Enduring praise, is that what is on your lips today?

November 23, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Being a primary teacher for years, I love choral response readings. All the kids are chiming in together, listening to one another and speaking as one voice. Psalm 136 was used as a liturgy of praise. Let’s look at the first 3 verses.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.
²Give thanks to the God of gods,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.
³Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

I love this repetition of reason for our complete trust in God, His steadfast love endures forever. What else in all creation endures forever? God alone is eternal. Therefore, we need to thank Him for His goodness and love, and that He is the Almighty God, above all other gods. He alone is to be our LORD.

I would encourage you today to repeat these lines with a sincere, prayer-filled heart and mind and see if it doesn’t bring His love right into your life. You can depend upon His steadfast love, no matter what. His enduring steadfast love is worthy of our thanks and praise.

Have a blessed day,

Linda

Dipping into the Well of Salvation Brings Joy!

November 10, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Isaiah 12 has 2 short songs of praise that lead us towards thanksgiving. Let these songs of praise create joy and thanks over your salvation.

You will say in that day:
“I will give thanks to you, O Lord,
for though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away,
that you might comfort me.

²“Behold, God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the Lord God is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.”

³With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. ⁴And you will say in that day:

“Give thanks to the Lord,
call upon his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples,
proclaim that his name is exalted.

⁵“Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;
let this be made known in all the earth.
⁶Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”

This psalm gives us a picture of our salvation. God hates our sin but through the well of salvation in Jesus we are forgiven. Being cleansed by the waters of salvation through faith in Jesus’ work on the cross, God brings us into His comforting arms and His anger over sin is turned away. Having drunk deeply from the well of salvation we are compelled to shout and sing His praises with great joy! Thank you Jesus.

May yours be a day of thanksgiving and praise to God as you meditate on His forgiveness, love and redemption in Christ.

Linda

Are you up to it? A month of Thanks and Praise- join me each day…

November 1, 2019January 1, 2020 nofearlindaLeave a comment

As we enter the month of November that has our National Day of Thanksgiving, let us give thanks this whole month long for the things, people, places, hopes and dreams we have within our lives. God is good and worthy of all our praises! Isaiah gives us a song of praise in Isaiah chapter 12. As I look at various verses of thanksgiving this month, this chapter is the key of what our hearts’ attitude must be before Almighty God.

The Lord Is My Strength and My Song

12 You will say in that day:
“I will give thanks to you, O Lord,
for though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away,
that you might comfort me.

²“Behold, God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the Lord God is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.”

³With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

I am a sinner and did not deserve God’s mercy but Romans 5:8 reminds us of God’s love “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” With joy in my heart, I can draw on His mercies from the ‘well of salvation’ and know His forgiveness. Because of faith in Christ and His death and resurrection, I can know the salvation of the Lord and praise His great name. Isaiah explains when you know the ‘well of salvation’ you can: ⁴And you will say in that day:

“Give thanks to the Lord,
call upon his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples,
proclaim that his name is exalted.

Are you ready to give thanks, to shout and proclaim His wondrous deeds? Do you want to let all the world know He is holy God, the only true God? All our joy and thanksgiving comes from God because of what He has done for us. Let us give thanks and let us utter songs of joy and praise to Him all month long. Let the spirit of thanksgiving towards God permeate your very being, dip into that well of salvation, and live out praise and thanksgiving towards God and all the people you meet.

I am looking forward to blogging each day this month with an eye and heart towards thanksgiving.

Linda

Come with me and praise His Name!

June 18, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Last fall I was working on a series based on the names of God. It is essential to our faith to learn as much about God as possible because the more we know God the more we can be assured He is who He says He is and will do all things He promises. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are incomprehensible (an attribute of God) and yet God desires that we know Him. Our finite minds can only take in so much of our omniscient God, but we know from life’s experiences that we can grow and as we do we stretch ourselves to learn more. I love this quote from Daniel 11:32b. Daniel was in a very turbulent time and he wanted to encourage the people that knowing God would give them a firm foundation to withstand the trials of their present day. “but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.” That is my prayer for us too, that knowing more about our God will cause us to stand firmly planted and willing and able to take action for Him.

Psalm 148 is a psalm of praise to God as the creator of all things about earth and the heavens.

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
    praise him in the heights!
²Praise him, all his angels;
    praise him, all his hosts!

³Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all you shining stars!
⁴Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens!

⁵Let them praise the name of the Lord!
For he commanded and they were created.
⁶And he established them forever and ever;
he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away. The psalmist call upon all people to praise His name because of all He has created in the heavens. He continues….

Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all deeps,
⁸fire and hail, snow and mist,
stormy wind fulfilling his word!

⁹Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
¹⁰Beasts and all livestock,
creeping things and flying birds!

¹¹Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
¹²Young men and maidens together,
old men and children!

