February 27, 2013 A Gift Worth Praising

Read Psalms 70-72 A Gift Worth Praising Ps 71: 23 My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you — I, whom you have redeemed. I AM thinking right now of church—you know, that place where people (some people) go on Sunday. It’s the place where music is played, and songs are sung—“kind of”. When I say, “kind of”, I’m referring to what I see in too many of us as we worship. I call it “worship restraint”. As shackles on a prisoner’s legs, we have shackles on our tongues. We’re scared someone might hear us singing. We’re afraid that raising our hands might look dumb. We’re concerned we don’t know the words. After all, “Everyone’s looking at me!” But what’s really happening is, “I’m looking at me.” In other words, when we come to worship God, we seldom really WORSHIP GOD with unrestrained joy, reverence, gratitude and love. We guard ourselves and our emotions based on traditions. We don’t want to offend anyone with outbursts of PRAISE! And we don’t want them to offend us. Consider, though, if you hold back, you are offending God. In 1 Timothy 2:8, the Apostle Paul says, “I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.” as he encourages the men of the early church to raise their hands in praise of God, instead of raising a fist to threaten someone. Yes, we are too often unrestrained in our emotions against God’s ways. Why do you hold back your soul and mind when it comes to honoring our Great God? But here’s the thing: David PRAISED God because he knew what mighty acts God had done to save him. Think on that truth. God offers mighty acts to save you. Your enemies may be a bad relationship with a child, a bitter memory of an angry parent, a recurring sin, cultural traditions that keep you from God, or a frustration with perceived failure. But get this: God has come to save you, to heal these wounds, and to welcome you into his sacred, eternal home! Praise Him! It’s True! Salvation is a wondrous gift.