our lives should always reflect His love. Just as salt can improve the taste of food, our lives should be a positive…

In His Praise! Good News from East Point C.P. Church Feb. 26, 2023 “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you, nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8 Moses had been God’s spokesman and the leader of the Israelites for many, many years. As God’s people were finally approaching the time to enter the Promised Land, Moses announced to them that he would not be going with them; God had other plans. Moses’ helper and assistant, Joshua, was God’s chosen leader for this final leg of the journey. (Deuteronomy 31:1-7) Many had come to depend on Moses’ leadership and wisdom. Joshua too, had looked to Moses for guidance and direction during their long journey from Egypt.…

“Praise the Lord.  Praise God in His sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.   Praise him for his mighty acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.  Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,   praise him with tambourine and dancing. Praise him with the strings and flute,  praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.  Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.  Praise the Lord.” Psalm 150:1-6 When is it the right time to praise the Lord and where is it appropriate to show this worship?  According to this great psalm anytime and all the time is when we should be offering up praise to our Lord! Whether we are in a church setting…

“The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love. He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17 It is that time of the year again! Flowers, candy and other gifts will be purchased and sweet words will be written and spoken as we strive to tell our special ones how much we love them. Valentine’s Day has become a tradition in which many participate. Telling others that they are loved and appreciated are good things to do. Everyone enjoys being made to feel special. But in this verse from Zephaniah we read one of the sweetest “love” messages ever written. In these words we are reminded that God is always with us.…

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 The great news today is that everybody has an opportunity to receive salvation and live eternally with God in heaven. This scriptures tells us that no group of people are left out for any reason. Everyone that believes that Jesus died for their sins can claim this blessing.  God loves the people of  this sinful world so much that he allowed His only Son, Jesus, to take all our sins.  As a result Jesus died an awful death on a cross. But God was not finished, Jesus arose from that death and lives eternally with God. We can have that hope of…

“Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 What do these words from Romans 8 mean? What does it mean to to be in Christ Jesus and to be free from condemnation? It is not really difficult to understand. The inspired writings of the apostle Paul lay out a simple to follow explanation of this verse. It has come to be called the Roman Road to Salvation. Beginning with Romans 3:10 and 23 we hear that no one is righteous (good) , everyone has sinned. We were condemned to hell for our wrongs.  Reassurance is found in Romans 5:8 ,though, when we read that“while we were still sinners,” God sent Jesus to die in our stead. He took our sins away. Furthermore when we…

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine…” Ephesians 3:20a Prayer is a wonderful gift that we have been given. Prayer brings us right into the presence of God. Prayer gives us an avenue with which to communicate with the Almighty. Prayer is the channel we use to make requests of, praise, thank and worship our Lord. There are some points about prayer that seem important to remember: *We don’t have to be shy or fearful when we pray. We can boldly go before the throne of God to make our requests known and expect to receive mercy and grace. (Hebrews 4:16) *We can be assured that our prayers are heard when we ask in Jesus name. (John 14:14, 16:23) *Even when…

“… Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which  are the prayers of the saints.” Revelation 5:8b There are many references throughout the Bible about prayer. We can read in the Old and New Testaments about  people praying and how their prayers were answered. Some of the writings in the book of Psalms are prayers. Jesus talked about prayer also and gave us a model to follow. (Matthew 6:5-14) Jesus prayed for Himself, His disciples and for us! (John 17) Prayer is important in our lives, for it lets us communicate with God. We can approach God with all our thoughts, cares and praises and be sure that He hears us.   We can get a glimpse of what prayers look like before God.…

“One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see.”  John 9:25b Jesus went about doing good — healing the sick, raising the dead, sharing His love with those that needed it most. You would think everyone would be rejoicing and praising Him! Yet they did not.  Once when Jesus restored the sight of a blind man the Pharisees began to question His motives. Jesus had done this great act on the Sabbath and almost any kind of activity was strictly forbidden on the Sabbath. The group of religious leaders questioned the man and his parents extensively trying to find fault with Jesus. Who is this Jesus? How did He do this thing? And why? Instead of rejoicing with the man and worshipping the one that had performed…