Monday, April 14, 2014

Keeping your passion for God alive: A look at Psalm 145

I wrote last week about Passionately Pursuing Jesus.  So exactly what do you do to help keep that passion alive day by day.

Praise God every day.

Psalm 145:1-2  “I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.  Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.”

David praised God every day and he made a vow to do that forever.  How about you?  Do you take the time to praise God every day?  What is something you praised Him for today?

Recognize the greatness of God.

Psalm 145:3  “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.”

David acknowledged that God’s greatness was beyond comprehension.  He didn’t minimize who God was and what He could do.  What about you?  Do you recognize His greatness?  How have you seen His greatness exhibited?

Tells others what God has done.

Psalm 145:4-6 “One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.  They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—and I will meditate on your wonderful works. They tell of the power of your awesome works—and I will proclaim your great deeds.”

David was committed to telling others about what God had done.  He encourages us to do the same.  When is the last time you shared with someone what God has done in your life?  Take a step of faith and try it.  Share an answer to prayer, guidance you have received, a problem that was solved, etc..

Meditate on God’s majesty and works.

Psalm 145:5 “I will meditate on your wonderful works.”

Have you done this recently?  Have you stopped and looked around you and observed God’s majesty in creation?  Find something today that you can meditate on that demonstrates His majesty.

Celebrate God’s character.

Psalm 145:7-9 “They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.  The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.  The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.”

Psalm 145:17 “The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does.”

David celebrated God’s character.  Think about who God is.  Pick an attribute of God that you can celebrate today.

  • God is omnipotent. (all-powerful)
  • God is omnipresent. (ever-present)
  • God is omniscient. (all-knowing)
  • God is sovereign.  (in control)
  • God is holy.
  • God is absolute truth.
  • God is righteous.
  • God is just.
  • God is merciful.
  • God is love.
  • God is faithful.
  • God is immutable. (never changes)

Give thanks.

Psalm 145:10 “All your works praise you, Lord; your faithful people extol you.”

David understood the importance of giving thanks consistently.  Paul writes for us in
1 Thessalonians 5:18 that we are to give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

What is one thing that you can thank God for today?

Trust God to meet your needs. 

Psalm 145:14-16  “The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.”

David understood that only God can meet our needs.  Too many times we look to other people to meet our needs and we forget that it is God who sustains us.  It is God who raises us up when we are down.  God gives us what we need when we need it.  When we depend on others to meet our needs, we open ourselves up to disappointment, discouragement, and frustration.

How has God met your needs recently?  Think about it and then praise Him for it.

Call on God.

Psalm 145:18 “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”

David never stopped crying out to God.  He sought God for help, comfort, strength, justice, etc.  When we stop calling on Him, we begin to feel like He is distant and uninvolved in our lives.  He only gets involved as we ask Him to.  He is always as close to us as a prayer. 

Why don’t you call on God? Is there anything getting in the way your relationship with God?  Ask God to show you what that might be.  Then cry out to God and ask for his help, love, mercy, strength.

Fear God.

Psalm 145:19 “He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.”

David understood the importance of fearing God.  I think this is lost in our culture today.  Too many of us bring God down on our own level and treat him too casually.  David understood that he needed to have a healthy reverence for God.  This is the creator of the universe that you are in a relationship with.  He is not to be treated lightly.  The more we fear God, the more our desires will line up with His will.

Do you fear God?  Do you understand who He is?  Go back and review the list of attributes and meditate on who God is.  What is one way you can demonstrate to God your fear of Him?

Love God.

Psalm 145:20 “The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.”

What is the greatest commandment? 

Matthew 22:36-38 ““Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.”

Do you truly love God?  Do you love Him more today than you did a year ago?  Do you seek Him above anything else?  Do you wake up in the morning and recognize His presence with you?  Do you ask Him to go with you through every moment of your day? 

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