¹³Let them praise the name of the Lord,
    for his name alone is exalted;
    his majesty is above earth and heaven.
¹⁴He has raised up a horn for his people,
    praise for all his saints,
    for the people of Israel who are near to him.
Praise the Lord! The psalmist calls upon all people to praise the name of the one who created all nature and peoples on the earth.

In verse 13 points us to the name of the creator, the Lord who is worthy of all our praise because He is above all, greater than all He created and He alone is worthy of our praise. If we think the creation is wonderful, it is nothing compared to God himself. The creation pales in comparison to the Creator God. This psalm is a call to all of creation to praise the creator and a reminder that He is greater than all.

I challenge you this summer to come along with me to explore greater depths of God’s character as we look into the Word and focus on Who God is by name. His name is worthy of all praise!

Linda

6th Sunday of Lent, Resplendent with Palms!

April 14, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem the week before Passover and His death on the cross is a wild an joyous event. I have walked the Palm Sunday Road and it is a very steep hill leading down from the Mt. of Olives that leads to the eastern gate. As I walked that road, I could see this scene in my mind that is included in all four gospels.

Matthew 21:1-11 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, ²saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. ³If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” ⁴This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

⁵“Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”

⁶The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. ⁷They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. ⁸Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” ¹⁰And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” ¹¹And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Blessings today as we usher in the final week of Jesus’ life on earth with Palms, Shouts of Hosanna and Praises to Messiah, the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world.

Linda

Jesus entered into the city through the eastern gate that is now closed. In later times the gate was blocked to keep Messiah from entering, not realizing that Jesus had already come that Palm Sunday so long ago.

Suggestion: As you praise God today in worship, choose an attribute of God that you are most thankful for and let God know what it means to you. Consider- Savior, His Grace and Mercy, Sovereignty, Faithfulness, His Hope, His Assurance of Salvation in Jesus, His granting Freedom from Sin or His Provision for you. Praise His Holy Name!

4th Sunday of Lent, A Time of Prayer and Praise

March 31, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

40 days is a long time and it is enough time to establish a habit, overcome an adversary or endure a trial. Do you feel like you are enduring a trying time in your life this Lent? Then, look to Daniel today and see God from His perspective. Daniel was a Jew who was taken from Jerusalem and deported to Babylon. He and his friends were smart and resourceful and were a part of the king’s wise men. The king had a dream and no one seemed to be able to tell him the meaning of it. He got frustrated and ordered all the ‘wise’ men killed. Daniel heard about this and ran to tell his friends, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah. He asked them to pray and ask God for mercy concerning this mystery. During the night God revealed to Daniel the meaning of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Here is Daniel’s praise to God from Daniel 2:20-23.

“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
    wisdom and power are his.
²¹He changes times and seasons;
    he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise
    and knowledge to the discerning.
²²He reveals deep and hidden things;
    he knows what lies in darkness,
    and light dwells with him.
²³I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors:
    You have given me wisdom and power,
you have made known to me what we asked of you,
    you have made known to us the dream of the king.”

Do you share Daniel’s high view of God? Daniel knew from first hand experience that God was sovereign, all powerful, eternal, wise, light, and worthy of praise. Where do you need strength or knowledge today? Ask Him like Daniel did then praise Him even before He answers.

Linda

Suggestion: As you journey through this day, keep Daniel’s prayer of praise in your mind. When you encounter difficulties, pray immediately and leave it to God. Then wait expectantly for His answers.

1st Sunday of Lent

March 10, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Lenten Sunday’s are a time apart to get recharged and worship our Savior. These last weeks I have been studying King David’s life and was brought to my knees by Psalm 51. David wrote this psalm after his great sin with Bathsheba and the ordering of the death of Uriah, her husband. David’s confession is real, heartfelt and gives us hope that God can indeed forgive all our sins and restore us. Be restored and seek God’s forgiveness as you meditate. Psalm 51: 1-4, 10-12, 17

Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
    blot out my transgressions.
²Wash away all my iniquity
    and cleanse me from my sin.

³For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.
⁴Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.

psalm 51 10 David acknowledges his sin and knows God can forgive and wash him clean.

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

David knows God can restore, renew and bring joy where there was sorrow over sin.

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.

David’s humbly offers God is his broken and sorrowful heart.

Prayer: May it be so with me too. Forgive my sins and create in me a new restored, resolved and committed heart to serve you. Amen.

Linda

Suggestion: attend a worship service really focusing on the praise and worship of God, so that you can soak in His restoring power.

Praise and Thanksgiving on our lips today! Good-bye 2018!

December 31, 2018 nofearlinda1 Comment

On this last day of 2018, we conclude with the final chorus of the Messiah. The scene is the throne room of heaven in John’s vision and Jesus is being praised and worshiped. Revelation 5:9-13

⁹And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
    from every tribe and language and people and nation,
¹⁰and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
    and they shall reign on the earth.”

