Praise Around the Throne

Rev 7:9-17

Read 9-12

A Multitude from the Tribulation

9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; 10 and they cry out with a loud voice, saying,

“Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying,

“Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

One of the best quotes I ever heard about praise came from Leon Trombley.  ”It is easier to hold a tempest in a teacup than a heartful of silent praise.” That is so true.  And  in this scene from the book of the Revelation, we witness the heavenly choir bursting out in praise to our Lord an Savior, silent no more.

We hear the phrase “Praise and Worship” so often that we tend to think of it as one activity.  But praise is that activity that leads up to worship.  It is the act of letting us show God how much we love HIm, how much we recognize just who He is.  Worship, on the other hand, is when we bow before His throne in awe.  Praise is often accompanied by instruments, worship often takes place during a heavy silence.  Praise is normally sung, while worship can be unspoken.

Have you ever attended church where the services were in a foreign language?  It is amazing, isn’t it, that although you may not understand the words, the meaning of the words is easily discernible.

I think of the setting in these verses, and wonder if the praise expressed here will be similar to Pentecost, when each person spoke in his own language, or if there will be something like a heavenly language which every tongue will speak and every ear will understand.

While we will not clearly understand these events as described in Revelation 7 until the veil is removed from our eyes and our understanding, we can know clearly and succinctly that praise and worship are natural events in heaven, and therefore they should be natural events here.

Praise Him, all you children of the earth, for He is good and His mercy endures forever.  Amen

Whatever is commendable, think on these things

Phil 4:8 Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you. 10 I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned for me, but had no opportunity to show it. 11 Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

What a wealth of information and indeed encouragement is contained in these few verses. Have you noticed that when we think on or dwell on the negative, then it is as though we are operating under a cloud of gloom?  We read criticism into things that are said to us, we expect bad things to occur, and we do not give others or ourselves a chance to succeed.  Yet, when keep our mind fixed on the things of God, even though our circumstances may not be any different, we develop an ability to react to our circumstances as Christ would.  

Contentment is one of those states of being that can bring with it a true peace, and it is only in Christ that we find both contentment and peace.  Yet, too often we seek for these these elsewhere, only to be disappointed.

If you are living a life that is lacking contentment, turn to the Holy Scriptures for comfort and guidance and you will begin to experience life out from under a cloud of gloom and instead will dwell in the light of His love.

The importance of preparation

Today’s scripture is 1 Chronicles 22:1-5

1 Chronicles 22:1-5

22 Then David said, “The house of the Lord God^(A) is to be here, and also the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”

Preparations for the Temple

² So David gave orders to assemble the aliens^(B) living in Israel, and from among them he appointed stonecutters^(C) to prepare dressed stone for building the house of God. ³ He provided a large amount of iron to make nails for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings, and more bronze than could be weighed.^(D) 4 He also provided more cedar logs^(E) than could be counted, for the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought large numbers of them to David.

⁵ David said, “My son Solomon is young^(F) and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the Lord should be of great magnificence and fame and splendor^(G) in the sight of all the nations. Therefore I will make preparations for it.” So David made extensive preparations before his death.

The context of today’s scripture is that David has been told by God that he cannot build the temple for the Lord because he has spilled too much blood.  Because David feels that Solomon is too young to make adequate preparations for the building of the temple, David himself begins to gather all of the materials needed to build a temple of splendor for the Lord.

David gathered bronze and cedar logs and had stonecutters prepare large stones for the building of the temple.  He provided such large quantities of these materials that it is speculated he had acquired many of them as spoils of the wars he had fought.  All of this was done in David’s old age and just prior to his death.

Have you ever felt God was calling you to do something, and in your eagerness to please God you rushed in without proper preparation?  Failure to prepare is more common that one might think, particularly in kingdom pursuits.  Why?  Perhaps one reason is that some people believe if it is God’s will and God’s plan, then God will provide. However, such an approach often produces shoddy results, which most certainly is not part of God’s plan.

Having faith that God will provide and therefore failing to make preparations for what God has set before you is like walking a tightrope.  You might begin with confidence, carefully placing one foot in front of the other, but before too long the distance seems to have lengthened and your balance becomes unsteady.  

