Pastor Stephen Dedman

Category: Encouragement

Come Before The Lord With Praise

Encouragement

The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works. All Your works shall praise You, O Lord , and Your saints shall bless You.
Psalms 145:8-10

The best way to approach the Lord is with praise. The Lord is full of grace and compassion for those who seek Him. Even when we don’t deserve it, the Lord pours out His grace and love upon us.

If you think about the worst thing you have ever done in your life, you probably don’t deserve God’s mercy and grace. But that is the God that we serve. He is full of grace, full of love, full of mercy, and slow to anger!

We bow down to the Lord when we pray to Him. This act of bowing down is submissiveness that renders an attitude of humility. We must stay humble in order to praise the Lord.

Sometimes we need to be humbled. No one likes to be humbled, but it’s a place of surrender. Sometimes God humbles us to make us praise Him.

Don’t wait to be humbled in order to praise and honor Him. Bow down today and bless Him for who He is. Let your praise be to God and not to yourself.

Pray

Lord, there is none like You. You are so good to me and I don’t deserve Your grace and love. Thank You for being so good to me.

Joyful Worship

Encouragement

‘Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.’
Psalms 100:1-2

What does it mean to make a joyful noise unto the Lord? Is it just on Sundays?

There is something about music that encourages our soul. Listening to music makes a mundane job go by a lot faster. Listening to Christian music allows you to praise the Lord while you work or play.

Our happy God should be worshipped and praised by happy people. It should be easy for us to praise the Lord. Every time we think of something God has done for us we ought to shout to the Lord with a joyful noise.

Worship doesn’t happen just on Sundays or in a church service. Worship can happen wherever you’re at. Even right now you can worship the Lord.

Notice that the psalmist says make a joyful shout and then serve the Lord with gladness. Did you know that it is your privilege and duty to be happy in your worship to the Lord? It ought to come natural to sing and shout with praise to the Lord.

A true believer in Jesus serves God because he loves to serve Him. And when you love to serve Him, it will be done with gladness and joy.

Find a way to serve the Lord with gladness today. A simple smile can make a difference in someone’s life today.

Pray

Lord, I thank You for giving me everything I need. I will praise You and honor You for who You are and not just what You do for me. Help me to be a blessing to someone else today.

Declare His Greatness

Encouragement

One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts. I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works. Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, And I will declare Your greatness.
Psalms 145:4-6

God’s works and mighty acts are worthy to be praised. It is the responsibility of fathers and mothers to teach their children about the greatness of God. Generation after generation shall declare His greatness.

Meditation upon God’s splendor moves people to praise. His creation and redemption are all part of His wondrous works. His nature is revealed in His works.

God’s power is spoken of by those who experience His greatness. Once you witness His excellence you will never stop speaking of His majesty.

We praise the Lord because of who He is to us. As small as we may be compared to all of creation, He has chosen mankind to be His best works.

God wants us to experience His greatness on a daily basis. He wants us to love Him for who He is. And as soon as your eyes are opened, you can’t help but love the Creator of the universe.

Do you love God with all of your heart? Let your actions prove it. Let your lips prove it.

What has God done for you today that makes you praise His great name?

Pray

Lord, You alone are worthy of all praise. Thank You for giving me the fee gift of Salvation through Jesus Christ. Let the words of my lips reflect my heart of joy.