Tuesday, August 18

Praise: For Salvation

Intro:
How dumb would it be to not take a life preserver thrown to you in the ocean? If you were drowning and in need, would you curse the one that threw you a line? Would you ignore the pleas to take the line and be saved?

Yet, so many of our peers are clueless to their true condition. They have no idea that they are in dire need of rescue and they have no interest in a Savior.

Maybe it is where the culture is at. Maybe it is pride in them. Maybe it is our methods. Maybe it is secular humanism fueled by Darwinian thought. I am not sure what the cause but the net result is the same, people are hearing of the kindness of a Savior but are not interested.

On the other hand, we have the joy of praising the God that saves. He get the honor of knowing Him that rescued us from the dungeon of darkness. He know the one that threw us a line.

Read: Isaiah 42:5-9
5 This is what God the LORD says—
he who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it,
who gives breath to its people,
and life to those who walk on it:

6 "I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles,

7 to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.


8 "I am the LORD; that is my name!
I will not give my glory to another
or my praise to idols.

9 See, the former things have taken place,
and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
I announce them to you."

Think:
This is a passage about the Messiah and how He will act on earth. The Messiah had a special relationship with God the Lord (v.6) and had a special assignment: restoring relationships of people with God (v.6-7).

How awesome to have a God that is concerned with releasing folks from darkness and from bondage (v.7). That was the ministry of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. He came to set folks free. He came to shine light in the darkness. He came to throw us a line.

God is the One that sent the Messiah to save us and as such is worthy of our highest praise.

From this passage we learn 3 things about how to praise the Lord (v.9). We uphold the glory of God when we:
1. Remember His name - that's the name of the greatest reputation on earth. He is the One that has "glory" or weightiness of presence. It was the Prince that saved the pauper.
2. Reflect His greatness - our lives are to reflect the greatness of God our savior. We do not want people to see us and think we are wonderful ... we want people to see us and say, "What an amazing God who works wonders in broken people."
3. Rejoice in His praises - it is an honor to know the Lord no less worship Him. He is the God of gods and the Ruler over all. He is not like an idol that cannot speak or see. He is our God, our Provider, our Protector, our Friend. We get to praise Him. We can rejoice in that!

Do:
Have you grabbed the line? Have you been rescued? If you need to know more about how to meet Jesus Christ you can read Romans 3 and you can also read "How to know Jesus" on the DevoLink home page (under the About Us section).

Have you taken time to reflect on your rescue? Have you praised the Lord for throwing you a line and saving you? He is worthy of our praise. He is the God who saves.

What have you been saved from? Can you get saved without recognizing your sinfulness? Do you picture your pre-Christ days as "sitting in darkness" or in a dungeon?

DevoLink: Devotions to help you Link with God.

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