praise

The Privilege And Pleasure Of Proclamation

March 18, 2019 by Matthew Gaither Leave a Comment

I’m doing this because I told the Lord that I would. Let me explain:

Last month was a difficult one. There were several things that I was praying specifically for but one in particular really burdened me. I prayed that it would come to pass nearly every day and sometimes more than once a day. Not only did this thing have the potential to effect me positively but it also had the potential of lifting up and encouraging everyone that I work with on a daily basis.

But even as I began earnestly praying I recognized that it was more important that God’s will be done than this one thing come to pass. So as I prayed I told the Lord that I would praise Him and make it known if He allowed this thing to come to pass and if not, I would praise Him anyway. Publicly.

The fact is, He is worthy of my praise and even when things don’t go according to my plan they will always go according to His plan. Job said it like this:

“I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. (Job 42:2)

God’s purpose will be accomplished and His plans never fail. So as I prayed I did so with the knowledge that God’s will was higher than my plans and I yielded myself to His will for my life and waited to see what the outcome would be.

Today I can tell you that the thing that I was praying for did not come to pass. I was disappointed and saddened but also encouraged that God had a higher purpose beyond what I could see. Do I wonder why God did not allow this thing to come to pass? Of course I do. I wanted it for myself and for my co-workers and as far as I could see, it would only be a good thing. But I can only see a fraction of the whole. God sees it all. I wanted what I thought was good but God wants to give me what is best, always.

I give thanks to the Lord because He is good. I make it known to any who would read this that I trust in the Lord even when things don’t go exactly like I want them to go. I recognize that His will and plans are perfect and that I am not. And I say that it is a privilege and a pleasure to be able to write about how good God is and how blessed I am to be called one of His children.

Thank you Lord, for being so good to me!

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: Job 42:2, praise, proclaim

I Can’t Wait

February 4, 2019 by Matthew Gaither Leave a Comment

It does us good to think and meditate on God’s word. It is to our benefit to closely study what the Bible tells us and to base our lives on its wisdom.

Proper Bible study has many benefits. It shows us God’s design and how he made the world and everything in it. It tells us who God is and shows us his character. It provides guidelines and instructions for life and it even gives us a glimpse of what awaits us after this life is over.

We are given one such glimpse in Revelations chapter 5. And although I have read it many times before I came back to it this week and something happened. God made it more real to me than it had ever been before.

Read these words and try to comprehend the magnitude of what is happening. Even if you have read this before, try to see it with fresh eyes and a heart and mind that is open to the Holy Spirit.

⁶Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits^[a]of God sent out into all the earth. ⁷He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. ⁸And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. ⁹And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
    and with your blood you purchased for God
    persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.
¹⁰You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
    and they will reign^[b] on the earth.”

¹¹Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. ¹²In a loud voice they were saying:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!”

¹³Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!”

What a picture! What an event to have the privilege to see and experience! Try as I might I will never be able to come close in my imagination to what actually will take place. But one day I will get to see Jesus who is God in the flesh. And I will take part in praising him together with all of creation. I will get to be a part of the greatest praise and worship event that has ever been and I can’t wait.

How about you?

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: praise, worship

When I Look At You

May 28, 2018 by Matthew Gaither Leave a Comment

A Poem

When I look at you, I see amazing.

Grace that abounds and love without end.

When I look at you, I find hope.

Strength for tomorrow and plenty for today.

When I look at you, I know freedom.

Chains are broken and all my sins are washed away.

When I look at you, I feel shame.

For failures and weakness and things I can’t say.

When I look at you, I am redeemed.

Restored and transformed, the glory of doing it God’s way.

When I look at you, I want to sing.

Victories won, trials overcome and joy in the Lord abound.

When I look at you, I have peace.

Be still my child, the Lord is at hand!

When I look at you, I get heaven.

Abundant life here and a home with You someday.

When I look at you, I stand secure.

Evil and sin will never have its way.

When I look at you, O that all would!

Seek the Lord while it is still called today.

