Friday, May 22, 2009

Praise Devotionals- 24

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. (Psalm 139:14-16)

The word "unique" has somewhat lost it's meaning with cloning coming to the fore. Man has embarked on a strange path to defy the uniqueness of God's creation. How long it's glory will last remains to be seen. Perhaps it would end in the way "the tower of Babel" did. But God does allow man to continue in his discoveries and inventions for reasons known only to him. If he wants, he can stop anything anywhere anytime. Yet he chooses to be silent for a while.

King David, the great psalmist of Israel praised God for having created him so wonderfully. The human body is a marvel, unmatched by all the technological accomplishments of mankind. Each organ is a wonderful creation in itself, unique in it's design, texture, function and fraility. Some organs are more important than the others. Some can be lived without. Some are indispensible. Almost all need the others to function. Some produce the toxins that only others are able to wash away.

David realizes the wonder working creation power of God and thus declares "your works are wonderful, I know that full well.My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body."

9 months (some less & some more) for a woman to be pregnant full term and all the while a new life is taking shape inside of her, frame by frame, organ by organ, coming to full maturity.

David acknowledges that everything about him was known by God even before he had lived 1 day. "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. "

God in his creating power is unmatched and we must spend time in praising him for having created us for himself.

Yes, God knows everything about you and me. Neither the begining nor the end of our lives is hidden from him. He is truly awesome. He deserves all the praise. May all glory be to him.
Dr.Johnson Cherian M.D.PhD.
E.mail/PM me with your prayer requests/comments.
johnson3570@gmail.com
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  • Saturday, May 16, 2009

    Praise Devotionals- 23

    But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:9)

    The Apostle Peter sums up why God transformed 'some' according to his liking to become a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation & a people belonging to God- To declare the praises of the one who called them out of darkness into his wonderful light.

    Is praising God justified? Yes it is. John the Apostle tells us why.
    To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,
    and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father - to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. (Revelation 1:5, 6)

    Because of his great love for us, he freed us from our sins by shedding his blood on the cross. And why did he do it? To make us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father.

    The love that Jesus showed has no comparisons except what the Father also did. About the love of Jesus the Bible says,
    "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:6-8)

    And about the love of the Father the Bible says,
    "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

    We who were once "not a people" have now become "the people of God". And having become "the people of God", our aim in life should be to sing the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light.
    Praise be to the Lord now and forever.
    Dr.Johnson Cherian M.D.PhD.
    E.mail/PM me with your prayer requests/comments.
    johnson3570@gmail.com
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  • Praise Devotionals- 22

    Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. (Romans 15:7)

    Can we accept each other as our brothers and sisters in Christ? There may be differences in our doctrines even when they may seem sound to each of us (not talking about false doctrines--which we all must abhor) and differences in the way of worship and lots of other differences, but we should be able to accept one another because we all have the same factor that will give us eternal life- Jesus.

    The New Testament is believing in what Jesus did by offering himself as a perfect sacrifice for our sins and the resulting eternal life with him if we live for him after accepting him as Savior.

    Perhaps you may never have spoken in tongues or do not believe that that gift exists or any other gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12 exists; still you should accept others who do believe in and exercise these gifts.

    You may be a pre-tribulationist and you are sure that that is the right doctrine; still you should accept others who are post-tribulationists or mid-tribulationists for that matter because Jesus does not despise them because they believe so.

    You may believe that your church or denomination has the perfect worship; still you should accept others from other denominations or churches despite their imperfections because Jesus still loves them.

    You may have faith to move mountains; still you should not look down upon some other believer who cannot exercise as much faith as you.

    Christ has accepted us with all our imperfections and he has given us the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to cleanse ourselves. We all are imperfect in one way or the other and so we should be able to accept one another as Christ accepted us. That will bring praise to God.
    Dr.Johnson Cherian M.D.PhD.
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    johnson3570@gmail.com
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  • Praise Devotionals- 21

    Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD. (Psalm 150:6)

    Lot's of exhortations in this psalm. The final one being, "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord."

