Christ Church Daily Devotion May 29 2024

The transcription is a daily devotion for May 29th, 2024, focusing on Psalm chapter 148. The psalm celebrates the awesomeness of God and calls all of creation to praise Him. It emphasizes that praising God resets our spirit and leads us to love and serve others. Praising God is different from giving thanks, as it involves recognizing His characteristics. Both praises and thanksgivings can be expressed through actions. The devotion encourages reading Psalm 148 and letting it be a prayer of praise. It also suggests being observant of the vastness of God's creation throughout the day. Welcome to Christchurch's Daily Devotion for May 29th, 2024. Today, we'll be reading from Psalm chapter 148. Hallelujah! Praise God from heaven. Praise Him from the mountaintops. Praise Him, all ye angels. Praise Him, all His warriors. Praise Him, sun and moon. Praise Him, you morning stars. Praise Him, high heaven. Praise Him, heavenly rain clouds. Praise, oh let them praise the name of God. He spoke the word, and there they were. He set them in place, from all time to eternity. He gave His orders, and that's it. Praise God from earth, you sea dragons, you fathomless ocean deeps. Fire and hail, snow and ice, hurricanes obeying His orders, mountains and all hills, apple orchards and cedar forests, wild beasts and herds of cattle, snakes and birds in flight, earth's kings in all races, leaders and important people, robust men and women in their prime, and yes, gray beards and little children. Let them praise the name of God. It's the only name worth praising. His radiance exceeds anything in earth and sky. He's built a monument, His very own people. Praise from all who love God, Israel's children, and intimate friends of God. Hallelujah. This week we are focusing on the vastness of God and God's purpose for all of creation. Psalm 148 is a psalm of praise which celebrates the awesomeness of God through the lenses of all that God has created, calling all of creation to praise God. Psalm 136-150 are a series of songs of praise, all opening and closing with Hallelujah, or as translated into the English language, Praise the Lord. In Psalm 148, you might want to count the number of times the word Hallelujah and or Praise is written. Then observe the vastness of all of creation being called to praise the Lord. From the highest heavens to the ocean's depths and everything and everyone in between, we are all called to praise God. This brief psalm holds timeless truths, deep wisdom, and the call to be people who praise God. First, in praising God, we remember that we are the ones who have been created and we are not the creator. God created, understands, and has compassion for our own limitations. Praising God resets our spirit, mind, and body and opens our hearts to the ways of God in leading us to love and serve others. Praising God is different than giving thanks to God. Both are important parts of our relationship with God. Praising is recognizing the characteristics of God and thanksgiving is expressing gratitude for what God has done and is doing. Both praises and thanksgivings can be more than words. We can offer these through actions too. Helping and serving others and or being who God has called you to be are also ways of giving praise and thanksgiving unto God. The sun, moon, and morning stars praise God by being who they are. Listening to the birds in our yard, there is a morning bird whose work is to awaken all the other birds and there is an evening bird whose work is to say the sun has set, it's time to sleep. Their work is their praise of their creator. Your personal worship option today? Read Psalm 148 again and maybe, if possible, read it out loud. Let it be a prayer of praise from your heart to God's heart today. And throughout today, be an observer of the vastness of all God's creation. Amen.