Notes of Faith December 22, 2024

Notes of Faith December 22, 2024

Immanuel

In the Greek: Ἐμμανουήλ

EMMANOUEL

The name Immanuel appears twice in the Hebrew Scriptures and once in the New Testament. One of the most comforting of all the names and titles of Jesus, it is literally translated “with us is God” or, as Matthew’s Gospel puts it, “God with us.” When our sins made it impossible for us to come to Him, God took the outrageous step of coming to us, of making Himself susceptible to sorrow, familiar with temptation, and vulnerable to sin’s disruptive power in order to cancel its claim. In Jesus we see how extreme God’s love is. Remember this the next time you feel discouraged, abandoned, or too timid to undertake some new endeavor. For Jesus is still Immanuel — He is still “God with us.”

All this happened so that what the Lord had spoken through the prophet came true: “The virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a Son, and they will name Him Immanuel,” which means “God is with us.” — Matthew 1:22–23

God Reveals His Name in Scripture

Matthew 1:18-23

Open your personal Bible translation and read the same passage. Make note when you see the name IMMANUEL.

18 The birth of Yeshua Christ took place in this way. His mother Mary had been promised to Joseph in marriage. But before they were married, Mary realized that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 Her husband Joseph was an honorable man and did not want to disgrace her publicly. So he decided to break the marriage agreement with her secretly. 20 Joseph had this in mind when an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. The angel said to him, “Joseph, descendant of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She is pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a Son, and you will name Him Yeshua [He Saves], because He will save His people from their sins.” 22 All this happened so that what the Lord had spoken through the prophet came true: 23 “The virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a Son, and they will name Him Immanuel,” which means “God is with us.”

Understanding the Name

The name Immanuel (im-ma-nu-AIL) first appears in Isaiah 7:14 as part of a prophetic word that Isaiah spoke to King Ahaz of Judah (the southern kingdom) at a time when Aram and Israel (the northern kingdom) had formed a coalition against Assyria. The prophet Isaiah counseled Ahaz not to join in their uprising against Assyria, he urged Ahaz to trust in the Lord. Then the prophet invited Ahaz to ask the Lord for a sign to confirm the prophetic word, but the king refused.

In response to Ahaz’s refusal to trust God, Isaiah proclaimed: “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and give birth to a Son, and will call Him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14 NIV

Matthew’s gospel recalls Isaiah’s prophecy, applying it to the child who would soon be born to Mary (Matthew 1:22–23). The sign given hundreds of years earlier was meant for all God’s people. In fact, the Bible is nothing if not the story of God’s persistent desire to dwell with His people. In Jesus, God succeeded in a unique way, becoming a man in order to save the world not from the outside, but from the inside. Immanuel, God with us, to rescue, redeem, and restore our relationship with Him.

Jesus is still Immanuel — He is still “God with us.”

What does this title of Jesus reveal about His nature?

How have you experienced Immanuel — God being with you in your life thus far? See if you can recall a specific time in your life when God seemed especially near or think about all the small signs of his presence in your life.

When have you struggled to believe that God is living up to His name? That he truly is with you?

Matthew begins and ends his gospel (see Matthew 28:20) with the promise that God is with us. How would your life be different if you began and ended each day with the firm belief that God is with you?

Jesus said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (see Hebrews 13:5). How should this truth affect your perspective, especially in difficult times?

Describe times in your life when you have not been with God. How might this have affected your experience of Immanuel?

Thank God for His persistence in pursuing you. Ask Him to increase your confidence in His desire to be with you.

Focus on the meaning of the name Immanuel, God with us, as you read

Psalm 139:7–10.

7 Where can I go to get away from Your Ruach? Where can I run to get away from You? 8 If I go up to Heaven, You are there. If I make my bed in hell, You are there. 9 If I climb upward on the rays of the morning sun or land on the most distant shore of the sea where the sun sets, 10 even there Your hand would guide me and Your right hand would hold on to me.

Look up and read: John 15:9–12

How can you remain one with Immanuel? In His conversation with His disciples just before His death, Jesus assures them that obedience allows them to live in His love. Ask God to lead you into deeper obedience.

Promises from Immanuel

11 But Moses said to Elohim, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the people of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 Elohim answered, “I will be with you. And this will be the proof that I sent you: When you bring the people out of Egypt, all of you will worship Elohim on this mountain.” — Exodus 3:11–12

20 Teach them to do everything I have commanded you. “And remember that I am always with you until the end of time.” — Matthew 28:20

For Deeper Study

Read the following passages, considering the name IMMANUEL and how its meaning relates to the context of the passage.

