Psalm 33:1, "Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright."
Praise is a major theme throughout the book of Psalms. It's hard to read the book of Psalms without picking up on some helpful ideas about praise. In my recent reading through Psalms, I found a few things that I personally refer to as the Profit of Personal Praise. I pray these few things will benefit you in your spiritual walk in the area of personal praise to God.
Who Is Your Foundation?
Today is a day of many uncertainties. It seems as though everything changes from day to day and there are new developments by the hour. Mankind longs for stability and consistency in life, but what do you do when your environment and circumstances are anything but stable? We see a great lesson described in Scripture in Psalm 71.
Continue in the Word! In your New Testament reading, you have been through three of the gospel accounts of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. What have you learned? What details have you noticed in the different accounts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke?
This Sunday is Easter. On Saturday night, I would encourage you to read the accounts in Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 20 all together at one time. You may not have to read all four chapters, but at least the resurrection portion of each. These four gospel accounts will help you think about and anticipate Sunday morning - Easter morning. I would also encourage each family member to get up, have breakfast, get dressed with something old and something new (if you can), and watch the Sunday morning message online at 9 AM on Resurrection morning.
People like to be appreciated. We like to receive compliments or be told we are doing great at something. Unfortunately in life, that will not always be the case. Here are some people in Scripture who were treated wrongly:
Joseph was thrown into a pit by his brothers and accused of sinning with Pharaoh's wife (Genesis 37:1-11, Genesis 39:1-20).
Ephesians 5:15-17
15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
Every generation faces unparalleled challenges and difficulties. The day we live in is no different. While there may be a new obstacle we are facing, the fact is that every generation throughout the course of human history has faced hardship in this world. The world, at one point, was completely flawless and free of problems, but that ended in the Garden of Eden when mankind chose to disobey his gracious God and sinned against His holiness.
