Now and Henceforth

I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;

I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

May my meditation be sweet to Him;

I will be glad in the Lord.

Psalm 104:33-34 (NKJV)

Sing: to make song while traveling, going about singing

As long as I live: each day I'm living

Sing praise: to celebrate in song and music; give praise, sing forth praises

While I have my being: literally in the continuance of, while I'm living, now and henceforth

Meditation: to ponder, i.e. (by implication) converse (with oneself, and hence, aloud)

Sweet: the idea of close association, Intermix; to be agreeable -- be pleasant, take pleasure in

Glad: cheer up, brighten up, make joyful, cause to rejoice

Throughout my day, as I go about my daily routine, I am to be singing to the Lord. I am to be celebrating God's goodness. I am to be continually honoring God and praising Him. 

And that begins when my thoughts are agreeable—intermixed with God's. Intermixed...... so much that God's thoughts are so intwined that my thoughts and His thoughts become one in the same. 

And the end result of this.... is that I will then "brighten up" I will be joyful! 

Thanks Living! 

Thanks Living: Surround Sound

So I brought the leaders of Judah up on the wall, and appointed two large thanksgiving choirs. One went to the right hand on the wall toward the Refuse Gate. The other thanksgiving choir went the opposite way, and I was behind them with half of the people on the wall, going past the Tower of the Ovens as far as the Broad Wall, So the two thanksgiving choirs stood in the house of God, likewise I and the half of the rulers with me; For in the days of David and Asaph of old there were chiefs of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. Nehemiah 12:31, 38, 40, 46

Large thanksgiving choirs. 

Songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.

Can you hear the songs of praise and thanksgiving being sung by two large choirs to God? The stereo sound of having one on each side? The first "surround sound"! 

Position Available! 

Job title: Chiefs of the singers

Responsibility: To sing songs of praise and thanksgiving, and lead the Choirs in songs. 

Qualifications: A heart filled with Thanks Living. Willing to worship God with songs of praise and thanksgiving. 

It's much easier to sing praises and give thanks to God in a group. It's important to do that! But true Thanks Living begins in the hearts of individuals. Yes, it must begin in my very own heart. I must be willing to sing praise and thanksgiving to God in private before joining the choir. 

I want to be part of a "Surround Sound Choir of Thanksgiving"! And to be part of that choir, I need to make sure my heart is filled with thanks to God, and that I'm making a habit of Thanks Living. 

Create a New Song... and Sing It!

O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Psalm 96:1 (AMP)

Sing to the Lord a new song [celebrating victory]; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Psalm 96:1 (EXB)

A new song. Do I have a new song to sing? What was I singing? 

A new song. Our old songs were those of pride, of gluttony, of luxury, in hope of gain, prosperity, or harm to others; our "new song" is of praise, reverence, and obedience, and love to God, in newness of life, in the Spirit that quickeneth, no longer in the letter that killeth, but keepeth that new commandment, that we love one another, not with the narrow patriotism and fellow feeling of a small tribe, or a mere national church, but with a citizenship which embraces all the whole earth. Neale and Littledale

I like a variety of music. And I usually have music on most of the time. As I read Psalm 96:1, I had to think about the songs I’ve been singing. Have they been songs of praise to God? Or are they simply filled with “me, myself, and I”? Am I singing songs of thanksgiving? Or songs of complaints?  Am I singing songs of joy? Or of misery? 

Music as an effect on our attitudes, emotions, and mind-set. Some songs make us smile, others make us cry. Since songs have such an affect on us, then I need to make a determined effort to be singing songs of praise to God. 

To create a positive day, I need to create a new song of praise and thankfulness to God, and then be sure to sing it. 

The Message of My Music

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.

Make music to praise God. Play music for him! Make music to praise our king. Play music for him! Psalm 47:6 (GW)

Sing praises to God. Sing praises. Sing praises to our King. Sing praises. Psalm 47:6 (EXB)

Sing: to make music (in praise of God); to celebrate in song and music—give praise, sing forth praises, psalms; original meaning hum, murmur.

What is the message of my music? Am I praising God and telling of His great power and mighty works? Or am I murmuring about my troubles and pain? 

The message of my music

has an effect on those who hear it.

First, it has an effect on me. Yesterday, I found this to be true. I was doing some housecleaning, and that always increases my pain. Chores actually hurt. But, I put in my CD’s and found that the song “God is Good” by Don Moen, changed my attitude. I found myself singing along and smiling... in spite of the pain. The message of the music effected my attitude and perspective and sure made finishing the chores easier. 

Secondly, the message of my music has an effect on those around me. If all I do is murmur, complain and talk about how bad things are.... that creates a message of hopelessness and despair. That is not a very uplifting or positive message for others to hear. 

And lastly, but most importantly, the message of my music has an effect on God. On March 28, I wrote about “Praise Looks Good on You”. When we praise God, it’s looks good on us to God. I like to think of it as “making God smile”. When I’m praising God, giving Him the honor due Him, it’s pleasing to Him. 

The message of my music—praise or murmurs of complaints—both will have an effect on me, those around me, and God. The choice of the message of my music is up to me. I can choose which song to sing. I can pick one of “nobody knows the troubles I’ve seen” or I can pick one of “God is Good!” 

To create a positive day, the message of my music must be that of praise and honor to my Almighty and loving God, for then and only then, will my music effect me and those around me in a positive way. 

You glow when you talk about it.

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 Twenty-sixth of each Month, I'm studying Psalm 96. Here's what Treasure I found today.

“You glow when you talk about it.”
“Your face lights up.”

“Your are smiling ear to ear—literally!” 

Those were the words said to me several times over the past year. What was I talking about? Well there were two things. 1. My day in the pits at a  NASCAR race. 2. The Moore Health Ideal Weight Loss program, which helped me lose 68 lb. 

As I read Psalm 96 this morning, I had to wonder do I glow when I talk about my God? Does my face light up? Do I smile ear to ear telling about God’s amazing goodness? 

Oh sing unto Jehovah a new song: Sing unto Jehovah, all the earth. Psalm 96:1 (ASV)

Sing God a brand-new song! Earth and everyone in it, sing! Sing to God—worship God! Psalm 96:1 (MSG)

Sing: idea of strolling minstrelsy, singing as I go about.

New: that which is delightful, exquisite, precious.

Song: abstractly singing, it just flows forth.

God: of deity Yahweh.

Earth: the world itself and all that lives in/on it. 

• Do I love God so much that I sing or talk about God as I go about my day?
• Do my words or song express the delightful and preciousness of knowing God and understanding (even just a bit) of what He is capable of?
• Does praise to God simply flow out of me when I think of Who God is—Yahweh, God eternal? 

I’m not a very good singer, so I’m not sure I’ll walk around literally singing songs about God. But....What do people see and hear from me as I go about my day?

• Do they see any evidence that God is God?
• Do my actions and attitude express the preciousness of knowing the Almighty God?
• Does talking about God “just flow forth”?
• Is God in my thoughts and such a part of my life, that it’s natural to include Him in my conversations? 

“You glow when you talk about it”. “Your face lights up.” “Your are smiling ear to ear—literally!” If people would say those things to me..... in reference to my relationship with God..... that would make for a very positive day!