Your Daily Devotional for May 5, 2007

 

May 5,  2007

 

 

Praising God from the Heart

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

 

"Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations."

 

Psalm 100

 

 

Yesterday we saw how we can develop happy hearts in our lives. When we have joy in our hearts, it will flow through our lives. One way it will be evidenced in our lives is through praise. When we have joy in our lives, we will praise the Lord for all He has done for us.

 

There are two ways we can develop a heart of praise in our lives. First of all, we can cultivate a spirit of joy and praise when we become truly right with God. C.H. Spurgeon once said, "The one who prays for holiness will one day praise for happiness!" When we are right with God and are seeking to be holy by spending time with Him, we will truly praise God from joyous hearts.

 

Our hearts must be prepared to praise God. We cannot praise Him from our hearts if there is sin or disobedience in our lives. It then becomes vain and meaningless. We must empty our lives of any unconfessed sin and seek God with pure hearts.

 

Sometimes our idea of praise can be secularized. Many Christians today believe that worshipping God comes in the form of an ungodly concert or a self-centered church service. This outward display of "praise" does not honor God. We must come before Him with pure hearts that seek only to praise and glorify God. By seeking to be holy through spending time with God, we can develop pure hearts in our lives that praise God.

 

Second, we can develop a heart of praise through understanding the Word of God. Psalm 119:7 says, "I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments." The psalmist said he would praise God when he had learned God's righteous judgments—God's Word. When we study God's Word, we will grasp the very nature of God. Our praise will turn from vain repetition to heart-felt praise and glorification. As we understand His Word, our praise will come from our hearts.

 

God desires for us to praise Him. But this praise must come from a heart that loves Him and seeks only to glorify Him through our praise. Are you praising God from a pure heart? Spend time with Him today. Make sure you are right with Him and spend time seeking Him through His Word. Praise Him for all He has done for you as you live for Him today.

 

 

 

Daily Bible Reading

1 Kings 19-20 • Luke 23:1-25

 

 

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