Genesis 28:15, Exodus 3:11–12, Joshua 1:5–9, Isaiah 8:10, Matthew 28:20, John 14:15–21, 1 Corinthians 3:16, Hebrews 13:5–6

Excerpted from Praying the Names of God for 52 Weeks by Ann Spangler, copyright Ann Spangler.

God has always been with us, will always be with us, but the relationship we have with Him can be very diverse. Do we know Him and continue to pursue the One who created and loves us with a perfect love? Do we know about Him and yet pursue the things of this world to satisfy the desires of a sinful heart? Only God can fill the emptiness within. Through His grace, love and mercy, we are forgiven of sin and given glory, an eternal pure and perfect life with Him! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith December 21, 2024

Notes of Faith December 21, 2024

NOEL—Ways to Celebrate the Season: Love and Laughter

Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”

Psalm 126:2

Comedian Milton Berle said, “Laughter is an instant vacation.” As we come to the last letter of our NOEL acronym, let’s use love and laughter for L. In his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul bragged on the people for their “labor of love” (1:3). He said their love was good news to him (3:6). Then he prayed for their love to “increase and abound” (3:12). He said God had taught them to love one another (4:9) and that they should do so more and more (4:10).

We love our friends and families, despite all the ups and downs that come with close and sometimes complicated relationships. The Lord teaches us how to love one another. Let’s do so more and more. Let’s display our love with laughter. Not hurtful, sarcastic laughter, but the laughter of fun and fellowship. Especially at Christmas. The people in Psalm 126:2 said, “We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, ‘What amazing things the Lord has done for them’” (NLT).

Let your love and laughter be contagious this season.

If God is God…then laughter fits life.

Charles Swindoll

Laughter has often been said to bring healing. It is also often related to love. If someone can laugh at themselves they are at peace with who they are. Laughter seems to be filled with good for the soul and body. Let us awake with joy and laughter for the work of the Lord in our lives each day!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith December 20, 2024

Notes of Faith December 20, 2024

Savior

We know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.

John 4:42

Jesus, Immanuel, Messiah, King of Righteousness, Prince of Peace, Son of David, Cornerstone, Lion of Judah, Morning Star, Redeemer, Lamb of God, Counselor, God, Lord, Word, Advocate, Shepherd, Master, Servant, Holy One, Rabbi, Carpenter!

Recommended Reading:

John 4:39-42

You can find hundreds of names and titles for Jesus in the Bible. One was given by the angels: “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior” (Luke 2:11). The Greek word soter means “someone who can make safe, deliver from a threat and bring safe and sound out of a difficult situation.”

Whenever you need a savior, you need one badly—to save you from drowning, from a fire, from a medical emergency. Jesus does all that and more. When we were sinking deep in sin, He saved us. When we were in danger of hell, He saved us. When we were dying inwardly and eternally, He rescued us. It takes all the names in the Bible to describe Him. But aren’t you glad Savior is among them! Ponder His saving power today and rejoice!

I must have the Savior near me, for I dare not go alone. I must feel His presence near me, and His arms around me thrown.

Fanny Crosby

John 4:39-42

39 From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all the things that I have done." 40 So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41 Many more believed because of His word; 42 and they were saying to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world."

Matt 1:21

21 …you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins

Luke 19:10

The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

Lost in sin and death…saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who alone offers the free gift of salvation, forgiveness and everlasting life!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith December 19, 2024

Notes of Faith December 19, 2024

Tempted and Tested

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Hebrews 4:15

Empathize and sympathize are two English words that are sometimes confused. While the Greek word for sympathy occurs in the Greek New Testament twice (Hebrews 4:15; 10:34), the Greek word for empathy does not. In modern terms, sympathize means “to have pity or sorrow towards another,” while empathize means “to understand and share in the feelings of another.” The meaning of Greek sympathize is more like the meaning of our modern empathize: to suffer with.

One of the benefits of Immanuel—“God with us” as a fellow human—is Christ’s ability to identify with our sufferings, to sympathize with us. “Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested” (Hebrews 2:18, NLT). He had to “be made in every respect like us...so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God” (Hebrews 2:17, NLT). Jesus experienced every pain we experience, “yet without sin.”

When you are tempted or tested, you are not alone. God is with you; He has felt what you are feeling.

One Son God hath without sin, but none without sorrow.

John Trapp

Heb 2:17

He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.

