Who God Is

Reading 1 Chronicles this morning and Chapter 29 made me pause.

Take a moment to read 1 Chronicles 29, especially verses 10-20. 

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Chronicles+29%3A10-20&version=NKJV

Look at the descriptive words used to talk about the Lord and all He does. Then re-read it and notice how many times, the idea that all we have comes from God. 

This may be a passage I take time to study deeper. But for now, I'll focus on the greatness of who God is.

“Blast the News”

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 150. Here is what I learned.

Praise Him with trumpet sound; praise Him with lute and harp! Psalm 150: 3 (AMP)

Praise Him with the blast of trumpets high into the heavens, and praise Him with harps and lyres. Psalm 150:3 (VOICE)

Does God hear my praise? Do those around me, hear my praise to God? Or do I praise God silently and very quietly? 

Each and every day I should be blasting on the trumpet—praise to God for who He is! I should be shouting it for all to hear—most importantly for God to hear! Oh, God can hear the quietest whispers, for even my thoughts are words to God.... but why whisper God’s great goodness—that is “blast worthy news!” 

Praise God in prayer is the first way to “blast the news”. The second way to “blast the news” is to tell others about who God is, and what He’s done. And lastly, I need to be living my life in accordance with God’s Word, as a way to “blast the news”. 

How many times have it missed the opportunity to “blast the news” of God’s greatness because I didn’t take the time to notice God? How many times have I missed the opportunity to “blast the news” of God’s greatness to others, because I was more concerned with what they’d say? How many times have I missed the opportunity to “blast the news” of God’s greatness simply because I was too busy? 

To create a positive day I need to “blast the news” of God’s greatness, first to Him, then to those around me. 

Louder and Louder

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 96. Here is what I learned.

For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; He is to be reverently feared and worshiped above all [so-called] gods. Psalm 96:4 (AMP)

For the Eternal is great indeed and praiseworthy; feared and reverenced above all gods, the True God shall be. Psalm 96:4 (VOICE) 

“For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised." He is no petty deity, presiding, as the heathen imagined their gods to do, over some one nation, or one department of nature. Jehovah is great in power and dominion, great in mind and act; nothing mean or narrow can be found in him or his acts, in all things he is infinite. Praise should be proportionate to its object, therefore let it be infinite when rendered unto the Lord. We cannot praise him too much, too often, too zealously, too carefully, too joyfully. 

He deserves that nothing in his worship should be little, but all the honour rendered unto him should be given in largeness of heart, with the utmost zeal for his glory. "He is to be feared above all gods." Other gods have been worshipped at great cost, and with much fervor, by their blinded votaries, but Jehovah should be adored with far greater reverence. Even if the graven images had been gods they could not have borne comparison for an instant with the God of Israel, and therefore his worship should be far more zealous than any which has been rendered to them. He is to be feared, for there is cause to fear. Dread of other gods is mere superstition, awe of the Lord is pure religion. Holy fear is the beginning of the graces, and yet it is the accompaniment of their highest range. Fear of God is the blush upon the face of holiness enhancing its beauty. The Treasury of David

Greatly: louder and louder

Not only is God, GREAT, exceedingly higher than anything, our praise to God is to get LOUDER and LOUDER! 

Think for moment as the roar of a crowd begins to realize they won.... the roar grows as reality sets in and the joy of the moment overwhelms the fans. That’s how my praise should be to God. As I continue to grasp the greatness, the exceedingly abundance of God, my praise to Him will grow louder and louder! 

To create a positive day, my praise to God Almighty needs to grow louder and louder as I learn and grasp the greatness of God!

Little Things and the Big Things

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 150. Here is what I learned.

Praise him for his strength; praise him for his [abundant] greatness. Psalm 150:2 (EXB)

Praise Him for His great works! Praise Him for all His greatness! Psalm 150:2 (NLV)

"Praise him for his mighty acts." Here is a reason for praise. In these deeds of power we see himself. These doings of his omnipotence are always on behalf of truth and righteousness. His works of creation, providence, and redemption all call for praise; they are his acts, and his acts of might, therefore let him be praised for them. "Praise him according to his excellent greatness." His being is unlimited, and his praise should correspond therewith. He possesses a multitude or a plenitude of greatness, and therefore he should be greatly praised. There is nothing little about God, and there is nothing great apart from him. If we were always careful to make our worship fit and appropriate for our great Lord how much better should we sing! How much more reverently should we adore! Such excellent deeds should have excellent praise. The Treasury of David

“There is nothing little about God, and there is nothing great apart from him.” I like that. Nothing little about God.... and nothing great apart from Him. Wow. 

When I think of the “little” things that God has done and continues to do in my life, I’m overwhelmed with praise and awe. He is a God of details. Nothing is too small for Him to take care of... but He, Himself is not small. 

Then when I think of the “big” things God has done and continues to do in my life, I’m overwhelmed at God’s generosity and goodness towards me. And once again, I’m filled with praise and awe. 

God is great, magnificent, powerful..... but He’s also loving, kind, and shows great attention to the “little things” in my life. That’s why I praise God!  

Taking notice of the little things and the big things that God does, produces praise and that in turn creates a positive day!  

What? Who? Where? Why? How?

Throughout this year, each day of the month, I'm "Treasure Hunting" in a Psalm. I've created a "Ponder Every Morsel of Truth" Book to record the truths as I learn them. The Fourteenth of each Month, I'm studying Psalm 150. Here's what Treasure I found today.

What? Who? Where? Why? How? Five questions journalists include when writing a news report. What is happening? or What is about to happen? Or what should happen? Who is involved? Who is affected? Where does it take place? Why is it happening? Why should it happen? How does it happen? 