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: poetry, praise, worship

How To Praise God In Truth

April 30, 2018 by Matthew Gaither Leave a Comment

A question was posed recently by a dear friend and that question was “How do I really praise God? What’s the best way I can do that so that God will be pleased with it?” And that is a fantastic question that is worth our consideration because God is worthy to be praised and because the Bible tells us that God inhabits the praises of his people. (Psalm 22:3)

What makes it even better is that a question like that seeks to really get to the heart of praise and worship and to go beyond merely showing up and singing a hymn or listening to a Sunday morning sermon. True worship and true praise should be undertaken in all locations and at all times and our corporate worship services that take place in our churches and places of meeting should only be one small part of that process.

To really answer this question I think we need to have a better understanding of both who God is and what praise really means. God is the creator and God is the one who sustains all things by his power. All things were created by him and for his pleasure and he seeks a personal relationship with his creation. He wants us to get to know him and this is best expressed through the redemption story of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. God in the flesh stepped into his own creation and shed his own blood in order to make a way for us to be with him forever. What we could not do through our own power God did for us. He ever seeks to save that which is lost and to heal our sin-sick souls through his precious blood. Based on this it is fair to say that God is worthy of all that we have and all that we are because not only did he create all but he also paid the price for us and all of creation together. The vital truth here is that God is worthy and this his worthiness has been proved to us beyond all doubt.

Our praise to God then, should be based on our acknowledgement of his worth and in celebration of his attributes. In other words, however and whenever we acknowledge God’s worthiness we are in essence, praising him! If I go to him and ask him for wisdom and help with a difficult problem and then place my hope and trust in him for the answer I have effectively acknowledged him as my helper, my deliverer, my comforter, my teacher and the one who is best suited to solve whatever problem it happens to be. This is praise! Likewise if I look to the sunset or across a vast mountain range and say “wow, look at what God has made!” then that also is praise because I have acknowledged him as creator and celebrated in his creation. And so on it goes.

Real praise to God should not be mysterious and it should not be difficult for those who are born-again. Our God is so awesome and so vast that the closer we get to him and the more we discover about him the more we have to praise him for. Praise is always timely (there’s never a bad time to praise him!) and is always the right answer so long as it is honest and sincere. Even in such an act as confessing our sins and shortcomings to him we can praise him by acknowledging that he is the redeemer and he is the one who cleanses us from all unrighteousness.

True praise is really all about giving God what he is due with a heart that is turned towards him. It is an acknowledgement of who God is and who we are as a member of his awesome creation story. Let us not limit ourselves to just a few songs on Sunday or only to the times when we come together for corporate worship but let us take every opportunity to let God know that we know that he is worthy. That kind of praise will always be acceptable and pleasing to him.

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: praise, Psalm 22:3, worship

Encouraging Encouragement

February 5, 2018 by Matthew Gaither Leave a Comment

If there’s one single thing that all of us, no matter who we are, could stand to have more of in our personal relationships it is encouragement. And this holds true no matter our socioeconomic status, age or occupation. If we are alive and kicking then we need to hear and experience honest encouraging words from those around us.

And notice I said “honest” encouraging words. Our encouragement must be genuine and heartfelt for it to be effective. We might be fooled by empty flattery for a short time but once the truth is known those comments will have the opposite effect and in those cases it would have been better to have said nothing at all. Encouragement should be real and true and however much thought or effort it might take it is always worth it.

Megan McArdle, a writer and columnist, wrote her 12 Rules for Life recently and rule 7 really had me sitting up and paying attention. The full article can be found here and this is what she said:

Don’t just pay people compliments; give them living eulogies. Tell them exactly how great they are, in how many ways. Embarrass them. Here’s a funny thing I have learned by being just a little bit internet famous: it doesn’t matter how many times you hear them, the words “You are amazing, and here’s why” never get old. They do not go out of style. You will be wearing them to your 80th birthday party, along with a dazzling smile.

Although Mrs. McArdle’s article was not written from a Christian perspective it turns out that she is right on target with many of the things that she said. After reading rule 7 I admit to coming under conviction by the Holy Spirit. I realize that I am not the encouraging person that I should be and that I need to be far more expressive and intentional about telling the people around me just how amazing they are and why it is that I think they are amazing. And do you know why that is?

