The
Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of
the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will
rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up
together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be
with the Lord forever.
1
Thessalonians 4:16-17
New
International Version
THOUGHTS ABOUT
TODAY'S VERSE...
What
do you have that is forever? Most of everything we have falls apart, breaks, or
runs down in a short time. But we have three things that last forever: God, our
Christian friends, and our praise of God. These are eternal.
MY PRAYER...
God,
I look forward to the day of your next great surprise. I join the angels in
standing on tiptoe as I look to the clouds to see my Lord, your Son, return in
glory and receive the welcome and honor he deserves. I praise you for that day
now, even though I see it only by faith. Until I see you on that day, please
know my heart's desire is to serve you, even when my weakness gets in the way
of showing it as fully as I should. My thanks to you in Jesus name. Amen.
THE SACRIFICE OF
PRAISE
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
“Therefore
by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the
fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name”
(Hebrews
13:15, NKJV)
TODAY’S WORD
Have
you ever thought about what it means to continually offer up a sacrifice of
praise? That word “sacrifice” means that it cost you something. It means doing
something when you don’t feel like it. It’s when you say, “God, I’m hurting,
but I give You praise.” “God, I’m lonely, but I give You praise.” “God, it
wasn’t fair. They did me wrong, but I give You praise.”
When
you praise God beyond your feelings, that’s when praise becomes your faith at
work. That’s when praise becomes a weapon. Nothing gets God’s attention any
more than when you call on Him in your time of trouble. When most people would
become negative and bitter, you have a song of praise. You’re thanking God for
who He is and what He will do in your life. You’re not talking about how big
your problems are; you’re talking about how big your God is!
Today,
understand that praise activates God’s power. He commands us to praise because
it opens the door to His victory and blessing. No matter what is happening
around you, worship Him! Declare His goodness and see His restoration in every
area of your life!
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father,
today I choose to praise You. I choose to give You glory no matter what’s
happening in the world around me. I know that You are good and faithful, so I
give You all the praise in Jesus’ name! Amen.
—
Joel & Victoria Osteen
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