Sunday, December 16, 2007

The Foundation of Praise

In Touch Daily Devotional
by Dr. Charles Stanley


The Foundation of Praise -- Psalm 40:8-10

Every time King David and others penned a song of worship, they spoke about the Lord's specific attributes or actions. When the songs were compiled into the book we now call Psalms, the collection became a biography of God--one that relies upon the language of praise to tell about Him.

The ability to worship grows out of love for the Lord. And since genuine love is always cultivated by learning about the other person's character, the true root of praise is knowledge. That's why God instilled in every believer a longing to know Him. We satisfy that desire by spending time with the Lord and by fellowshipping with other Christians. We also observe how the Father works in our life to meet needs and provide blessing. Discovering each new facet of His character deepens both our knowledge of Him and our understanding of why He deserves praise.

Experiencing God makes us fall in love with Him. And a person in love cannot help praising the one he cherishes. So we gratefully honor Jesus Christ with words, songs, dance, or whatever else appropriately expresses our delight in Him.

Our devotion does not have to stay private or even remain confined within the church community. Each believer has a "biography" of the Lord to share with neighbors. It is a story of accumulated praise not only for how He has intervened in chaos, comforted in tragedy, and blessed abundantly, but also for the lessons learned. We share our adoration with the world so that others might come to know, love, and praise Him.

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