"Praise The Lord From...."

"Praise the Lord!  Praise the Lord from the heavens;..in the heights!..all His angels;..all His hosts!..sun and moon;..all you stars of light!..you heavens of heavens, and you waters above the heavens!...Praise the Lord!"  (From Psalm 148)

Have you ever taken note that the last five Psalms begin and end with, "Praise the Lord"?
Maybe each day should "begin and end" with, "Praise the Lord."  And notice that, "Praise the Lord!" rings throughout the universe, not just in some church gathering. 

First of all, some make a difference between "worship" and "praise"; I don't.  To me, "Praise the Lord," is the same as, "Give unto the Lord the glory due to His Name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness."  Worship and praise are communion, a communion giving all glory, laud and honor to the Living Triune God in Jesus Christ.  There is no longer an "outer court" and an "inner court" which limits Presence.  There is just Presence, "....for Thou art with me."  Whether it is "upbeat" songs or "solemn" ones, the relationship does not change.  It does not change whether I am dancing or bowing.  Life is worship and praise, or at least it should be.  Whether in Church meetings or worship gatherings or here in my chair with the computer I am in His Presence, no more in one location than in another.

Secondly, I think over the years "location" theology has led to a great misunderstanding of what our Lord Jesus has brought us into through His Precious Blood of the Cross.  When Jesus died, "the veil of the Temple was rent in two."  Prior to that great event the saints were only in the "outer court."  In Jesus Christ mankind can now live, dwell, go about life in the, "Most Holy Place."  Since the Cross and Resurrection and Ascension, I now live, "abide," sleep in Jesus, as in what 1 Thessalonians says, "whether we wake or sleep we are the Lord's."  When I awake at night, I am just as much in His Presence as when I am in the greatest worship gathering anywhere.

Much of the "come into the presence" is for religionists to get you into their kingdoms.  It is sort of a "pyramid theology."  An "out-there presence" is not like the "in-here presence."  They believe that you can only experience "great worship" if you are in the right "place."  Of course, there is the command to, "forsake not the assembling," but the Church "assembled" does not have a corner on the Presence of the Living Triune God.  There is no one here with me right now.  I am still, however, in His Presence.  In all of this, I say with the Ancient, "Let all that is within me praise the Lord....Praise the Lord." 

Father, in Jesus' Name, I say with Moses, "If Your Presence does not go with [me]," I have nothing.  Only, "In Your Presence is fullness of joy." Amen.

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

Hebrews 12:2

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Posted By Antipas Prayer Force: to Antipas Prayer Force Devotionals at 12/30/2016 12:54:00 PM

"....To Know...That You May Be Filled...."

"....to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."  (Ephesians 3:19)

There seems to be a sense here that we are called to know ('ascertain') the knowledge of that which surpasses knowledge.  It seems to begin with an "acceptance" of that which is set forth, and from there to an "acquiring," yet never with full understanding or comprehension.  Jesus calls us to know something we cannot know?  Well, perhaps so, at least in the sense that we traditionally think of, "know."

Such a theology can be very frustrating to those who have to know everything "for sure."  Most of life cannot be perceived nor walked out in "for-sured-ness."  Maybe this is a basis for walking in what the Bible calls, "the faith of Jesus."  Our text speaks of, "the love of Christ," as the Bible does of most of what is contained in Holy Writ.  It is not so much a mental knowing as an impartation, maybe as in, "the Words of God," written "in our hearts and in our minds."  I know that in my life time, while I do not fully comprehend all of this, the abiding result is, "....filled with all the fullness of God," without which I would be most helpless.

We have had a very busy week here.  We had Sarah's sister's graveside ceremony last Tuesday.  There has been a sense of sadness in Sarah about all of this.  A week from this coming Saturday we head out for Florida to take care of "things" down there.  In all of this there is this, "....love of Christ which passes knowledge."  A glorious revelation in our text is that somehow when we so walk, we are,   "....filled with all the fullness of God."  What a glorious reality.  It is, "all the fullness of God," which empowers and sustains us.  Colossians tells us that in Jesus, "dwells all of the fullness of God bodily."  And when Jesus dwells in us, reigns in us, we are "equipped" to live in the battles of this life.

Father, in Jesus' Name, I thank You for all of that, "which passes understanding."  Amen.

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

Hebrews 12:2

Netanyahu's Reaction to Kerry "Speech"

PM Netanyahu:

"I must express my deep disappointment with the speech today of John Kerry.  The speech was almost as unbalanced as the anti-Israel resolution passed at the U.N. last week. . .  What he did was spend most of his speech blaming Israel for the lack of peace by passionately condemning a policy of enabling Jews to live in their historic homeland. . .
 
"Hundreds of suicide bombers, tens of thousands of rockets, millions of Israelis in bomb shelters are not throwaway lines in a speech.  They are the realities that the people of Israel have to endure because of mistaken policies. . .  Israelis do not need to be lectured about the importance of peace by foreign leaders. . .
 
"One final point . . . How can you make peace with someone who rejects your very existence?  You see, this conflict is not about houses or communities. . . This conflict is and has always been about Israel's very right to exist. . . The persistent Palestinian refusal to recognize a Jewish state remains the core of the conflict.  The Palestinian rejection of Israel and its support for terror are what the nations of the world should focus on if they truly want to advance peace.  I can only express my regret and say it's a shame that Secretary Kerry does not see this simple truth."
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I have a question.  What have the Arabs done to develop the land they are complaining that the Jews have "taken over"?!?!?  And since when did Jerusalem become so "important" to Arabs?   Answer:  NOTHING and NEVER

Woody

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

Hebrews 12:2