Skip to main content

Jesus: Worthy of Praise

Psalm 117:1-2 (KJV) says: “O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.”

I have always liked Psalm 117. It is a short but positive Psalm that invites those in the world who would believe in God to praise Him. Moreover, it gives some very important reasons to praise Him, such as His merciful kindness as well as His enduring truth. Let’s take a closer look at these reasons.

Love Toward a Lost World

Psalm 117:2(a) (KJV) states “For his merciful kindness is great toward us...”

The greatest example of “His merciful kindness” is that God sent his only begotten son to die for a sinful world on the cross (John 3:16). God is just! He can’t allow sin to go unpunished, but someone had to endure punishment for our sins and that was Jesus Christ.

The world lives under the curse of sin that started at the beginning of mankind in the garden of Eden. Romans 5:12 (KJV) summarizes our sinful condition really well, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”

I am sure believers, and even non-believers, are aware of some little lie they have told or bad thought that they have had. My thought life is horrible by the way. I need the grace and mercy of Jesus just as much as anyone. Any of these sins should incur the wrath of a just God who passes judgement, and delivers punishment in the form of Hell and subsequently eternity in the Lake of Fire. James 2:10 (KJV) states: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”

This makes it impossible to enter into heaven based on our own merits. We have no strength of our own, as indicated in Romans 5:6 (KJV): “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus made it possible for us to be reconciled with God. Romans 5:8 (KJV) says, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Warren Wiersbe says, “We are saved by grace and we live by grace, depending wholly on the Lord’s generosity in Jesus Christ.”Jesus, the Son of God, is worthy to be worshipped. It was his unfathomably painful sacrifice on the Cross, and his subsequent glorious resurrection, that paved the way for the merciful kindness of forgiveness of our sins. I thank God for doing it. I couldn’t have done it. If it wasn’t for him, I would be bound for an eternity of torment after death.

The Bible Provides God’s Truth

I think the inspiration and preservation of the Bible down through the centuries provides ample evidence of Psalm 117:2(b) (KJV) “...and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.” God’s word will stand forever. The Salvation of the believer endures forever.

The believer should praise the Lord for the Bible, which provides the Gospel facts and details His will. It provides the believer with a compass that shows whether or not we are on the right path. All believers should pray for more desire to read and study that blessed Book.

Count Your Blessings

It is always good to count your blessings. I am thankful for a wife and family that loves me, for a home that shelters me, and for a car that gets me to work. We should be sure to thank God for what we have. Thank God for a beautiful day. Thank God for a rainy day, too, for that matter. There are always reasons to give thanks.

Here’s a sample prayer of thankfulness to God:

Dear Lord, thank you for dying on the cross for our sins, making it possible for you to show grace and forgiveness towards us. I pray that you enable me to do the same towards my neighbors. Also, I thank you for your blessed Word, the Holy Bible. This shows the way of salvation for the sinner and the will of God for the believer. It enables us to grow in knowledge and communion with you. I pray for increasing desire to study the Bible and live according to your word. Amen.

Recommended reading:

Disclaimer

This is NOT an inspired document. Always prayerfully read and study your Bible. Always consult with a Pastor or someone you trust who reads, studies and understands the Bible.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

TWO PATHS – TWO FRUITS - TWO ENDS

“Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.” — Psalm 1:5 (KJV) Overall, Psalm 1 is a Psalm of contrast. It presents a path that ultimately leads to destruction ( Psalm 1:1 ) and a path that ultimately leads to a life where the “ leaf also shall not wither ” (Psalm 1: 2-3). In life, these two paths leads to two different types of fruits. The first (and righteous path) leads to fruit that is acceptable to God that derives from the abundant “ rivers of water ” springing forth from Christ at Calvary ( Psalm 1:3 ). The destructive path yields a fruit of chaff “ which the wind driveth away ” ( Psalm 1:4 ) . The ones who yielded the righteous fruit will have a joyous life everlasting where they belong to God and God belongs to them. In the final outcome, God will take the ones who yielded Chaff and cast them into the fire.  In Psalm 1:5 , once again you have a contrast presented. You have two types of people: the ungodly/sinners a
1 comment
Read more

Mission Statement

To glorify God with Biblical and Christ centered writing. “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:” ——1 Corinthians 1:30 (KJV)
Post a Comment
Read more

Primary Goals

1.) The first primary goal is to bring non believers to a saving knowledge of Christ.  “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” ——Matthew 28:19-20 (KJV) 2.) The second primary goal is to encourage believers to look forward to eternal life and fellowship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and encourage them to give out the gospel. “Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” —-I Thessalonians 5:11 (KJV)
Post a Comment
Read more