Great Is The Lord; He's Greatly To Be Praised...

"For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the people are idols: but the LORD made the heavens. Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place."

1 Chronicles 16:25-27

The Lord deserves nothing but your very best; the writer today reminds us For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods… This very passage affirms what we studied yesterday when looking at the life of John in the revelation which he received from the Lord… On yesterday we called to remembrance the trials that John endured which led to his exile and the fact that he wrote great and marvellous are thy works; today we continue down this road of focusing on praising God instead of complaining… In this passage the ark of the Lord has returned to Jerusalem; David has led a mighty battle against the Philistines and prevailed, after this season of war David calls for burnt offerings to be presented to the Lord and appoints Levite ministers to offer praises unto our God… Asaph leads the way in praise as these verse are recorded… I recall the things leading up to these verses to make the point that your battles in your life will occur; situations will have to be faced and you must have the ability to endure knowing that in the end your victor is guaranteed and praise is your command… Notice that Asaph says that the Lord is greatly to be praised; however, he goes on to say he also is to be feared above all gods… So many of us praise the Lord, but we lack the reverence and admiration we are called to have for Him… When this ingredient is missing, our praise suffers… The words of God are above our ability and fear allows His hand to move on your behalf… You have to put God first in your life, above all gods if you want to experience is favor and blessings… There are many of us which claim to have placed the Lord first in our lives, but sadly we have other gods that we praise and fear… We fear losing our jobs, relationships and money… Understand today that a god is something that is seen as supreme, overseer or divine… Often times we speak of and use the word God when it comes to religion or spiritual conversation; however, we are reminded in the book of Chronicles today that there can be other gods in our lives… The question that I pose to you today is; what have you made as “gods” in your life…? Whether we realize it or not, whomever you serve, whomever you see as the supernatural or the ruler of your life is your god… I say that because a lot of us have made gods of our money, economic standing and other worldly things… It’s scary to think about this; however this is a fact of life and many people don’t even comprehend it… We place money and the need for it above the need for love in our homes… We place cars and the need for transportation above driving toward obtaining the will Christ has in store for us… When we place value on material things that is fine; however when we place them above the desire for God or our faith in God that is when we fall short and become victim to the things which are written about in these scriptures… Instead of worrying about what you don’t have, thank God for what you do have…

Instead of being upset about the little money you have, be thankful that you have some and aren’t out on the streets…We have sought things of this world which have become our primary focus on this earth which then places the only true and wise God as in afterthought in our minds… Notice that the writer says, “For all the gods of the people are idols…” Idols are things which made or created images that represent or a fashioned to be gods… We must examine our lives today, knowing and trusting that as this scripture has stated we can align ourselves with things that are not God and make them gods by giving them authority over our lives… The writer of Chronicles reminds us today that the Lord truly is GREAT… Let us take this time to simply give God the praise for all His bountiful blessings and provisions… So often we take the goodness of God for granted, we belittle the impact of God’s saving grace in our lives and overlook all that He has already done… The writer says that “He is to be feared above all gods…” Elijah once ordered for logs to be soaked and a moat built around an altar; after this was done he prayed unto the Lord and God answered by sending fire down upon the earth which consumed the logs (even while they were drenched with water) and dried up the moat that was built… All this happened so that mankind would come to know that there is indeed ONLY one God… We have heard of different religions and different gods; however, we are reminded today that there is only one who deserves your praise; there is only one who deserves honor and one who has a name that reigns above every other name… All the other gods that people serve are idols (images that are created by man to be looked upon)… The God I serve wasn’t made by man but made man in His own image… The psalmist once wrote that the earth is the Lords and the firmament showeth His handiwork… If you ever doubt that there is a God just look around, ask yourself how the seas were formed, how man was made and how plants grow… The flowers that bloom every spring show God’s hand at work, all the rain that comes in the midst of a drought is God’s hand at work, the change of the seasons and the vast stars in the sky show proof that God made the heavens and has all power in the palm of His hand… Understanding that there is only one God teaches us today to not be lead astray by the ways of the wicked or the devices of the devil… If you want to make sure that you are serving the One and Only God all you have to do is look at what encompasses your relationship with Him… The writer says, “Glory and honor are in His presences…” Glory is magnificence, splendor and beauty… Honor is tribute, respect and admiration… When you are serving the true and wise God you will bare witness to the beauty that defines Him, you will admire the splendor of His holiness and desire to walk with Him all the day long… There is only one who clothed Himself in humanity, there is only one who thought it not robbery to leave His home in glory, there is only one who was stretched out on a cross, there is only one who hung His head and died and there is only one who rose and has all power in the palm of His hand… His name is wonderful, counselor, prince of peace, He is Alpha and Omega, He is the beginning and the end and He is forevermore… Find strength when you call on the name of Jesus, find gladness when you focus on His will and when you obtain those things, you will know that you are serving THE LORD!!!

BE BLESSED!!!