Jesus not only knows all things but has experienced all things as a human. He went through pain and suffering so much so, that many of us will never experience what He did. He is with us in our pain and suffering and is the only One who will never leave you! Struggling with earthly things today? Cry out to God and He will answer… Focus on the end result of knowing and following Jesus. You were made new. You will be made glorious. Time is short. That glory will be here soon. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith December 18, 2024

Notes of Faith December 18, 2024

God With Us

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

Matthew 1:23

The name Immanuel (“God with us”) occurs in Isaiah (7:14; 8:8) and in Matthew 1:23. In Isaiah 7:14, the prophet declared that a virgin would give birth to a son as a sign. The child’s name would be Immanuel. The child was to be a sign that God would be with King Ahaz of Judah in defense of the invading Assyrians.

God had promised to be with Israelites in the Old Testament on numerous occasions. For example, He was with Joshua as Israel entered the Promised Land: “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5). But when it came time for Jesus to enter the world, “God with us” took on a new reality. Matthew showed how the prophecy in Isaiah 7:14 had a more far-reaching meaning. The Son born to the virgin, Mary, would be God incarnate—God in the flesh, God in human form (Philippians 2:6-8).

The implications of the Incarnation are life changing. By the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ is with you at this moment—and for all your days.

By the light of the gospel we see [God] as Emmanuel, God with us.

Matthew Henry

John 1:14

14 And the Word [Jesus] became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

God has always been with His creation but some have separated themselves more than others from Him and His glory. Jesus, the incarnate God/Man, gives us the greatest joy of God being with us. Though in heaven now, Jesus is indeed with us, His Spirit resides in those who believe in Him, and one day He will physically return to claim His bride, the church, and establish His earthly Kingdom for a thousand years. Praise God for His love, patience, forgiveness, redemption, and power over sin and death to those who call on Jesus as their Savior!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith December 17, 2024

Notes of Faith December 17, 2024

The Spice of Death

And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds.

John 19:39

The Magi gave Jesus gold, signifying His kingship, frankincense, signifying His priesthood, and myrrh, signifying the death He would one day submit to (Matthew 2:11). At the time they gave their gifts to Jesus, did they know He would one day die an unusual death? Did they know the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah dying—for example, Psalm 22? We don’t know what they knew, but providentially they gave gifts to Jesus that signified whom He would become: King, Priest, and Savior.

Myrrh was a bitter herb that was used when preparing the body of a deceased person for burial. The apostle John tells us that Nicodemus brought a hundred-pound mixture of myrrh and aloes with which to prepare Jesus’ body for burial after the crucifixion. Myrrh had another use—as a sedative, or pain killer. Mark tells us that Jesus was offered a mix of wine and myrrh as He hung on the cross to deaden His pain—“But He did not take it” (Mark 15:23).

Give thanks today that Jesus “endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2) for your salvation.

The cross shows the seriousness of our sin—but it also shows us the immeasurable love of God.

Billy Graham

Mark 15:22-24

Then they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. 23 They tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh; but He did not take it.

On the cross, really all throughout His earthly life, Jesus took the full brunt of suffering in a huma body…temptations, mocking, hate, physical abuse, heart breaking emotions, even somehow that I cannot yet explain, separation from the Father, when our sins were placed upon Him. Jesus would take no sedative. He would experience the worst of human experience. And yet as God seek to forgive and offer redemption to the worst of sinners. May we recognize the “tough” things that we go through today are certainly not more than our Lord and Savior went through to bring us redemption and glory!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith December 16, 2024

Notes of Faith December 16, 2024

An Anointed High Priest

And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Matthew 2:11

Modern Yemen occupies the southwest coastal corner of the Arabian Peninsula. Many scholars identify this region as the ancient kingdom of Sheba described in the Bible. And the prophet Jeremiah notes that Sheba was the source of the valuable resin known as frankincense: “For what purpose to Me comes frankincense from Sheba” (Jeremiah 6:20).

Ex 30:34-37

34 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Take for yourself spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, spices with pure frankincense; there shall be an equal part of each. 35 "With it you shall make incense, a perfume, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure, and holy. 36 "You shall beat some of it very fine, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I will meet with you; it shall be most holy to you. 37 "The incense which you shall make, you shall not make in the same proportions for yourselves; it shall be holy to you for the Lord

Frankincense has been harvested and traded in Africa and the Middle East for thousands of years. Gleaned from a certain tree as liquid sap that hardens into a resin, frankincense releases a fragrant aroma when burned. It was highly valued in religious and ceremonial services, including in the Old Testament. It was associated with the priestly services in the tabernacle and temple. When the Magi presented frankincense to the baby Jesus, it signified His future role as High Priest for the saints of God (Hebrews 2:17; 4:15).

As High Priest, Jesus is the “one Mediator between God and men” (1 Timothy 2:5) as foreseen by the gift of the Magi.