It is because we have an enemy who spends 24 hours a day and 365 days a year telling believers that they are worthless and guilty and will never amount to anything for God and that they should just give up! Our enemy is relentless in his assault on our family and friends and so we should be just as relentless in our kindness, love and encouragement to them. We are commanded to bear one another’s burdens and we do that by opening our mouths (or putting pen to paper or pixels to screen) and communicating our concern and compassion and by testifying as to what God has done in our own lives. By our witness we become the encouragement that someone else needs to make it through and to then become an encouragement to someone else.

While doing so we can also take Mrs McArdle’s advice and be specific and lavish in the types of praise and compliments that we give to our friends and family. We need to be intentional in our encouragement and that means we think about it and plan it out a little bit before hand so that it is premeditated and purposeful. It is not the case that spontaneous encouragement is bad but that spontaneous encouragement should not be the only type of encouragement that we practice. Intentional encouragement should go along with spontaneous encouragement and both should be present in our interpersonal relationships.

Will you join me in making a commitment to be a person who not only encourages others often but also encourages them in specific and intentional ways? If so we can make a large difference for good and can bear fruit for the kingdom of God in our time. I pray that we would all make that commitment and take the encouragement of our brethren very seriously.

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: charity, encouragement, Love, praise

The Imposition of Real Worship

January 8, 2018 by Matthew Gaither Leave a Comment

Imposition is not a word with an especially nice meaning. To impose one’s self upon another is by definition to force an unwelcome or unfair demand upon that person. In most all cases, when someone tells us that something was an “imposition” they are telling us that they were put out and would have preferred something else to have happened.

And yet, real worship IS an imposition on our human nature, is it not? If we remain in the flesh and have our selfish desires foremost in our minds then the thought and act of real worship is never welcome or easily accomplished. Our bodies, which are passing away, and our minds, which must be renewed daily, will fight the bowing of our knees and the turning of our hearts towards God Almighty and His perfect will. Simply put, to experience real worship we must approach God with humility and allow the Holy Spirit to impose His will upon ours.

When we first start our Christian walk, it can feel unfair and unnatural to empty ourselves of our own wills and seek to adore and commune with God through the Spirit. Our old human nature wants nothing to do with this sort of thing and it is only as we gradually persist in this practice that the Holy Spirit can, little by little, imprint the act of worship upon us so that it becomes as natural as breathing. And like any healthy habit, if we persist we will reap continual rewards but if we slack off or stop for a period of time then it can become difficult to get started again. The more we put into it by seeking God and praising Him for who He is and all that He has done, the better our worship will become for ourselves and those around us.

The upside of real worship and the rewards and benefits that it brings are a topic that could span several full size books. Suffice it to say, all of the fruits of the Spirit will be born out of real worship and God’s presence will be felt strongly. Additionally, those closest to us will be blessed and encouraged in their faith. Finally, and most importantly, God’s Kingdom will grow as we make ourselves useful and grateful vessels for His service.

Real worship of God, in Spirit and truth, is a completely foreign concept to those who are walking in darkness and who have never trusted Jesus as Savior. But for those of us who have the Holy Spirit living inside, real worship of God is a necessity for our spiritual growth and always worth the time and effort. God can use us in incredible ways when we live a life of praise and adoration that is yielded to Him.

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: adore, praise, worship

The Christians Proper Memorial Day

June 5, 2017 by Matthew Gaither Leave a Comment

One of the things I love about my Lord is how He never ceases to amaze me. His goodness is truly awesome and some of the best gifts that He has ever given me were things that I never saw coming, involved no plan or idea of mine and had absolutely nothing to do with my merit or worth. In each of these instances I perceived that God was pouring out His love on me in a visible and remarkable way and all I could do is receive it in humility and thanksgiving.

