THE HAPPINESS OF A GOOD PERSON

PSALMS 112

Praise the Lord!

Happy is the person who honors the Lord,

who takes pleasure in obeying His commands.

The good man’s children will be powerful in the land;

his descendants will be blessed.

His family will be wealthy and rich,

and he will be prosperous for ever.

Light shines in the darkness for good men,

for those who are merciful, kind, and just.

Happy is the person who is generous with his loans,

who runs his business honestly.

A good person will never fail;

he will always be remembered.

He is not afraid of receiving bad news;

his faith is strong, and he trusts in the Lord.

He is not worried or afraid;

he is certain to see his enemies defeated.

He gives generously to the needy,

and his kindness never fails;

he will be powerful and respected.

The wicked see this and are angry;

they glare in hate and disappear;

their hopes are gone for ever.

GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

“Those who are led by God’s spirit are God’s son.” (Rom 8:14)

                                    

PIETY

A pious person is faithful to God as well as to his co-brothers. 

He does all his duties towards God and to his status wholeheartedly and faithfully. Since it is the gift of God, the person having this virtue is called the child of God. 

The mutual love between a son and father are relevant vividly in this blessing.

The experience of immeasurable love of God is beyond the control of human mind and it overflows in the form of tears.  It is so deep that nothing can separate him from the Love of God. 

St. Paul was a faithful servant of God who said once, “Who then can separate us from the love of Christ?  Can trouble do it or hardship or persecution or hunger or poverty or danger or death?  (Rom 8:35)

The gift of piety grants us the strength to tolerate the trials and troubles of day to day life.  Even in the midst of severe hardships one can confess his faith courageously. 

The Holy Spirit is also known as the ‘God of Reverence”.  The Holy Bible says reverence for the Lord is one of the greatest treasures.  God alone trains this gift to His children. “Come young friends and listen to me.  I will teach you to honor your Lord.”  (Psalms 34)

A pious person is able to please his God and enjoy prolonged conversation with Him, as well as obtain a generous heart.  The way to become wise is to honor the Lord.

 St. Paul says, “For what is life?  To me it is Christ, death will bring more.”  (Phil 1: 21)

A pious man would love to sacrifice his life for Christ. In whatever circumstances he is, he chooses the Will of God cheerfully and enjoy praising Him at all times. 

Lord Jesus says, “I always do what pleases Him.”  (John 8:29)

Once Lord Jesus plainly explained to His disciples, “My food is to obey the will of the One who sent me and to finish the work He gave me to do.”  (John 4:34). 

In great anguish also Lord Jesus prayed more fervently, “Not My will, however but Your will be done.”  (Luke 22:42)

Through the above verses Lord Jesus teach us the gifts of Holy Spirit are essential to loyally obey God’s law which is beneficial for us. A pious man can love God’s laws more than he loves himself.

The example of a brave mother and her seven sons encouraging each other to die for the sake of their faithfulness to God is worth meditating.  The mother was the most amazing person who deserves a special place is our memory.  She endured her 7 sons’ cruel death in a single day for the sake of their great trust in God.  She encouraged her sons to die for their faith. She said to them, “I don’t know how your life began in my womb.  She would say, “I was not the one who gave life and breath and put together each part of your body.”  (2 Macc. 7: 22)

Here we can see the reverence of God gives courage to a person to be obedient to God and his authorities till death.  The natural way of obedience will take root in a person when God writes His laws into his heart (Jeremiah 31).  Reverence for the Lord is holy and it has to live forever.

 “To honor the Lord is to hate evil such as pride, arrogance, all evil ways and false words.”  (Prov. 8:13)

The gift of reverence is the key to wisdom and fear of God.  Whoever learns to practice the reverence of God knows the path of peace. (Rom 3 : 17-18).

“Reverence for Lord is the fountain on life which gives confidence and security to a man and his family” (Prov. 14:26)

“Obey the Lord, be humble and you will get riches, honor and a long life.”  (Prov. 22: 4)

God prepares a banquet for him were all his enemies can see it and a good fortune awaits him.  Whoever seeks, receives the gift of piety.  

The Holy Bible says, “Look for it as hard as you would for silver or some hidden treasure.”

The Lord Jesus stood up and said in a loud voice, “Whoever is thirsty should come to Me and drink it.”  One can experience the flow of streams of love of God in his life through the gift of reverence of God.

Kindly Note:

As per the message from God of KLWC, our team will be conducting an in-house 48 hours fasting prayer service from the 28th Aug 2015 to 30th Aug 2015.  Your Thanksgivings and Prayer Requests are welcome.  

