(Psalm 135:1-21)
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord;
Praise Him, you servants of the Lord,
2 You who stand in the house of the Lord,
In the courtyards of the house of our God!
3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
Sing praises to His name, for it is lovely.
4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself,
Israel as His own possession.
5 For I know that the Lord is great
And that our Lord is above all gods.
6 Whatever the Lord pleases, He does,
In heaven and on earth, in the seas and in all the ocean depths.
7 He causes the mist to ascend from the ends of the earth,
He makes lightning for the rain;
He brings forth the wind from His treasuries.
8 He struck the firstborn of Egypt,
Both human firstborn and animal.
9 He sent signs and wonders into your midst, Egypt,
Upon Pharaoh and all his servants.
10 He struck many nations
And brought death to mighty kings,
11 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
Og, king of Bashan,
And all the kingdoms of Canaan;
12 And He gave their land as an inheritance,
An inheritance to His people Israel.
13 Your name, Lord, is everlasting,
The mention of You, Lord, is throughout all generations.
14 For the Lord will judge His people
And will have compassion on His servants.
15 The idols of the nations are nothing but silver and gold,
The work of human hands.
16 They have mouths, but they do not speak;
They have eyes, but they do not see;
17 They have ears, but they do not hear,
Nor is there any breath at all in their mouths.
18 Those who make them will become like them,
Yes, everyone who trusts in them.
19 House of Israel, bless the Lord;
House of Aaron, bless the Lord;
20 House of Levi, bless the Lord;
You who revere the Lord, bless the Lord.
21 Blessed be the Lord from Zion,
Who dwells in Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
Praise the name of the Lord;
Praise Him, you servants of the Lord,
2 You who stand in the house of the Lord,
In the courtyards of the house of our God!
3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
Sing praises to His name, for it is lovely.
4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself,
Israel as His own possession.
5 For I know that the Lord is great
And that our Lord is above all gods.
6 Whatever the Lord pleases, He does,
In heaven and on earth, in the seas and in all the ocean depths.
7 He causes the mist to ascend from the ends of the earth,
He makes lightning for the rain;
He brings forth the wind from His treasuries.
8 He struck the firstborn of Egypt,
Both human firstborn and animal.
9 He sent signs and wonders into your midst, Egypt,
Upon Pharaoh and all his servants.
10 He struck many nations
And brought death to mighty kings,
11 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
Og, king of Bashan,
And all the kingdoms of Canaan;
12 And He gave their land as an inheritance,
An inheritance to His people Israel.
13 Your name, Lord, is everlasting,
The mention of You, Lord, is throughout all generations.
14 For the Lord will judge His people
And will have compassion on His servants.
15 The idols of the nations are nothing but silver and gold,
The work of human hands.
16 They have mouths, but they do not speak;
They have eyes, but they do not see;
17 They have ears, but they do not hear,
Nor is there any breath at all in their mouths.
18 Those who make them will become like them,
Yes, everyone who trusts in them.
19 House of Israel, bless the Lord;
House of Aaron, bless the Lord;
20 House of Levi, bless the Lord;
You who revere the Lord, bless the Lord.
21 Blessed be the Lord from Zion,
Who dwells in Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
We were created to worship, adore, serve and have a close, personal relationship with the Lord. This is the very reason why God gave each person a soul - which can only be filled by Him. When we are born, because of our sin nature, our souls are empty, but our God-given conscience gives us a sense of how it should be. So until we choose to become Christians, we will not have inner peace, and there will be this innate yearning to find purpose and something to fill that void.
Even if a person declares that they are an atheist, they will be worshiping and serving something. Therefore, mankind, in their selfish and self-centered sin, create gods in their own image (whatever these might be: false religions, cults, statues, money, power, fame, sports, sex, drugs, other people, and even themselves). This is so that they can try to justify their desires and actions, and do what seems "right" and "good" in their own eyes.
While God, who is sovereign, holy, righteous, just, fair, good, loving, compassionate... wants to help us become more like Him, with His help! This requires that we humble our hearts, putting aside our selfishness and pride that is self-centeredness, so that we are able to realize we are sinners in need of saving, and we do need God in our lives!
All signs and wonders and events display God's power and sovereignty! Egypt had their chance to see what the Lord is able to do and submit and serve Him, but they did not. The rest of the world heard about what happened, as well as saw how God blessed the nation of Israel, and this spoke of God's mighty power, giving them an opportunity to see why they should submit and serve the Lord. The Lord is good and faithful! So whoever turns to the Lord for His salvation, He is faithful to save and help them.
For us who accept the Lord into our hearts, His indwelling Holy Spirit of promise fills and seals our souls for eternity... and all believers are equal in the Lord's eyes. Because we are born again into God's family, as children of God, we are His inheritance, and He also gives us an inheritance. Just because of this, as believers, we should desire to serve, worship and praise the Lord. Our service is an extension of our praises to the Lord, for His pleasure, desiring to do things in His will, in His love, wisdom and strength, all to His glory!
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