The King Family: December 2010

Friday, December 31, 2010

Psalm 34

I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.
My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.
Psalm 34:1-3

Extol means to praise highly, to bless, to glorify, exalt or celebrate.

The Message version of the Bible records verse 1 this way: "I bless God every chance I get; my lungs expand with his praise."

I found an online commentary that made three points about what David is doing in this passage.

He is:
Resolving to praise God constantly (I will bless the Lord at all times)
Committing to praise God openly (his praise will always be on my lips)
Desiring to praise God heartily (my soul will boast in the Lord)

I have been listening to Beth Moore lately. This quote struck me because of what I read in Psalm 34:
"We are going to most believe what we most rehearse. There is power in the words coming out of our mouth. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. It is the bread of life. Lets change our complaints to praise."
Oh, how convicting these words are. I will most believe what comes out of my mouth most often. If I follow Psalm 34, what comes out of my mouth should be praises to God and glory to Him.

Do I bless God every chance I get?
Do my lungs expand with his praise?
Do I praise him constantly, heartily and openly?

There is power in our words. The Word of God is the bread of life and if we speak the Word, we are speaking life, truth, praises and blessings. We are bringing glory to God and growing our faith - all at the same time.

In this new year, may I cease striving more, and instead strive to praise, bless and bring glory to my God.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

the Christmas Tree

One of my favorite things to do during the Christmas season, is to sit in the living room with all the lights off except for the lights on the Christmas tree. That's where I'm sitting now.

It's so....peaceful. I am just sitting here thinking and praying.

I just love our tree. It is very special to me. I love to just look at the ornaments and think about when we got each one and from whom and for what occasion.

In the spirit of Christmas, I encourage you to take time before you go to bed some night to shut off the lights, the television or whatever keeps your mind preoccupied, and just sit in the presence of the lit Christmas tree.

Pray. Sing. Read. Blog. Relax. Sleep. Journal. Cuddle with a loved one. Think.

Just enjoy the simplistic beauty of the Christmas tree. We have a star ornament on the tree and I love to let my eyes travel to the star and think about the wise men who saw the star in the East and followed it to Jesus.