Friday; October 1

When the Lord was establishing the proper way for mankind to relate to Him, He made it a point to let us know that He created us, not the other way around. I believe that one of the reasons God prohibited the use of idols as representations of His nature was the temptation for humans to believe that since they fashioned an image of God, they were somehow responsible for creating and; therefore, controlling Him. While most of us are familiar with the prohibitions against creating an image of God, do we ever give much thought to the process of worshipping Him? I think that one of the temptations we face as humans is trying to come up with ways to worship God. When we invest our energy in developing methods to praise God, we might begin to feel that our words become the focus; however, what is vitally important is the God who is being worshipped. In fact, when we realize the incredible nature of God, we will become humbled in our ability to adequately praise Him. The Bible shifts praise away from mankind’s talent by reminding us that it is the responsibility of all of nature, “Praise the Lord from the earth, sea monsters and all deeps; fire and hail, snow and clouds; stormy wind, fulfilling His word; mountains and all hills; fruit trees and all cedars; beasts and all cattle; creeping things and winged fowl; kings of the earth and all peoples; princes and all judges of the earth; both young men and virgins; old men and children.” (Psalm 148:7-12). Before we get too uppity in our ability to praise God, we should keep in mind that every part of His creation is called upon to praise Him in its own way.
Let’s do our part in praising God, but never lose sight of the object of our efforts. We need to do our best, but not forget He is One who is genuinely praiseworthy.

Think About It!

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