Enjoy God's Freedom: Personal and Private
Thursday, January 2, 2020
Living Free Every Day®
A ministry of LivingFree.org
Today's Scripture
"Let all that I am praise the LORD; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name."
Psalm 103:1 NLT
Thoughts for Today
When we think of praise and worship, we often think of a church service, but worship is not only a corporate activity. In its essence, it is personal and private. It is not performance before men but devotion toward God.
In our private times with God, we should feel free to fully express our praise to him. The ways we show our adoration and praise may vary. The Bible encourages us to clap our hands (Psalm 47:1-2), lift our hands (Psalm 134:2), bow down and kneel (Psalm 95:6), praise him with dance (Psalm 149:3), and sing praises (Psalm 105:2).
No matter what posture or expression of praise we use, let us join the psalmist and praise him with all that we are ... with our whole heart.
Consider this ...
For many of us, our private times of prayer are rushed ... and focused on making requests. But, no matter whether our quiet time is a few minutes or an hour, it is vital that we truly separate ourselves from the activity of the day and focus on God. Not just telling him what we need, but also offering him our thanksgiving ... and our praises. Sometimes this might involve singing or raising our hands or kneeling. Sometimes we might just bow quietly before him and meditate on his goodness. But let us always praise him with our whole heart.
Prayer
Lord, I praise you for your goodness ... your faithfulness ... your love. I thank you that you care about everything that concerns me. I praise you for your gentleness, your forgiveness, your grace. I thank you for always giving me what I need ... and not what I deserve. May I honor you in all that I do. In Jesus' name ...
These thoughts were drawn from ... A Passionate Pursuit of God: Drawing Nearer to Him by Dr. Mike Chapman. This study teaches participant how to move into God's inner circle, how to listen for the voice of God, how to enjoy the freedom of worship, and how to embrace the mission of worship. This 45-minute format will accommodate groups with limited meeting times. Note: This curriculum was written especially for small groups and we encourage people to use it that way. However, it can also be used effectively as a personal study for individuals or couples.