In Psalm 150 David, the Psalmist, answers the specific questions. 

What? The “what” is PRAISE. If you’ve been following the Ponder Morsel posts, the theme of many of them, have been Praise. 

Who? To Whom is our Praise directed? Psalm 150 begins “halelu-yah, praise ye Jehovah”. 

Praise God, or the strong God. Praise him who is Jehovah, the infinite and self-existent Being; and praise him who is God, El or Elohim, the great God in covenant with mankind, to bless and save them unto eternal life. Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Where? 

Praise the Lord! Praise God in his ·Temple [holy place; or holiness]; praise him in his ·mighty heaven [strong firmament; Gen. 1:7]. Psalm 150:1 (EXB)

God is to be praised locally, (in his Temple) and as far as the Heavens expand! Meaning  that everyone, and everything NEAR and FAR are to Praise God. The where, is literally “everywhere”. 

Why? 

First, for God’s “might acts of power”. The literal translation is “His mightinesses”. Just think of the strength and power used to create the world, and sustain it. On Jan 4, 2013 I wrote about the Ultimate Greatness of God. 

The fact the sun weighs Think about the Sun for a moment. Its diameter is about 860,000 miles. The sun weighs 4.4000000000000000000000000000000 pounds— that is 4.4 followed by 30 zeros pounds! And yet it “hangs” in space! (Ultimate Greatness, Jan 4, 2013.)

That one act alone displays God’s MIGHTINESSES! 

The second “Why?” is because of “magnificent greatness.”

"Praise him according to his excellent greatness," or, as the words may bear, "according to his muchness of greatness". "God is great," that is, he is greatest, he is greater than all; so great that all persons and all things are little, yea, nothing before him. The Treasury of David

What am I to do? Praise. Who? God. Where? Everywhere. Why? Because of Who God is. He the mightiest. He is the greatest.  Next month, I’ll look into the HOW do I Praise Him. 

When I take notice of the mightiness and greatness of God, and acknowledge Him in my life, that creates a positive day!

The “12th Man”

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 47. Here is what I learned. 

I enjoy watching football. And the past few weeks, there have been many college bowl games and now the NFL playoffs have started. One phrase often heard during a game is “The 12th Man”. 

There are only 11 players on the field, so who is this “12th Man”? It’s the FANS! When the fans are yelling and screaming and making LOTS of noise, it makes it harder for the “other team” to hear calls and it energizes the fans’ team. The responsibility of “12th Man” is to raise a shout, give a blast! 

That is exactly what Psalm 47 is all about! We are to raise a shout, give a blast—shout at the top of our lungs about our AWESOME and GREAT God!  

God is worthy of profound reverence or adoration. 

For the LORD Most High is awesome.

He is the great King of all the earth.

Psalm 47:2  (NLV)

As God’s “12th Man”, am I shouting about His greatness at the top of my lungs? Am I sharing the awesomeness of God with others? I guess the real question is, Am I ashamed of my God? Or am I going to let others know about Him and His ultimate greatness? 

If I want to create a positive day, then I need to make sure I’m being the “12th Man” for God. For sharing about Him and His awesomeness, makes me reflect and think about Him. The more I’m thinking about God, the more positive the day!

The Ultimate Greatness!

Throughout this year, each day of the month, I'm "Treasure Hunting" in a Psalm. I've created a "Ponder Every Morsel of Truth" Book to record the truths as I learn them. The Fourth of each Month, I'm studying Psalm 19. Here's what Treasure I found today. 

Think about the Sun for a moment. Its diameter is about 860,000 miles. The sun weighs

4.4000000000000000000000000000000 pounds

— that is 4.4 followed by 30 zeros pounds! And yet it “hangs” in space!

The surface of the sun is about 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit. And the Earth is about 93,000,000 miles from the sun.  Any closer and we would burn, any further away and we would freeze. God knows exactly where to “hang” the Sun and Earth. 

The heavens are telling of the greatness of God and the great open spaces above show the work of His hands. Psalm 19:1 (NLV) 

Heaven is declaring God’s glory; the sky is proclaiming his handiwork. Psalm 19:1 (CEB)

Looking at the vastness of the sky, and knowing that we have yet to discover all that is in our Heavens, we are given a glimpse of the ultimate greatness of God. 

When I look at the Heavens and see the greatness of God, I realize that since God can create the Heavens with such detail, God can take care of me!  I don’t understand how the sun can “hang” in space, but I don’t need to understand all the details. The same is true in my life. I don’t need to understand how or why God does what He does, I am only to trust Him.  

“I don’t think the way you think.

The way you work isn’t the way I work.”

God’s Decree.

“For as the sky soars high above earth,

so the way I work surpasses the way you work,

and the way I think is beyond the way you think.

Just as rain and snow descend from the skies

and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth,

Doing their work of making things grow and blossom,

producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry,

So will the words that come out of my mouth

not come back empty-handed.

They’ll do the work I sent them to do,

they’ll complete the assignment I gave them.

Isaiah 55:8-11 (MSG)

God is in control. God loves me. God knows exactly what is happening in my life, and He is very aware of each and every need I have. My responsibility is to trust God, and let Him work. Creating a positive day is easier when I take time to realize the ultimate greatness of God, and to do that, all I have to do is, look at the Heavens! 

Book full of the details!

"Your marvelous doings are headline news;
I could write a book full of the details

of your greatness."
Psalm 145:6 (The Message)

As I read the above verse this morning, Jan 1, 2012,

I couldn't help but think of yesterday's post.

God has done and is doing

marvelous things!

It's all in the details!

Creating a positive 2012, 

begins with creating a positive day!