I had such an instance recently and not only did it grow my love for the Lord and His ways it also reminded me of past events where I know He displayed His love for me in grand fashion. Having just celebrated Memorial Day, which is all about remembering and celebrating the heroes who served, many giving the ultimate sacrifice, I can’t help but see the correlation to my remembrance of God’s love for me and the fact that He is the One who gave His only son for the sin of all humanity and deserves to be celebrated as the true hero for all mankind.

At Christmas time we are often told to “keep Christmas in our hearts all year long”, and we should. At Easter, we are told to keep the crucified and risen savior in our minds at all times, and we should. But is it any less important to have those times of remembrance and celebration that Memorial Day calls to mind? And in those times of remembrance and celebration for all that God has done we can hopefully draw strength and inspiration as we look back and see the victories that God has won on our behalf and the way that He displayed His lovingkindness for us.

Taking it a step further, our remembrance and celebration should also cause us to seek God ever more strongly and ask for Him to show His glory and power again and again. I truly believe that one of the reasons that we don’t see more miracles and open displays of God’s glory is because we aren’t asking for them. We make the mistake of not expecting God to be awesome and limiting His power and intervention by our doubt and our lack of asking, seeking and knocking.

God truly wants us to pray with fervent expectation in our hearts. If we come before Him seeking Him to work in power and glory then He will, although it will almost never be in the way that we expect (it will be much better!). Celebrate all that God has done for you. Remember who He is and how much He loves you. And then seek Him with all you have, expecting Him to show His power and glory in your life. I promise that you will be amazed when you perceive His work!

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: Memorial Day, praise, remembrance

Always The Right Choice

May 8, 2017 by Matthew Gaither Leave a Comment

Isn’t God good? I hope that you know for sure that He is. I hope that you have allowed Him to prove His goodness and mercy to you. The fact is that His love towards us is constant and that His power and grace are always available to us if we will humbly acknowledge Him and His sufficiency,

The more we rely on Him and the more we acknowledge Him the more He is able to show us His goodness and His love towards us. It is the sweetest thing when we begin to daily rely on the Lord for strength and can rest in His blessed assurance that no matter the circumstance we know that God is able. We see Him working and can perceive with our spiritual eyes the way that He holds us up and empowers us to do His work. We feel His hand of mercy and can sense Him working all things to our ultimate good.

Are you familiar with the hymn, “The Longer I Serve Him, the Sweeter He Grows”? Here is the chorus and the second verse:

The Longer I Serve Him, The sweeter He grows
The more that I love Him , More joy He bestows
Each day is like heaven My heart overflows
The Longer I Serve Him, The sweeter He grows

Every need He is supplying
Plenteous Grace He bestows
Every day my way grows brighter
The Longer I Serve Him
The sweeter He grows

Is the hymn writer really saying that God is getting better all the time? No, the writer is not saying that. God’s goodness is constant and He is unchanging. What the writer is trying to convey is that our perception of His goodness improves with our willingness to serve and acknowledge His Lordship. In other words, the only people who think that God is not good are those who do not truly know Him and only those who know Him best know how truly good He can be!

Deciding to serve the Lord and to trust Him with everything, day in and day out, is always the right choice. Despite distractions, despite circumstances and despite our strengths and weaknesses, God’s way is always the best, the sweetest and the most blessed.

My prayer is that we would all call on the name of the Lord as often as possible. My prayer is that His praises would forever be on our tongues and that we would ever seek to know just how good He can be. And my prayer is that we would seek to share His goodness and His message of salvation with all those who are willing to receive it.

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: petition, praise, trust in Jesus

The Christian’s Biggest Mistake

March 20, 2017 by Matthew Gaither 2 Comments

I knew something was wrong immediately. I felt it inside. As soon as my eyes opened and I was aware that it was morning I knew that I was not well.

Physically fit but mentally and spiritually drained, I climbed out of bed and started my day. I didn’t get very far in to my morning routine before I felt that I needed to just stop, listen and pray.

God was trying to tell me something and I had been so busy over the last few days that I had neglected my spiritual nourishment and now I was paying for it. I felt disconnected from the source (Him) and that my roots that kept me grounded to the Truth had somehow weakened.

