Tag: Praise God

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time, Thanksgiving

A Promise of Hope

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It’s Tuesday friends and one day closer to the Thanksgiving Holiday and some time off with family and friends. If you’re like my daughters and are already enjoying a nice week-long break – I pray it is off to a good start. 🙂 Our new advent study, The Promised Messiah, begins next Monday (Nov.27) but for now let’s continue through our journey of Scriptures that prompt praise and worship for all God is and does.

 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Romans 8:28
What is the promise?

The promise is, for those who are saved, all things will indeed work together for good. “All things” should be taken to mean each and every circumstance one might experience, even pain or suffering. “Work,” or “work together,” must be understood in light of God taking action in the world. He is the one who causes all things to work together or, perhaps, works in and through all circumstances toward a specific end. What is that end? “Good.”

Bibleref.com

From Joseph being sold into slavery by his brothers to Jesus hanging on the cross for our sins this truth/promise brings us hope as it is played out in the lives of those who came before us and certainly in our own trouble or regrets. Is there anything in your past that you would do over if you could. Are there decisions you made then that have adversely affected your now? Take some time right now to remember or grasp hold of the truth from this verse of promise and hope – perhaps for the very first time. I used to think it said, “And we know all things work together for good…” and I remember the day and the place when I realized what it really said/meant: “…God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.” Mistakes, regrets, things you had no control over, hurts, betrayal … these will surface in our minds from time to time – the enemy uses them as arrows but this powerful truth will combat them.

We must be careful to keep these words in the context Paul intended – and that was to bring hope to those believers who were struggling or suffering in life. He wanted them to remember that God is good and He is in perfect control on behalf of His children and according to His purpose, which by the way is perfect. Take hope in the encouragement that Paul’s words offer to those who belong to God – and trust that He truly has been and is continually working all things together for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose.💜

You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.

Joseph, to his brothers – Genesis 50:20
Your Turn

What about today’s verse, Romans 8:28, makes you thankful?
Is there a way you have seen its truth played out in your life? – If so give thanks!

Will you take a minute and share your response(s) in the comment section –
It may be just the encouragement that someone else needs and for certain it will bring God glory.

Worship Through Music

I do not own the rights to this music nor do I use it for any profit or gain –

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, He Sees He Knows He Cares, He Sees He Knows He Cares, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time

Only One Turned Back

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Today’s Scripture Reading: Luke 17:1-19; SOAP / Luke 17:17-19

Then Jesus said, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Was no one found to turn back and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to the man, “Get up and go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

Luke 17:17-19 NET

Have you ever prayed fervently for something or even quickly called out in the midst of a trial for something – and then seen the answer You cried out for but realized later that you never even stopped to tell God thank you? We don’t mean to ignore or make light of what He’s done but we get caught up with life, sometimes so much so that, occasionally, as the Samaritan seems to do in our story today, we don’t even realize our prayer has been answered. Read the story again, verses 11-19.

  • Ten men with leprosy met Jesus as He was entering a village.
  • Standing at a distance, they called out to Jesus for mercy .
  • Jesus saw them and said to them “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” 
    • And as they went along, they were cleansed.
      • note: not just one but all ten were cleansed
  • Only one of the ten, saw he was healed and turned back, praising God with a loud voice. 16 He fell with his face to the ground at Jesus’ feet and thanked him.(Now he was a Samaritan.) He didn’t just run back and thank Jesus and go on his way, instead he worshiped Jesus and gave Him thanks.
  • Not only did Jesus heal the Samaritan physically, but now, seeing his faith – Jesus indicates a spiritual healing as well by saying, “Your faith has made you well.”

Whether we are seeing Jesus for the first time or whether we have known Him all of our lives, we must give God the praise He is due. To do this we means paying attention. When we ask God for something or to do something – and when we see that He has done that which we have asked – we should take time to stop and acknowledge His work/answer. I believe, by Jesus’ response, to do otherwise is to notably offensive to God/Jesus.

Faith is the Victory

To acknowledge what God has done is to speak our faith to Him. It is to say more than thank you – it is to acknowledge our faith/belief in what He has done and to acknowledge that He has heard us.

Response to God’s Word

Father. You are worthy of our praise, worthy of worship!Help us to never be so busy or caught up with ourselves or the world around us that we fail to turn or look up and worship You for what You’ve done. May we always acknowledge the gifts and healing from Your hands – not just to You but to others that they might know Your power, Your goodness, and your mercy.

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Check out today’s LGG Blog

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, LGG Study

Committed to Praise

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Read: Psalm 100; SOAP: Psalm 100:4-5

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise.
Give him thanks. Praise his name. 5 For the Lord is good.
His loyal love endures, and he is faithful through all generations.

Psalm 100:4-5

It’s easy to praise God when everything is going great in our lives or when something good happens … a prayer is answered … someone is healed … someone is saved … you get the job you wanted … a baby is born …. God provides for a need … However, what about the times when everything seems to be going wrong? What about when someone you love is sick … you don’t have enough to pay the bills … the doctor just gave you bad news … your car needs repairs that are expensive … what then? Do you still praise Him or do you get lost in the sorrow, the worry, the concerns, frustrations, fears … ? We all know the right “Sunday School” answer – we praise Him – even in the storms of life – right? But – How? How, when the walls are closing in and everything seems hopeless? This passage is how … or at least a stepping stone of encouragement. We make a habit of shouting out praises to the Lord … We determine to worship Him with joy, to enter His presence with joyful singing. We acknowledge that the Lord is God and pronounce every morning that He is good. We enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. We give Him thanks and praise His name! Why? Certainly not because everything is perfect or because it’s always easy – for life isn’t always easy and neither people nor life’s circumstances are perfect. We commit to praising Him because, as David acknowledges here – “the Lord is good. His loyal love endures, and He is faithful though all generations. So when life has you down – when complaining or whining seem the best or only option left – PRAISE HIM ANYWAY! Recall His past acts of kindness and goodness … remember the way He has helped you or provided in the past … For when your relationship with God is based on these truths and not dependent on your circumstances you will stay yielded to a lifestyle of PRAISE.

Don’t forget today’s LGG Blog

Posted in Bible study, LGG Study

The Gospel of Mark: Week 4 Thursday – Hosanna!

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Read: Mark 11:1-14; SOAP: Mark 11:9-10

Jesus’ Triumphant Entry

11 As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. 2 “Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone asks, ‘What are you doing?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it and will return it soon.’”

4 The two disciples left and found the colt standing in the street, tied outside the front door. 5 As they were untying it, some bystanders demanded, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” 6 They said what Jesus had told them to say, and they were permitted to take it. 7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it, and he sat on it.

8 Many in the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others spread leafy branches they had cut in the fields. 9 Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting,

“Praise God!
    Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
10 Blessings on the coming Kingdom of our ancestor David!
    Praise God in the highest heaven!”

11 So Jesus came to Jerusalem and went into the Temple. After looking around carefully at everything, he left because it was late in the afternoon. Then he returned to Bethany with the twelve disciples.

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

12 The next morning as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 He noticed a fig tree in full leaf a little way off, so he went over to see if he could find any figs. But there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit. 14 Then Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat your fruit again!” And the disciples heard him say it.

Hosanna comes from the Hebrew word yasha which means to be liberated, saved, or delivered.

Read the full devotional