Thanks Living: The A's Have It!

I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness, And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High. Psalm 7:17

Praise: give thanks

According to His righteousness: of God's attribute as sovereign

Sing praise: to celebrate in song and music

Name: as a mark or memorial of individuality; by implication honor, authority, character

Most High: the Supreme

As a result, I will thank the Eternal for His justice and sing praises in honor of the Eternal, Most High. Psalm 7:17 (VOICE) 

I thank Jehovah, According to His righteousness, And praise the name of Jehovah Most High! Psalm 7:17 (YLT)

PRAISE: 

noun: the act of expressing approval or admiration; commendation; laudation.

verb (used with object), praised, praising: to express approval or admiration of; commend. extol.

Idioms: sing someone's praises, to praise someone publicly and enthusiastically.

(Dictionary.com)

acclaim: noun. expression of approval

admire: verb. hold in high regard, great respect

applaud: verb. clap for; express approval

appreciate: verb. value highly

(Thesaurus.com)

I will give thanks, acclaim, admire, applaud and appreciate the Lord—not for anything I have done—But according to HIS Righteousness. And as I give thanks to Him, my soul will celebrate in song in honor and respect to the Supreme and only God! That is true Thanks Living! 

The A's Have It! Express approval, holding in high regard and expressing approval and appreciating God's righteousness—Thanks Living!

Directed to SOMEONE, not a Nothing!

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 all the gods of the nations are [lifeless] idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Psalm 96:5 (AMP)

For all human-made, lifeless gods are worthless idols, but the Eternal plotted the vast heavens, shaped every last detail. Psalm 96:5 (VOICE)

Nothings, nonentities.

The Hebrew word 'ĕlı̂yl - means properly "of nothing, nought, empty, vain." The meaning here is, that they were mere nothings; they had no real existence; they were the creations of the imagination; they could not in any sense be regarded as what it was pretended they were; they had no claim to reverence and worship as gods. Of most of them it was a fact that they had no existence at all, but were mere creatures of fancy. Of those that did really exist, as the sun, moon, stars, animals, or the spirits of departed people, though it was true that they had an actual existence, yet it was also true that they had no existence "as gods," or as entitled to worship; and hence, it was also true that the worship offered to them was as vain as that which was offered to mere beings of the imagination. Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Idol noun

1. an image or other material object representing a deity to which religious worship is addressed.
2. Bible: an image of a deity other than God.
3. any person or thing regarded with blind admiration, adoration, or devotion.
4. a mere image or semblance of something, visible but without substance, as a phantom.
5. a figment of the mind; fantasy.

“Any person or thing regarded with blind admiration, adoration, or devotion.” I often find it interesting how people can say they “love” a celebrity. How can you love someone you actually know so little about? Why do you blindly give devotion to someone who has no clue about you, and doesn’t care about you? 

Nothings. Empty. Am I giving my attention to idols, empty people, or things, rather than God? I can know who God is by studying His Word and seeing His work in Creation. I know that God loves me and cares, because He has demonstrated it over and over. 

My praise and adoration need to be given to a very specific someone—God, Almighty—not a person, or thing that is empty and is a nothing. To create a positive day, I need to make sure my adoration is directed to SOMEONE, not a Nothing!