In His Praise

“… He is good; his love endures forever.”  2 Chronicles 5:13  These words were spoken by God’s people as the Ark of the Covenant was placed in the newly built temple of God. Chapters 5-7 in 2 Chronicles tell about this event. King Solomon lead the prayers, others played music and sang and everyone praised the Lord! When they worshipped and praised God, His glory  filled the temple!  What an awesome day that must have been! How wonderful   to be part of such an experience! We might call it a mountaintop moment, a once in a lifetime happening, something that would never happen today.  But the scriptures assure us that we too can know God’s presence. James 4:8 tells us  “Come near to God, and he will come near to…

“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.” Deuteronomy 7:9 People are not always dependable. Sometimes we say we’ll do something, even make a promise to do it; but then things happen. Circumstances change, we forget, we don’t have time and so our words are forgotten and fall by the wayside. Each of us have probably dealt with results of a someone not following through with a promise or commitment. We may have even been the person that didn’t follow through. Whatever the situation, it just shows that we as human beings cannot always be relied upon to do all that we say we will. But…

“…God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.” 1 John 4:16b Back in 1965 singer, Jackie DeShannon, recorded a song called “What the World Needs Now is Love.” It came at a time in America when there was much unrest. Racial tensions were high, the Vietnam War was going on, attitudes were changing and sometimes people disagreed in ways that were violent and hurtful. This song was a hit for DeShannon and hopefully it caused some people to rethink their behavior and respond in more kind and loving ways. Hurtful actions and unkind attitudes are not new to us today either. We hear of family disputes, violence in our streets and disagreements that escalate out of control everyday. Yes, we do need more love.…

“But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” Luke 2:51-52 Happy Mother’s Day! Today many will spend a little extra time trying to make Mom feel appreciated and special. Millions of dollars will be spent on cards, flowers, dinners, and other gifts. Whether it’s  Mother, Grandmother, Aunt, Sister or friend, a loving “mother” is very special. To have a Christian mother is very special and a true blessing.  As we focus on our mothers, let’s think  about Jesus’ mother, Mary. Although young, by today’s standards, when she gave birth, Mary was a very devout believer in God. Although she didn’t understand all that was happening to her, she accepted her role as the mother…

“He lifted me out of  the slimy pit, out of mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth,” Psalm 40:2-3 This is May 1, the beginning of a new month and it is Sunday, the beginning of a new week. Each day that we wake up we begin a new day.   Our God is the master of new beginnings. He gave Saul (later Paul) a new beginning on the road to Damascus. He called Moses to a new beginning at the burning bush. He gave the blind man a new beginning when He restored his sight and the woman at the well a new beginning when He asked for a drink. Jesus/God…

“But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself.”  Psalm 49:15 What a wonderful promise are these words from book of Psalms! The verses before and after verse 15 talk about how worthless it is to place trust in worldly treasures. We are reminded that all humans will face death sooner or later and nothing  that we have accumulated on this side of eternity will mean anything when this life ends. Wealth, status, popularity, or talent cannot get us to heaven or assure us eternity with God.  Treasures here on earth may bring us happiness for a while, but they won’t last forever. Only God can provide us eternal life and eternal happiness, peace and love. Only through the salvation given by Jesus’…

“…He has risen! He is not here.” Mark 16:6 These words were spoken by the angel that greeted two women that came to Jesus’ grave early on the morning following the Sabbath. These two faithful women did not, at first, understand or comprehend the full meaning of these words. They like us, heard with human ears and felt with human hearts. It wasn’t until Jesus himself appeared to one of them, (Mary Magdalene) that she began to grasp what had actually happened. Jesus had been crucified and died. He had been placed in a tomb and now He was not there — He had come back to life! Human minds could not and can not fully comprehend how and why this had happened. Although Jesus had tried to tell His…

“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” Matthew 21:9b Today is Palm Sunday. On this Sunday before Easter we rejoice and remember Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The scriptures tell us that crowds gathered and followed Jesus as He rode into the city on a donkey. They worshipped and praised Him. They waved branches, laid their cloaks on the ground for Him and children sang. What a wonderful image this brings to mind! Everybody was worshipping Jesus and praising the one that would soon give His life for them.  The joy of worship and praised soon changed though, and this same crowd of people were shouting for Jesus to be crucified. What caused this change? Were…

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.” Matthew 23:37 Jesus always spoke the truth with divine love. As He was confronted by the pious religious leaders of His day He spoke these words to them, which are also found in Luke 13:36.  Although Jesus went about doing only good, the religious leaders sought to find fault with Him and reasons to destroy His message. In the prior verses in Matthew 23, Jesus calls out the hypocrisy of these so called godly men.  Jesus exposes their motives and misuse of the laws, yet He ends His reprimand with a loving…

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30 When Jesus was questioned by one of the learned men of His day about what the greatest commandment was, Mark 12:30 records His answer. Jesus said we are to love God with our whole being — heart, soul, mind and strength. Why did Jesus give this answer and what does it mean?  Jesus wanted the people then, and now, to understand that God must be the number one priority  in our lives.  This reiterates the first commandment that says, “You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:2)  God loves us dearly and wants to have a close relationship with us. When we…