Friends in Christ Weekly Message
December 29, 2000

All mountains and hills, fruit trees and cedars,
every wild and tame animal, all reptiles and birds,
come praise the Lord!
Every king and every ruler, all nations on earth,
every man and every woman, young people and old,
come praise the Lord!

All creation, come praise the name of the Lord.
Praise his name alone.
The glory of God is greater than heaven and earth.
Psalm 148:9-13 (CEV*)

Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ. This is what God wants you to do.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (CEV*)

One of the most frequent themes in scripture is praising the Lord. We are told many times of people praising God, and we are repeatedly enjoined to offer praise and thanksgiving to God.

This praise is not to be restrained and stinting. It is to be effusive and wholehearted. In our praise to God, we should be as exuberant as the psalmist is in Psalm 148. We should not be able to contain ourselves!

In 2 Samuel, the Bible tells of King David praising the Lord by dancing with all his might, shouting and blowing horns. Michal was disgusted, saying he "acted like a dirty old man" (2 Samuel 6:20, CEV*). But David is looked up to for his devotion to God. Don't be afraid to look silly because of your praise of God!

Nor is our praise and thanksgiving only to be when things seem to be going well. Paul reminds us to keep thanking God whatever happens. Whatever we may go through, Christ is at our side. His love is unending, and he is always faithful to his promises. So even when things look the bleakest, we have reason to give thanks. And this spirit of thanksgiving and praise will make a world of difference in our lives.

This is a traditional time of year for celebrations. If we understand God's love for us through Christ Jesus, we know we have ample reason to celebrate - not just at this time of year, but always. Have you thanked God today?

Bill Samuel

* Contemporary English Version ©1995 American Bible Society.

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