    Many things to be noticed here in this psalm and all about praise.
    1. Praise God in....verse 1...Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. (Psalm 150:1)

    2. Praise God for....verse 2...Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. (Psalm 150:2)

    3. Praise God with....verses 3-5...Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. (Psalm 150:3-5)

    The "Praise God with.." part is the largest in this series. The psalmist is considering maximizing his praise and worship with the use of all kinds of musical instruments and with dancing. He intends to be loud with his praise and worship and also is exhorting others to do the same.

    "Praise him with resounding cymbals" he says.
    Worship is something personal to each of us. Some like to quietly worship the Lord while others like to make much noise. The psalmist here seems to be in the second category. He likes to enjoy his worship by making it lively with the use of many instruments and also by dancing to the tune. He seems to be delighting in the Lord.

    Do you delight in the Lord while you praise and worship him? Try it, it can bring you a joy that you may have never experienced.

    Dr.Johnson Cherian M.D.PhD.
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  • Monday, May 4, 2009

    Praise Devotionals- 20

    I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. (Psalm 18:3)

    Is the Lord worthy of praise? Yes, he is! The psalmists definitely thought so. That's why they sang,
    Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain. (Psalm 48:1)
    For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. (Psalm 96:4)
    Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. (Psalm 145:3)

    They affirmed that God was not only worthy, but most worthy.

    The writer of Hebrews says, Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. (Hebrews 3:3)

    Why? Because "He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house. (Hebrews 3:2)Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house, testifying to what would be said in the future. But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. (Hebrews 3:5, 6a)

    And then this beautiful part in the book of Revelation;
    And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. (Revelation 5:2,4,6,7)

    And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" (Revelation 5:9,12)

    He truly is worthy of praise, your praise. Yes; your praise will bring him glory. So do not keep silent.
    Dr.Johnson Cherian M.D.PhD.
    E.mail/PM me with your prayer requests/comments.
    johnson3570@gmail.com
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  • Praise Devotionals- 19

    And Hiram added: "Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth! He has given King David a wise son, endowed with intelligence and discernment, who will build a temple for the LORD and a palace for himself. (2 Chronicles 2:12)

    Hiram, king of Tyre had earlier built a palace for King David. When he heard that Solomon had been anointed king to succeed his father David, he sent his envoys to Solomon, because he had always been on friendly terms with David. When Solomon set out to build a temple for the Lord, he asked for help from Hiram.

    When Hiram heard Solomon's message, he was greatly pleased and said, "Praise be to the LORD today, for he has given David a wise son to rule over this great nation." So Hiram sent word to Solomon: "I have received the message you sent me and will do all you want in providing the cedar and pine logs. My men will haul them down from Lebanon to the sea, and I will float them in rafts by sea to the place you specify. There I will separate them and you can take them away. And you are to grant my wish by providing food for my royal household." (1 Kings 5:7-9)

    In this way Hiram kept Solomon supplied with all the cedar and pine logs he wanted, and Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand cors of wheat as food for his household, in addition to twenty thousand baths of pressed olive oil. Solomon continued to do this for Hiram year after year.

    Hiram took great interest in this project that Solomon had undertaken and on Solomon’s request sent him Huram-Abi, a man who was highly skilled and experienced in all kinds of gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone and wood work. He worked with the craftsmen of Solomon and was a great help in building the temple.

    In the title verse, we read of how Hiram praised the Lord of Israel, though he was a gentile king. The awesome power with which the God of Israel had delivered his children time and again was well known among the nations and Hiram did not hide his admiration for the God of Israel. He acknowledges that the God of Israel is the maker of heaven and earth. He praised God for giving David a wise son and for having endowed him with intelligence and discernment.

    The praises of our God, the great “I am” flows out from all corners of the earth from the mouths of people of all nations, literate and illiterate and it will continue forever and ever. Let’s continue to praise him all the more as we see our redemption drawing near.
    Dr.Johnson Cherian M.D.PhD.
    E.mail/PM me with your prayer requests/comments.
    johnson3570@gmail.com
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