Not only had this weakened me spiritually, I was not in a good place mentally. My attitude had become one of complaint and self-pity instead of constant praise and reliance on God. I had let my joy be tarnished by the cares of this world and I had not taken all my burdens and cast them upon my Savior as I should have done.

God stepped in, as He so often has in the past. He put a big STOP! sign in my brain to try and get my attention and help me to focus on what was really important.

So I stopped. And I listened for Him. And I prayed with all of my heart. I told Him everything that had been going on in the last few days and I praised Him and thanked Him for always being there for me. The more I talked the easier it got and I felt my burdens lifted and peace returned to my heart.

I lifted up my brothers and sisters who were sick and hurting. I prayed for my family and for my church. I prayed that the lost might be saved and that God would order my steps and use me as His hands and feet. I sought Him with my whole heart and as much as possible I wanted to be in tune with my Heavenly Father because He is my source for strength and I am sustained by Him alone.

I am far from perfect. I make many mistakes. But the biggest mistake I can make in my life is when I forget to include God and to put Him first. He loves me so much and all He asks is that I love and depend on Him first and foremost and love and serve others just as He did.

Are you in close contact with Him, right now? Has He heard from you today? If not, go find a place where you can be alone with God and don’t hold anything back. Give Him everything that is on your heart, praise Him for who He is and then listen as He speaks to you.

Don’t make the same mistake I did.

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: intercession, praise, prayer

How To Win All Of Life’s Battles

March 13, 2017 by Matthew Gaither Leave a Comment

It seems to be the case lately that God is taking me on a journey of discovery in His word. Several times in recent memory I have been reading a Sunday School lesson or studying for a blog post when a verse or group of verses will seem to leap right off of the page and into my heart and mind, grabbing my attention and imprinting a vital truth in the process.

This seems to happen in spurts and although I don’t know exactly why it works that way, I just do my best to listen and to learn. These teachable moments sponsored by the Holy Spirit are precious to me and I hope that they continue throughout this lifetime and in to the next one.

That being said, I believe that God works and reveals Himself to us in unique and individual ways just as we are all unique and individual. Such “inspirational” moments may not happen to you in the same way but I do believe that, based on the promises in the Bible, reading, studying and meditating on the good book will cause us to change for the better. We truly have all of the resources we need in God’s word provided to us by the Holy Spirit and that includes help in all of life’s battles.

In 2 Chronicles chapter 20 we see a glimpse into the life of King Jehoshaphat as the Ammonites, Moabites and inhabitants of Mount Seir arrayed themselves against God’s people. To really get the full picture of what is transpiring here you should read all of 2 Chronicles 20 but focusing in on the following verses we see something really amazing happen.

¹⁸Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord.¹⁹Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

²⁰Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” ²¹After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:

“Give thanks to the Lord,
for his love endures forever.”

²²As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. ²³The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another.

Jehoshaphat knew that a battle was coming. He knew the enemy was coming against him and he didn’t run from it or try to hide from it. He faced it in the best way possible.

Notice in verse 18 of chapter 20 that the first thing he did was fall on his face before God. He called all of the people together and as one body they fell on their faces and worshiped the Lord. After praying and worshiping he encouraged his people to have faith in God (verse 20) and then he did a very curious thing (verse 21). He put the choir out in front of the army! And of course you can read the result of this unorthodox battle strategy: the enemy turned on each other and was utterly routed in defeat.

Jehoshaphat and the people of Israel were victorious because they let God fight and win the battle for them. They were careful to call on His name in faith and then they trusted God to see them through. They began with prayer and worship and then praised God to begin the battle. And on hearing the praise of the true and living God the enemy was defeated.

For me, this was a powerful and meaningful lesson from the Lord on how to fight and win the battles that I face in life. That doesn’t mean that I will always understand every outcome or that things will always go my way but that as long as I am trusting the Lord and fighting with worship and praise then the result of the battle will surely belong to the Lord.

Fighting our battles with prayer, worship and praise as a three pronged strategy is a tried and tested method straight from God’s word to us. It is a strategy that I have implemented lately to wonderful results and I would encourage you to do the same.

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: 2 Chronicles 20, praise, prayer, victory