¹¹Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, ¹²saying with a loud voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”

¹³And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

They begin by singing a new song. In the Old Testament, a new song was sung to celebrate and act of divine deliverance or blessing. Here the creatures and angels are praising Jesus, the Lamb, who delivered all mankind through his blood. Jesus is worthy to receive all power, wealth, wisdom, honor and blessing because of the ransom He paid with His blood on the cross. All heaven and earth will praise Him! What a glorious scene this will be. Jesus, the sacrificial lamb, is Worthy of all Praise!

And so… what a fitting way to end our year. Let us praise our Savior and Redeemer. Let your lips utter praise today for all this last year has brought both good and bad. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Ponder the difficulties you’ve had in your life this year in light of James 1:2-4 “²Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,³for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.⁴And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Let us take the adversity we experienced and the blessings we received and offer them up to Jesus today as and offering of praise and thanksgiving.

Linda

The Conclusion of the Messiah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSHxrkQcEAk

Who is your King of Glory?

December 21, 2018 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Psalm 24:7-10 comes alive through the hands of Handel in the Messiah. As I read the words I can hear melody as he accentuates them. They are words that have been sung many times over the ages from David to today- if you have time, listen to Chris Tomlin’s version of these ancient words too. Lift up your heads, you gates;
    be lifted up, you ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in.
⁸Who is this King of glory?
    The Lord strong and mighty,
   the Lord mighty in battle.
⁹Lift up your heads, you gates;
    lift them up, you ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in.
¹⁰Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty—
    he is the King of glory.

David first penned these words to celebrate the return of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. David realized the ark represented the dwelling place of God among them and wanted God to be in their midst. This song shows the emotional return of the Lord to Zion. It points to the Lord’s triumphant return. This occurred in David’s time with the return of the ark, in Jesus’ time with His arrival in Jerusalem on the back of a donkey and points to Jesus’ return at the end of time. Matthew 21:9 records the crowd’s praise as Jesus entered Jerusalem. “The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” In John’s vision we see Christ returning to the city, Revelation 19:11-13 “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. ¹²His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns.He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. ¹³He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.”

The psalmist questions, Who is this King of glory? The Lord Almighty—
he is the King of glory. His conclusion points to the sovereignty, power, and magnificence of God. How would you answer this question? Is God your Lord God's glory Almighty? Do you see and recognize Him as the King of all heaven and earth and see a world filled with glory? The Glory of God is by definition the sum total of all God’s attributes. Throughout history God has revealed His power, mercy, grace, judgement, holiness, love, kindness and every other attribute. In the Old Testament God was symbolically present with the people in the glory cloud known as the Shekinah glory. God indwelt the tabernacle and later the temple. Today God dwells with us through His Holy Spirit that indwells every believer. The Lord Jesus Christ reveals God’s glory completely!

Ponder anew today the glory of God revealed in Jesus His Son. Celebrate His coming this Advent Season with joy and praises! The Lord Almighty—
he is the King of glory. Open the doors of your heart and let Him in for He is strong, mighty and filled with glory!

Linda

Here is another more modern rendition of the ancient words by Chris Tomlin- enjoy!

For Love’s Sake He Came!

December 15, 2018 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Part 2 of Handel’s Messiah returns to Isaiah for some prophecies of Jesus and what His time on earth will bring to pass. Isaiah 53:3 “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.” Isaiah 50:6 “I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.” Both of these prophecies were given hundreds of years before Messiah was born. They tell of the pain and suffering He was to endure both mental and physical. He was going to be despised, rejected, suffer beatings, insults, mocking and would be spit upon. During His ministry He was rejected and despised, Mark 8:31 “He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.” He would be beaten, insulted, mocked and spit upon. Matthew 27:26-32 “Then he (Pilate) released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. ²⁸They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, ²⁹and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. ³⁰They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. ³¹After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.”

What do these prophecies say to us today during the Season of Advent? Jesus came willingly that Christmas into a world that would reject and hate Him. He came because He loves us. John 3:16 says it best, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Because of His LOVE, He came. Praise Him today for coming and celebrate His victory over sin on our behalf. “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57

Linda

Fearless Living

by Linda Knight Inspirational Christian devotions, faith, hope and love

Tag: praise

Enduring praise, is that what is on your lips today?

Dipping into the Well of Salvation Brings Joy!

Are you up to it? A month of Thanks and Praise- join me each day…

The Lord Is My Strength and My Song

Come with me and praise His Name!

6th Sunday of Lent, Resplendent with Palms!

4th Sunday of Lent, A Time of Prayer and Praise

1st Sunday of Lent

Praise and Thanksgiving on our lips today! Good-bye 2018!

Who is your King of Glory?

For Love’s Sake He Came!

	Focus on the Things… on Ready to choose your Word?? St…
	Leigh on Ready to choose your Word?? St…
	Joseph Inspires Fili… on Advent…Joseph’s Ex…