PSALMS 36

THE WICKEDNESS OF MEN

Sin speaks to the wicked man deep in his heart ;

He rejects God and has no reverence for Him.

Because he thinks so highly of himself,

he thinks that God will not discover his sin and condemn it.

His speech is wicked and full of lies;

He no longer does what is wise and good.

He makes evil plans as he lies in bed;

Nothing he does is good and he never rejects anything evil.

The goodness of God

Lord your constant love reaches the heavens;

Your faithfulness extends to the skies.

Your righteousness is towering like the mountains;

Your justice is like the depth of the sea.

Men and animals are in your care.

How precious, O! God, is your constant love!

We find protection under the shadow of your wings.

We feast on the abundant food you provide;

You let us drink from the river of your goodness.

You are the source of all life,

and because of your light we see the light.

Continue to love those who know you

And to do good to those who are righteous.

Do not let proud men attack me

Or wicked men make me run away.

See where evil men have fallen

There they lie, unable to rise.

PSALMS 111

In Praise of the Lord

With all my heart I will thank the Lord

in the assembly of his people.

How wonderful are the things the Lord does!

All who are delighted with them want to understand them.

All He does is full of honor and majesty;

His righteousness is eternal.

The Lord does not let us forget his wonderful actions;

He is kind and merciful.

He provides food for those who honor him;

He never forgets his covenant.

He has shown his power to his people

by giving them the lands of foreigners.

In all He does He is faithful and just;

all His commands are dependable.

They last for all time;

They were given in truth and righteousness.

He set his people free

and made an eternal covenant with them.

Holy and mighty is He!

The way to become wise is to honor the Lord;

He gives sound judgment to all who

obey his commands.

He is to be praised for ever.

PSALMS 119: 17-24

THE LAW OF THE LORD

Be good to me, Your servant

so that I may live and obey Your teachings.

Open my eyes, so that I may see

the wonderful truths in your law.

I am here on earth for just a little while;

do not hide your commands from me.

My heart aches with longing;

I want to know Your judgments at all times.

You reprimand the proud;

cursed are those who disobey Your commands.

Free me from their insults and scorn,

because I have kept Your laws.

The rulers meet and plot against me,

but I will study your teachings.

Your instructions give me pleasure;

They are my advisers.

PSALM 8

GOD’S GLORY AND MAN’S DIGNITY

O Lord, our Lord, your greatness is seen in all the world!

Your praise reaches up to the heavens;

It is sung by the children and babies.

You are safe and secure from all your enemies;

You stop anyone who opposes you.

When I look at the sky, which you have made,

at the moon, and the stars, which you set in their places---

what is man, that you think of him;

mere man, that you care for him?

Yet you made him inferior only to yourself;

You crowned him with glory and honor.

You appointed him ruler over everything you made;

You placed him over all creation:

sheep and cattle, and the wild animals too;

the birds and the fish and the creatures in the seas.

O Lord, our Lord, your greatness is seen in all the world!

PSALM 133

IN PRAISE OF BROTHERLY LOVE

How wonderful it is, how pleasant,

For God’s people to live together in harmony!

It is like the precious anointing oil

Running down from Aaron’s head and beard,

down to the collar of his robes.

It is like the dew on Mount Hermon,

Falling on the hills of Zion.

That is where the Lord has promised His blessing—

Life that never ends.

PSALM 63

LONGING FOR GOD

O God, You are My God, and I long for You.

My whole being desires You;

Like a dry, worn-out, and water less land,

My soul is thirsty for You.

Let me see You in the sanctuary;

Let me see how mighty and glorious You are.

Your constant love is better than life itself,

And so I will praise You.

I will give You thanks as long as I live;

I will raise my hands to You in prayer.

My soul will feast and be satisfied,

And I will sing glad songs of praise to You.

As I lie in bed, I remember You;

All night long I think of You,

Because You have always been my help.

In the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.

I cling to You and Your hands keep me safe.

Those who are trying to kill me

Will go down into the world of the dead.

They will be killed in battle,

And their bodies eaten by wolves.

Because God gives Him victory, the king will rejoice.

Those who make promises in God’s name will praise Him,

But the mouths of liars will be shut.

PSALM 92

A  SONG OF PRAISE

How good it is to give thanks to you, O Lord,

To sing in Your honor, O Most High God,

To proclaim Your constant love every morning

And Your faithfulness every night.

With the music of stringed instruments

And with melody on the harp.

Your mighty deeds, O Lord, make me glad;

Because of what you have done, I sing for joy.

How great are your actions, Lord!

How deep are Your thoughts!

This is something a fool cannot know;

A stupid man cannot understand:

The wicked may grow like weeds,

Those who do wrong may prosper;

Yet they will be totally destroyed,

Because you, Lord are supreme forever.