I teach adult Bible studies and although there have been occasions when I had to teach without adequate preparation, when I know I am to teach I spend hours in the Word and in planning and preparing the lesson.  I believe both the class and my God deserve the time I devote to this endeavor.

Has God called you into service?  Whether your job is greeting on Sunday morning or helping folks find a parking place, or teaching, preparation is vital to the success of what God has called you to do.  If you are greeting, do not be so concerned about what you will wear that you fail to get to church on time, and thus your spirit is in turmoil and your greeting is less than cheerful.  If you are helping people park, make sure you do it with a smile on your face and a willing spirit.  If you are teaching, ask God to give you new and fresh insights into His word.

Col. 3:23 tells us that whatever we do, do it with all of our heart as if working for the Lord.  May you today and every day prepare and work with one goal in mind–pleasing the Lord.  God bless you as you seek to accomplish His will.

Beginning Again

It has been quite some time since I posted on “Seeking Holiness.”  So, what happened?  Did I stop seeking after holiness?  Not at all.  I simply stopped writing about it.  But, after reading some of my old posts it seemed a good idea to begin again.  

There is something about reflecting upon and then writing about Scripture that infuses my spirit with the desire to go farther and deeper in my relationship with God.  So, beginning now I will resume my online journaling of my Bible reading and prayer.  Join me, won’t you, as we seek after holiness with our whole hearts.

2010 in review

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Fresher than ever.

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 4,900 times in 2010. That’s about 12 full 747s.

 

In 2010, there were 36 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 90 posts. There were 48 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 30mb. That’s about 4 pictures per month.

The busiest day of the year was November 22nd with 64 views. The most popular post that day was New thoughts on holiness.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were search.aol.com, aaronlivesy.wordpress.com, mail.yahoo.com, google.com, and authorsden.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for feed my sheep, 3d cross, lazarus, wooden cross, and seeking holiness.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

New thoughts on holiness October 2009

2

There will always be good and evil–Choose good October 2009

3

Whom the Son sets free is free indeed April 2010
1 comment and 1 Like on WordPress.com,

4

And they were still following the signs… December 2009

5

The Death of Lazarus May 2010

Christmas Time in Arkansas Again – KATV Channel 7 – The Spirit of Arkansas:

Christmas Time in Arkansas Again – KATV Channel 7 – The Spirit of Arkansas:.

May it be to me as you have said

Luke 1:28; 30; 35; 38 …”Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” …But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God…The angel answered,”The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you…For nothing is impossible with God.” I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered.  “May it be to me as you have said.”  Then the angel left her.

I have not posted in quite some time, but I could not let the Christmas season pass without spending some time praising our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.  Have you ever been so afraid you were literally paralyzed?  Imagine for a moment how a young teenage girl would feel when approached by an angel.  If that were not enough to cause such fear, he delivered news that she could scarcely comprehend–she was to be the mother of God.

Look for a moment at some of the key statements in these scriptures, and if you have time look up Luke 1:26-38 in your Bible and read the entire verses to give you a better understanding of the dynamics of this meeting.

1. Mary was highly favored and God was with her
2. Mary responded by saying she was the Lord’s servant
3. Mary further responded by saying, “May it be to me as you have said.”

How does one find favor with God?  We know God’s favor cannot come through works, because Isaiah 64:6 says, “our works are as filthy rags.”  It is only through faith that any of us can receive God’s favor, and by His grace which was prepared for us from the foundation of the world.

Mary lived in a time when a woman found guilty of adultery was subject not only to divorce but possible stoning.  Although Mary was quite young she would have been aware of the implications of pregnancy outside of marriage.  Yet, she responded, “May it be to me as you have said.”

God gave His only Son that we might live; Jesus was born to die upon a cruel cross that we might be reconciled to the Father.  In 1 Sam 15:22 we are told obedience is better than sacrifice.  May we have the courage of our convictions and the power of faith in He whose birth we celebrate each December to respond as Mary, “may it be done to me as you have said.”