Day 194 - Attitude is Everything

"There was a bunch of traffic so what should have taken us an hour took three to drive."

The frustrations of life can overwhelm us if we let them. With this traffic last year were all kinds of other frustrating factors; the heat, hunger, upset stomach, kids whining and tiredness from the long weekend. We had every reason to have a bad attitude. 

What is amazing is that we have a power that we often overlook. The power is in our choices. We can choose to be frustrated, angry and nasty or we can choose to put on a smile, laugh and take the lemons of life and make lemonade, or lemon meringue pie, I would opt for both. 

Don't let life be a drag. Head up, shoulders back, smile and laugh. I had a friend in a wheelchair who was disabled who had every reason to be down. Every time I would ask him how he was doing he would say "Every day above ground is a good one!" I like his attitude. As long as I have breath in my lungs I will praise God! Take it a step further that if this body is below ground then my spirit is in heaven and I have a new body that will be praising God eternally. 

With that in mind I can handle traffic, hunger, and anything else life throws at me. 

Do you find it easy or hard to choose your attitude? Do you agree with the statement that attitude is everything? 

Day 159 - The Song of Heaven

Last year on this day I preached in the Spanish speaking church services at our church through an interpreter. From that experience I wrote the following:

"At the last song we were singing together, the congregation in Spanish and me in English, I got a picture of heaven where all tribes and tongues would be singing the songs of heaven in their own language. It was beautiful."

There will be a day, sooner than we know, when every tribe, every nation, every tongue will sing the song of Heaven. It will be in unison and will be glorious. All are welcome, many are called, few are chosen. But the faithful will be there. They will be robed in white and the praise of God will be their song. 

I look forward to that day and I pray for a worldwide outpouring of the Spirit that people would be saved. I pray that people from all over, from different cultures and diverse social and economic backgrounds would be reached. From the urbanized to the third world to the huts in the most remote jungle I pray they hear and respond to the gospel message. 

I long to see all the nations united by one blood, the blood of Jesus, singing the song of Heaven to His glory, honor and praise! 

What excites you about Heaven? How can we reach more people with the message of Jesus? 

Day 116 - A Grateful Heart

"Oh that my praise and thanksgiving could match the blessings that The Lord has poured out on me."

Try. 

I dare you. 

In the same measure that you are blessed... praise the Lord. That is the challenge.

Eventually you will run out of words. There are always more blessings than ways to say thank you. Maybe that is why the psalmist gave instruction to praise Him with instruments, loud shouts and applause. It is not the words that God hears anyway, it is your heart. 

So go on. Try to praise God more than you are blessed. I promise you will still have an abundance of blessings and run out of words. That is where you simply give your heart to the Lord and let Him listen to the inaudible praise that comes form the deepest part of who you are. 

Have you ever tried to praise the Lord more than He has blessed you? What other instructions on praise do you see in the Bible?

Day 98 - The Power of Praise

"He had a bad doctors report but is still praising God."

There is a man who attends our church who by all natural means should be dead. He has cancer and issues with his heart. Every time we call for people to stand to be prayed over for healing he is right there. The doctors have given him several grim reports and months to live. Despite all of this he is alive and feels better than ever. Every time I see him he praising God and speaking faith. 

There is power in our praise. Praise opens the door for God to do mighty and wonderful things. When we praise it releases our faith and God moves. 

The Bible is full of illustrations of people who praised and God moved on their behalf. 

Think about Jehoshaphat. Not only does he have one of the most memorable names in the Bible he also has one of the most memorable testimonies. He had multiple armies coming against him. There was no hope in the natural. A prophet speaks the Word of the Lord to him and he worships and prays. Then he does something unusual. He sets people in front of the army to sing and praise. The Bible records that as they sang and praised God that the armies that were coming to destroy them actually turned and destroyed each other. 

What about Paul and Silas who were imprisoned after the cast the devil out of a little girl? Here they are in the middle of the night singing in stocks. Everyone in the prison could hear them because they were singing so loud. Suddenly the stocks are released and all the prison doors open! Through these events the keeper of the prison and his whole family are saved. 

The point for all of us is that we should praise instead of complain when adversity strikes. God will win the battles we face, loose our bonds and set us up for His purposes as we praise Him. It may not be easy and you might have to praise through tears and pain but as you do God will move on your behalf. 

Do you have a story of how God moved when you praised Him? What scriptures encourage you to praise?