We know that your enemies will die,

And all the wicked will be defeated.

You have made me as strong as a wild ox;

You have blessed me with happiness.

I have seen the defeat of my enemies

And heard the cries of the wicked.

The righteous will flourish like palm-trees;

They will grow like the cedars of Lebanon.

They are trees planted in the house of the Lord,

That flourish in the Temple of our God,

That still bear fruit in old age

And are always green and strong.

This shows that the Lord is just,

That there is no wrong in my Protector. 

ARC OF PRAISE

PART III

The Bible says, “Come, let us praise the Lord! Let us sing for joy to God, who protects us! Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and sing joyful songs of praise. For the Lord is a mighty God, a mighty king over all the gods.”     (Psalms 95: 1-3)

When we pray with a gratitude heart, God’s peace which is far beyond human understanding will keep our heart and mind safe in union with Christ Jesus.

When we praise with a gratitude heart we obtain peace.(Phil. 4)

 He forgives and forgets all our sins and He heals our diseases.        (Psalm 103)

“How happy are the people who worship You, with songs, who lives in the light of Your kindness. Because of You, they rejoice all day long and they praise You for Your goodness and You give us great victory." (Psalms 89) God will bless them with His constant love and His Mercy.They will have a cheerful heart and pleasant face.

When Daniel and his friends were accused of disobedience, the king flew into a rage and ordered his servants to heat the furnace seven times hotter than usual and commanded the strongest men in his army to tie the three together and throw them into it. As per the order, they were thrown into the blazing furnace. Three of them courageously started singing glorious songs of the Supreme God.

God of the Universe intervened and sent his angel to save them. The angel went into the furnace and formed a cool mist among them and they were not hurt at all. The king saw that they were loosened and rejoicing, dancing and praising their God. Soon he commanded his servants to release them. The king too believed in True God and commanded all to worship the Supreme God.

A praising lip can make God perform powerful miracles because the Living God abides in him. Alleluia!!

“Whenever the evil spirit came on Saul, David would get his harp and play it. The evil spirit would leave, and Saul would feel better and be all right again.” (1Sam. 16:23)

By praising we obtain deliverance. Here again the Bible says that they obtain the grace to overcome the boring attitude towards reading the Word of God. God blesses those who are ceaselessly active in praise with a “Gift of Intercession”  to accept Jesus as the King and center of their life.

“You are enthroned as the Holy One, the one whom Israel praises.”

(Psalms 22:3)

These are few among many of the blessings just waiting to flow on an arc of praise.

I wish to remind you that God is not getting any benefit by you honoring Him because He is the origin of all.

“From one man He created all races of mankind and made them live throughout the whole earth. He Himself fixed beforehand the exact times and the limits of the places where they would live. He did this so that they would look for Him and perhaps find Him as they felt about for Him. Yet God is not far away from any one of us.” (Acts 17:26-28)

The Holy Bible warns us to praise God whenever you face hardship or persecution to overcome it.

Paul and Silas were arrested for injustice and they praised God loudly and they were released.

“May you always be joyful in your union with the Lord. I say it again: Rejoice! Show a gentle attitude towards everyone. The Lord is coming soon. 

Don’t worry about anything but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking Him with a thankful heart.” (Phili.4: 4-6) 

Job even in his deepest despair, proclaimed, “I know that there is someone in heaven who will come at last to my defense. Even after my skin eaten by disease, while still in this body I will see God." (Job 19:25-26)

“It is not appropriate for a sinner to sing hymns of praise, because his worship is insincere. A hymn should be an expression of wisdom, inspired by the Lord Himself.” (Sirach 15:9-10)

Again the Bible says: “They know God, but they do not give Him the honor that belongs to Him, nor do they thank Him. Instead their thoughts have become complete nonsense, and their empty minds are filled with darkness.” (Romans 1:21)

The Holy Bible teaches that a sinner cannot praise God because he is under the power of darkness. He will not get inspiration to honor the Lord.

God our Father always blesses us with the knowledge of good and bad. It is our duty to utilize this freedom in an appropriate way.

The Bible says that we should not be hesitant to praise God.

“Be joyfully grateful for the Lord’s mercy and never be ashamed to praise Him.” (Sirach 51:29)

 “The Lord gave me a gift for words, and I have used it in His praise.” (Sirach 51:22)

So understanding God, our Creator, who says, “Listen to this, you that ignore Me or I will destroy you, and there will be no one to save you. Giving thanks is a sacrifice that honors me, and I will surely save all who obey me.” (Psalms 50:23), let us open our inner eyes and step towards the treasury of praise.

                                                                       (TO BE CONTINUED)