In his life, Christ is an example...in his intercession a high priest.

Martin Luther

Jesus is the only example of One who is prophet, priest and king. He fulfills all roles of relationship between God and man. He is the God/Man. We worship the One who speaks the Word of God, who serves as our intercessor, our great high priest, and the One who rules over all that is, our King. Give thanks today for God who loves and created a way for relationship with Him after mankind’s disobedience (sin), choosing to believe the lies of Satan instead of the truth of God.

Offer God today the fragrant aroma of your believing faith, trust and hope in Him! A frankincense offering that continues night and day in worship to our faithful God!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith December 15, 2024

Notes of Faith December 15, 2024

Between the Advents

Treasures in the Dark

by Katherine Wolf

Prepare for God’s arrival! Make the road straight and smooth, a highway fit for our God. Fill in the valleys, level off the hills, smooth out the ruts, clear out the rocks. Then God’s bright glory will shine and everyone will see it. Yes. Just as God has said. — Isaiah 40:3-5 MSG

We often forget that four hundred long, tumultuous years are compressed into the single page that bifurcates our holy scriptures into an old and new testament. Within the infinity of that blank page, God’s people waited and waited and waited in the deafening silence and weighty absence of prophetic words or divine appearances. I can only imagine how their once-helpful hope became heavy and burdensome, rather than buoying, as their faith faded in the long-expected Messiah. The ancient promises rang empty, their hope turned to shame, and their suffering bore out no redemption. Isaiah told them to prepare the way for the Lord, but it seemed that Lord had gotten sidetracked on the journey. The God who created and claimed them had abandoned them, by all accounts.

But, in His good timing, God hurled John the Baptist into time and space as the forerunner of their sworn Savior. John’s appearance was a thrill of hope that transformed their passive wait into an activated expectation.

There once was a man, his name John, sent by God to point out the way to the Life-Light. He came to show everyone where to look, who to believe in. John was not himself the Light; he was there to show the way to the Light. — John 1:6-9

John announced the flesh-and-bones manifestation of Christ in the person of Jesus. God graciously allowed Christ, who had already been suffusing God’s story since creation in many different forms, to live in the body of a person. Christ as and in Jesus — Immanuel — allowed humanity to experience, internalize, and empathize with God in an unprecedented way — as a friend, a teacher, a brother. A Man. The simple, surrendered, and selfless way of Jesus rescued humanity from the tyranny of self, and redeemed our suffering as an opportunity for refinement.

This initial advent of Jesus gave us the tools for building the Kingdom of God. Now we find ourselves in a second advent, another kind of intertestamental period in which we anticipate the consummation of God’s Kingdom — the lasting redemption of creation and restoration of humanity. But this time, we don’t have to wait in silence and or suffer in vain. We wait equipped with the example of Jesus, who used His earthly life to evidence how to leverage our suffering into endurance, our endurance into character, and our character into hope (Romans 5:3-5).

We are not the Light; we’re merely reflections of it.

Jesus perfectly endured the sufferings of a human life, as well as the cosmic sufferings of humanity’s scapegoat. He allowed the suffering to push him deeper into compassion, patience, meekness, humility, and hope in the love of our Good Father. He bore out that hope to its ultimate form: resurrection, the transcendence of death and darkness.

With this subversive alchemy, Jesus invites us to build the Kingdom of God not with empires or infrastructure, but with the unlikely mortar of suffering and the intangible stones of hope. Isaiah’s call to straighten the road, fill the valleys, clear out the rocks, and smooth the ruts has nothing to do with the terrain of a highway through a wilderness. Rather, his words are an exhortation to spiritual rehabilitation to prepare a home for Divine Love in the wilderness of our human hearts. Just as a highway cannot be cleared without back-breaking physical labor, our souls cannot be formed into more gracious, patient, and peace-filled shapes without first rubbing against the sharp edges of suffering.

As we inhabit the space between the two advents, the waiting weighs heavy. But we can wait well as Jesus’s current forerunners by emulating John, Jesus’s original forerunner, who used his life to bear witness to the Light. It is a great comfort to remember that we are not the Light; we’re merely reflections of it. When we put ourselves in places only meant for God, we will be crushed under the weight of expectations and burdens we could never begin to bear. We will not suffer perfectly or wait all that patiently, yet we have been sent by God to this time and space, these relationships and influence, for our good and His glory. And this is great news. God invites us to be necessary — indispensable even — to this greater movement of light in the darkness, and that should inspire us to do the things we think we cannot do.

As we bear witness to the Light and share our stories of grace in ordinary places to ordinary people, the waiting — and even the suffering — become oddly sacred.

Story by story, witness by witness, hardship by hardship, grace by grace, we build the heavenly highway through the heart of humanity. For now, we illuminate the not-yet, already-here Kingdom by steadily reflecting the one true Light as best we can. Together, we’ll wait with baited breath and hope-thrilled hearts for Christ to be once, and forevermore, here with us.

Coming again, coming again. Maybe morning, maybe noon, maybe evening and may be soon! Oh what a wonderful day it will be…Jesus is coming again!

We celebrate the birth of our Savior, High Priest, and King of glory, God with us! Some day, perhaps today, He will return to set up His earthly Kingdom, fulfill all His promises prophesied in Scripture and live with His people forever! It is hard to be patient waiting for such a gift…but God’s timing is always perfect. And whether we meet Him passing from death to eternal life, or in the air when He comes to get His bride, the church, it will be the most glorious event that we have ever seen. Praise God from whom all blessings flow… May your days be filled with a close personal walk with God until you see Him face to face!

Merry Christmas!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith December 14, 2024

Notes of Faith December 14, 2024

NOEL—Ways to Celebrate the Season: Express Your Faith

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.

1 Corinthians 3:6

How can we best celebrate Christmas? Our weekend devotions focus on the word NOEL. The N stands for giving to the needy, the O for open your home. Today, let’s think about the E and learn to express our faith. There’s a recent phrase that’s become popular among Christians—“initiating Gospel conversations.” Whenever you find yourself with someone, even a stranger, look around for anything that will help turn the topic gently toward the Lord. Is the person wearing a cross around her neck? Does the message on his t-shirt lend itself to conversation? Do they have a discouraged look on their face?

Many people—not everyone, so be prepared!—will respond positively to a loving spiritual comment, especially at Christmas. Even a Christmas carol in the coffee shop can help you find a point of connection to discuss Christ. We’re not responsible for the harvest, only for the sowing and watering. Perhaps today the Lord will cause your path to cross with someone needing a word of encouragement, allowing you to initiate a Gospel conversation and express your faith.

If you love Christ, never be ashamed to let others see it and know it. Speak for Him. Witness for Him. Live for Him.

J. C. Ryle

2 Tim 1:3-14

3 I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day, 4 longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. 6 For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.

8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, 10 but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. 12 For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. 13 Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.

Preaching the Word of God today! Do not be ashamed or afraid to speak the truth! Say merry “Christ”mas to those you greet during this holiday season. They may not yet have reason to celebrate the way we do. If God gives opportunity, then speak His name. Declare the Lord God sending His eternal Son into the world to save mankind from their sin! What greater gift could we receive? Let the generations hear, that they might come to faith and declare to the next generation the greatest joy of “Christ”mas! May you be blessed in your celebrations, giving thanks for the provision and love of God every day!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith December 13, 2024

Notes of Faith December 13, 2024

The Power of Praise

Then the shepherds went back again to their fields and flocks, praising God for the visit of the angels, and because they had seen the child, just as the angel had told them.

Luke 2:20, TLB

We awaken weary to face the pressures and problems, and we feel our spirits collapsing. What do we do? Try shouting the words of Psalm 106:1: “Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” The simple act of making the decision to lift one’s voice aloud and tell the air around you that you are praising God—well, that will help. A shout of praise can turn the tide of our day.

That’s what the shepherds did, though they weren’t depressed when they did it. They were full of joy! They went back to their lowly assignments among the sheep, glorifying and praising God for all they had seen that night—the angels, the manger, the Christ Child.

Whatever your condition or disposition—praise the Lord right now!

One of the most wonderful things about God is that He lives in our praise. He inhabits the praises of His people...! When we worship Him, it’s not like worshiping some cold and distant deity. He’s a loving God who wants to be with us. And when we worship Him, He is.

Stormie Omartian

Ps 150

150 Praise the Lord!

Praise God in His sanctuary;

Praise Him in His mighty expanse.

2 Praise Him for His mighty deeds;

Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.

3 Praise Him with trumpet sound;

Praise Him with harp and lyre.

4 Praise Him with timbrel and dancing;

Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe.

5 Praise Him with loud cymbals;

Praise Him with resounding cymbals.

6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord!

All things are being worked out according to God’s plan. Yes, we still experience trials and tribulations in our lives, but God is using even those for His glory and our good! Let us give Him praise and revel in His compassion and grace, His very presence in our daily life. Know that He is, that He loves you and wants to have you with Him forever! Seek Him. Pursue Him, and you will find Him very near to you, waiting for you to call out to Him. Praise Him this day and every day!

Pastor Dale